Junior Zach Willingham of the Ball State men's basketball team declared it official Tuesday that he has decided to transfer schools due to "lack of playing time."
"I thought I would be able to come in and play more than I did," Willingham said.
The junior transferred to Ball State from Allen County College in Iola, Kansas, a two-year school. He said he was "told (he) was sketched in as a starter the first couple of weeks of practice."
As the season progressed, so did Willingham's playing time.
In the first half of the season Willingham played in double digits most contests with his most involved game being against Bowling Green, playing 19 minutes.
In the team's last six regular-season games, however, Willingham played 33 combined minutes and didn't see any action in the Mid-American Conference Tournament.
"In the MAC Championships, I thought I could contribute and I didn't get to play at all," Willingham said.
Willingham said he met with head coach Tim Buckley after the MAC Tournament to explain that he was "upset and pretty frustrated." He said in that conversation Buckley asked him what his plans were, and Willingham responded by saying he was considering transferring.
Ball State then went on to play three postseason games in the National Invitation Tournament. The only game in which Willingham saw playing time was the closing minutes of the South Carolina game, a game Ball State lost by 35 points.
It wasn't until after that game that Willingham's teammates were made aware of his plans to transfer. He said he didn't want the news to serve as a distraction.
Willingham explained Tuesday that he and his "contacts" have discussed options with Division IA schools California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, Ca., and High Point University in High Point, N.C.
They have also discussed options with Division IIA schools South Eastern Oklahoma State and Oklahoma City.
Willingham explained he will have to decide in which division he wants to play before moving on. If he chooses a Division IA school, he will be forced to sit out a year, as is division policy.