Arizona State's Trent Lockett, the team's leading scorer last season, says he will transfer to Marquette for his senior season to be closer to his mother, who has been diagnosed with cancer.
Lockett, whose mother lives in Minnesota, already has earned a bachelor's degree in business communication from Arizona State.
In a statement released by Arizona State, Lockett thanked everyone involved in his career at the school and said the transfer was the hardest decision he's had to make. He said that while his decision is based on his mother's health, he also wanted to make a good basketball decision and Marquette is a great place to end his career.
''I have been a Sun Devil since 16,'' Lockett said on his Twitter account, referring to the age at which he committed to Arizona State. ''I love and appreciate the people and experience at ASU. Saying that, I am excited to finish my last yr at MU.''
The 6-foot-5 guard was the best player the Sun Devils had the past two seasons, two of the worst in coach Herb Sendek's time at the school.
''We continue to support Trent and his family through this difficult time,'' Sendek said. ''We are proud of all that he has accomplished at Arizona State, including being able to celebrate his graduation this weekend with family and friends, and know he will always be a Sun Devil at heart. We are glad he has found a good place to complete his college career close to home so he can provide support to his mom Judy and know the Sun Devil nation will continue to follow his career.''
In his first season at Arizona State, Lockett was named to the Pac-10 all-freshman team, starting 15 games for the team.
As a sophomore, Lockett earned all-Pac-10 and first team all-academic conference honors two seasons ago as a sophomore, averaging a career-best 13.4 points per game, but the team won just 12 games. Last season, he missed time due to injury but averaged team-leading totals of 13 points and 5.5 rebounds per game for a team went 10-22, 6-12 in the conference.
His departure is a serious setback for Sendek's program. Lockett was counted on as a veteran presence as the Sun Devils look to six newcomers, led by point guard Jahii Carson, to right the program.
''We continue to support Trent and his family through this difficult time,'' Sendek said. ''We are proud of all that he has accomplished at Arizona State, including being able to celebrate his graduation this weekend with family and friends, and know he will always be a Sun Devil at heart. We are glad he has found a good place to complete his college career close to home so he can provide support to his mom Judy and know the Sun Devil nation will continue to follow his career.''
Lockett had asked in March to be released from his scholarship. He is the third player to leave the program, joining guard Chan Creekmur and forward Kyle Cain. Guard Keala King was dismissed during the season for violating team rules.
