Here's the official statement from Rick Pitino on the transfer of Stephan Van Treese:
"Although Stephan's playing time has been limited with injuries, he's a terrific young man who needs to step on the court and play 30-plus minutes a game, gain his confidence and have some success," Louisville coach Rick Pitino said in a statement. "We wish him the best and will always be behind him."
Van Treese himself gave a little bit of insight into how the situation transpired in an interview with the Indianapolis Star.
After meeting with coach Rick Pitino this week, Van Treese said he was told that he was unlikely to see much playing time in 2012-13.
"I like coach Pitino a lot and don't regret anything," he said. "I feel like if I wouldn't have gotten hurt that it would have been different. That really put a damper on everything. (Pitino) said he felt like I need to go somewhere and play and get 30 minutes a game. That wasn't going to happen here."
Van Treese said he hasn't been cleared to talk to schools yet so he doesn't have a list of possible destinations. It will be somewhere in the Midwest.
"My parents are coming down today and we're going to talk about some places that could be a good fit," he said. "I want to play close to home and I want to find somewhere I could get playing time."
I've already stated, at length, my feelings on the forced transfers of George Goode and Jared Swopshire (I don't like it), but I'm not sure this situation can be painted with the same brush. Neither side gives any indication that Van Treese was told his scholarship was taken away, he was merely told he probably wouldn't play much this season (an assertion which seems honest) and, armed with that information, opted to take his game elsewhere.
I don't want to do it, but I'm going to anyway...it is what it is.