Princeton's Earl looking to transfer

Freshman Brian Earl, Princeton's starting point guard this past year, is considering transferring from Princeton -- and has not ruled out coming to arch-rival Penn. Earl, who was the Tigers' second-leading leading scorer last year at 9.2 points per game, cited a "the lack of freedom" in the famous Princeton famous slow-it-down offense as a primary source of his dissatisfaction. He added that the move was in no way due to the Tigers players or coaching staff. Although The Philadelphia Daily News announced in a headline yesterday that "Princeton's Earl might join enemy," the 6-foot-2, 165-pound freshman downplayed the possibility of joining the Quakers, saying that Penn was just one of roughly 30 schools he was considering. Earl said that he was not looking at Penn "more than other school." "I wouldn't say they are on the top of my list," he added. Earl cited two factors that were not in the Quakers' favor -- the heat he would take for joining Princeton's biggest rival and his friendship with incoming Penn recruit Matt Langel, a 6-foot-4 guard from Moorestown, N.J. Earl explained that he does not want to be in a situation where he is competing for playing time in the Quakers backcourt with Langel. Working in the Quakers' favor is Penn's close proximity to Earl's home in Medford Lakes, N.J., which is about a half-hour drive from University City. Earl added that Penn is the only Ivy League school that is on his list. Princeton coach Bill Carmody -- who replaced legendary coach Pete Carril following the Tigers' NCAA tournament run -- said that he granted Earl permission to talk to other Ivy League schools, which is required by NCAA rules. But he did not want to further comment on the situation. However, Carmody hinted that he may open the Tigers offense up a bit, which may induce Earl to stay. "I'm different from Coach Carril," Carmody said. "I believe a lot of Coach Carril's philosophy, but also that you look at the players, what their strengths are and basically go from there." Regardless of whether Earl comes to Penn or not, if Earl transfers it will be a blow to the Tigers chances of repeating as Ivy champions. Princeton returns the core of last year's team that defeated defending national champion UCLA in the NCAA tournament last year. Although Earl lost his starting spot in the rotation to Mitch Henderson after struggling in the middle of the season, Earl was one of the top rookies in the Ivy League last year and was expected to play a big part in any future Tigers successes. Earl says that his decision to transfer "depends on the interest" he gets from other schools. "If I feel its the right place for me, if I feel its better, I'll go," Earl said. Penn coach Fran Dunphy, who unsuccessfully tried to recruit Earl out of high school, said that he received a fax Tuesday afternoon indicating that Earl was a recruitable athlete. But Dunphy was precluded by NCAA rules to further comment. If Earl does transfer to Penn or anywhere else, he will have to sit out a year due to NCAA rules.

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