M. Hoops loses another as Cofield leaves

Talented but inconsistent guard Remy Cofield has left the basketball team permanently and will transfer at year's end to a college closer to his home in Newton, Mass., according to a two-paragraph athletic department statement released yesterday.

"Remy has been dealing with some ongoing family situations and has reached a point where he feels it is in his best interests to spend more of his time focusing on them," coach Glen Miller said in the release. Cofield plans to finish the academic year and then transfer.

The sophomore becomes Penn's second victim of attrition this year. Senior swingman Tommy McMahon, another talented, inconsistent and oft-injured player, left the team several weeks ago after his minutes dropped off (and despite his onetime desire to apply for a medical redshirt and return for a fifth year).

Cofield's relatively modest production should not be too hard to replace. But it is significant nonetheless because Penn has lost an extraordinary number of options already.

The entire junior class - forwards Justin Reilly and Andreas Schrieber and guard Darren Smith - all have missed significant time this year due to injury and only Reilly will return this year.

Cofield was in uniform for his last home game against Temple Wednesday night.

He struck a lean 6-foot-4 figure and tipped 205 on the scales. He was at his best in transition and at his worst on defense. He had appeared in two-thirds of Penn's games this year and logged an average of over 10 minutes, starting twice and scoring 22 points.

But his role was larger as a freshman, when he appeared in 19 games and would have played in more had he not been bothered and ultimately sidelined by a stress fracture in his foot. In a performance that underscored his potential, he scored a team-high 20 points in a loss to Virginia.

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