LORETTO, Pa. (July 30, 2008) – Saint Francis University head men’s basketball coach Don Friday announced on Wednesday that rising seniors Chris Berry (Seagoville, Texas / Seagoville) and Bassirou Dieng (Dakar, Senegal / Riverdale Baptist) will not return to the team for the 2008-09 season.

Berry has returned to the Lone Star State, where he will play for NAIA school Texas Wesleyan. Dieng, who graduated from Saint Francis in May with a Bachelors of Arts degree in Political Science and International Studies, has transferred to Georgia Tech, where he will play for the Yellow Jackets on a basketball scholarship.

“We fully support the decision that both of these men have made,” said Friday, who is entering his first season at the helm of the Red Flash. “Bassirou Dieng’s decision was centered around academics. He was very passionate about pursuing his masters degree in International Affairs at Georgia Tech, a program that we do not currently offer at Saint Francis University. Bass has our full support and we wish him well.

“Chris Berry’s decision was not an easy one for him to make. However, it centered around his desire to be near his family, where he can be within a short drive to take care of his family responsibilities at home. We all want to be closer to our family, and I admire him for sacrificing his time here at SFU so he can take care of his family. Anybody who has ever been around the Saint Francis family, they know that we will continue to support both of these young men throughout our days. We wish them the best of luck.”

Berry transferred to Saint Francis from Lon Morris Junior College in Texas following the 2005-06 academic year. He played two seasons for the Red Flash, averaging 11.4 ppg and 5.6 rebounds to go with 61 steals and 71 assists in 58 games. He led Saint Francis with 11.1 ppg and was second with 6.3 rpg in 2007-08.

Dieng was second on the team in scoring  (10.7 ppg) and led the squad in rebounding (6.6 rpg) during a breakout 2007-08 campaign. He is 10th on SFU’s all-time blocks list (57), and had a career high 29 blocks in his second season in the program after transferring from Norfolk State in 2005-06, when he sat out in accordance with NCAA transfer rules. He has been accepted into Georgia Tech’s International Affairs graduate program and has been granted immediate eligibility by the NCAA to play for the Yellow Jackets’ basketball team in the 2008-09 season.

NCAA rules require student-athletes sit out one year when transferring within the same division, but the NCAA can grant a waiver when the student-athlete enrolls at an institution in a graduate program which is not offered by his previous school.

The Red Flash currently have 11 players on the 2008-09 roster, and will have seven scholarships to hand out for the 2009-10 season. Saint Francis has five seniors, five juniors and one sophomore on this year’s roster.