By Staff & Wire
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Monday May 5, 2003
Former Arizona basketball player Dennis Latimore has finally chosen his next destination.
The power forward decided to transfer to Notre Dame, where he will be eligible for the 2004-05 season. He will have two years of eligibility remaining.
Latimore, who is still enrolled in classes at UA, quit the Wildcat basketball team on Feb. 25 for unspecified reasons.
It was rumored that Latimore decided to leave because of a lack of playing time after fighting for minutes with a crowded front court of Luke Walton, Channing Frye, Rick Anderson, Andre Iguodala and Isaiah Fox.
The 6-foot-8, 238-pound Latimore also considered Iowa State, Minnesota, Oklahoma and Wichita State.
According to the South Bend Tribune, Latimore visited Notre Dame for the first time last weekend.
"I got along with all the players well (and) thought my style of play fit in good," said Latimore to the Tribune. "The education that I'm going to be getting is second to none."
The Halstead, Kan. native left UA after averaging 3.2 points and 3.1 rebounds in 23 games. In 57 career games at Arizona, Latimore averaged 2.4 points and 2.8 rebounds. He was the second Wildcat player to leave the team last season, along with classmate Will Bynum, who went on to sign with Georgia Tech.
"The basketball situation wasn't going the way I expected," he told the Tribune. "I felt maybe things could work out better in a new style and a new situation."
Latimore, who chose UA out of high school because of the education he would receive ÷ he was a top 10 student at Halstead High School ÷ is going to another school with a strong academic reputation.
Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey cannot comment on the program's newest addition since Latimore is still enrolled at Arizona. Since the spring semester at UA ends May 16, Latimore can then sign his grant-in-aid letter, basically the transfer equivalent of a high school senior's letter of intent.
Latimore expects to be on the Notre Dame campus in June for the start of summer school, according to the Tribune.
Arizona ended the Fighting Irish season in a 88-71 victory in the Sweet 16 in Anaheim, Calif.
