Almost a month after David Pellom was granted a release from the men’s basketball team, the senior forward will officially leave the Colonials to head to the University of Memphis.
The news was first reported by The Commercial Appeal, a Tennessee newspaper, Tuesday night.
His official transfer marks an offseason in which head coach Mike Lonergan has seen two other players – sophomore Jonathan Davis and senior Lasan Kromah – leave the program. Former recruit Nigel Johnson also decommitted to head to Kansas State, another sour note in the Colonials’ offseason.
Following his release on March 26, Pellom still had the opportunity to return to GW for his final season of eligibility, though that was always an unlikely scenario. With Memphis, Pellom will be able to play right away as a graduate student transfer.
Pellom’s departure leaves junior forward Nemaja Mikic as the final player on the roster who was recruited by former Colonials’ head coach Karl Hobbs.
The news officially opens up another roster and scholarship slot for next year’s team, even after the offseason additions of Nick Griffin, Skyler White and Miguel Cartagena.
Pellom did not play a single game for the Colonials this past season, sidelined by a series of surgeries in the offseason, as well as a lingering left wrist issue. During his junior season, Pellom led GW in rebounds, averaging 6.1 a game over 27 games. On the offensive side, he set a single-season shooting record on 68.5 percent shooting.
