Perry to leave IU basketball

Two weeks after seeing his first playing time of the season, senior guard Donald Perry has left the Hoosiers men's basketball team, IU coach Mike Davis announced Wednesday evening.\n"Donald decided after the (Feb. 12) Minnesota game that he no longer wanted to be a part of the team, and he notified the coaching staff late Monday night of his decision," Davis said. "We're disappointed that Donald is leaving, but we wish him the best."\nThe Tallulah, La., native was suspended Oct. 15, for a violation of team rules and was reinstated by Davis Dec. 6, in time for the Notre Dame game two days later. Perry didn't play his first minutes of the year until Feb. 2 at Iowa. He didn't score in all three games he played in, and dished out two assists in the Hoosiers' 15-point loss against Illinois Feb. 6.\nPerry was the only scholarship freshman to play a significant role during the Hoosiers' run to the 2002 Final Four, backing up then-junior point guard Tom Coverdale. In his first year, Perry scored 2.6 points per game, including 10 points against Oklahoma in the national semifinal. \nHis minutes declined during his sophomore year, because of the arrival of juniors Bracey Wright and Marshall Strickland. He averaged 8.5 minutes per game and 2.2 ppg. \nLast season was Perry's best statistically. He played in 28 of the Hoosiers 29 games, starting 14 of them. He averaged 22.1 minutes per game and 3.3 ppg, as the Hoosiers struggled to find a working rotation. \nPerry came to IU after being named Louisiana's Mr. Basketball, and was part of Davis' first recruiting class as the head coach for the Hoosiers.