Hawaii guard Conrad Fitzgerald will become the third Rainbow Warrior to transfer out of the program for the 2009-10 season.

Fitzgerald, a second-year freshman from Woodland Hills, Calif., came into the program in 2007 as a scholarship player but had his scholarship taken away last season in favor of a new recruit.

“;Coming into college, it was a dream to play for UH,”; said Fitzgerald, whose grandparents live in Makaha Valley. “;Just turned out it didn't work out, I guess. Just gonna go ahead and try to look another direction. I don't want to give up basketball, and I'm not too sure if I stayed here, (it might) hold me back from fulfilling my whole potential.”;

Fitzgerald said he'll look to play Division II, possibly at one of the four local D-II colleges or on the West Coast. He hasn't yet been granted his release, so he hasn't spoken to coaches.

The 6-foot-5 Fitzgerald displayed a smooth shooting stroke and was one of the more athletic players on the team, but struggled to get on the floor. He scored eight points in 18 total minutes this season.

Guard Lasha Parghalava and forward Adam Jespersen, two scholarship players, said last week they will transfer out. Fitzgerald said he waited to see if there was a chance his scholarship could be restored, but coach Bob Nash said the team needed to look elsewhere.

“;Just felt like we needed to get different positions, and because of his current position (shooting guard) I didn't think he was a candidate for a scholarship,”; Nash said. “;Having said that, he felt the need to transfer to where perhaps he could get a scholarship and play right away.

“;I understand that and he's a great young man, comes from a great family and he's a guy I've known for quite some time,”; the coach added. “;Tried to do everything I could to try to help him as a person and a player, and sometimes things just don't work. In this case, it just didn't work out.”;