Hawaii men's basketball coach Gib Arnold acknowledged the departure of guard Dwain Williams from the team yesterday.

“;After meeting with Dwain, a decision came forth that he'll pursue his dream of professional basketball,”; Arnold said in a UH release. “;We'll miss his scoring ability and are grateful for his contributions to the program. We'll help Dwain any way we can and we wish him all the best.”;

Williams, a Providence transfer who averaged 14 points in 14 games as a junior, was unavailable for comment. He missed the final 13 games of last season after an indefinite team suspension under coach Bob Nash, but was previously optimistic he could meet Arnold's requirements — in performance, behavior and academics — to stay with the team.

Since the hiring of Arnold two months ago, Williams became the third UH player to leave the Rainbow Warriors before either finishing up eligibility or graduating early. Guard Jeremy Lay and forward Aleksandar Milovic were the others; they will play elsewhere next year.

Williams' departure opens up a scholarship. However, yesterday was the final day of the late signing period and any scholarship player added before next season would have a non-binding commitment.