After an injury-plagued sophomore season, BU center Jordan Fithian decided enough was enough.

Frustrated by a lack of playing time and a fundamental disagreement with the coaches about the game’s pace, Fithian, who began last season in a starting role, will transfer to Division-II Emporia College, in his home state of Kansas, for the 2006-07 season.

Fithian said he came to the decision after meeting with head coach Al Walker on the Tuesday after spring break.

“He told me I wasn’t going to be one of the first options in the post next year,” Fithian said. “When coach let me know [that], it was just a simple decision.”

The 6-foot-6 center added that in their meeting, Walker also criticized Fithian’s dedication to improving and his presence in Binghamton’s downtown scene, which, to Fithian, was somewhat surprising.

Fithian, or ‘Fith,’ the 2003 Mr. Basketball in Kansas, never really established himself in BU’s offensive scheme, averaging just 4.5 points per game as a starter in the fall. His charisma and energy on the defensive end led him to become a popular player coming into the 2005-06 season.

But struggles on the glass and with his short-range jumpers led Fithian’s playing time to diminish before he suffered a season-threatening foot injury in a pick-up game on Dec. 26. Although he would return in a limited role in the America East tournament, he never really re-entered the Bearcats’ rotation, playing just two minutes in the quarterfinal win against Maine.

“I didn’t get any playing time in the conference tournament, even with [senior forward] Sebastian [Hermenier] being out,” Fithian said. “I don’t mind playing behind someone better than me … I don’t mind that, but not even being given the chance; it was a little disappointing.”

Now, Fithian will return home and play for Emporia State, a team that was ranked in the D-II Top 25 this past season. Emporia State is located about an hour from Fithian’s hometown of McPherson.

Junior swingman Andrew Davison, a 6-2 transfer from Marshalltown CC, will also transfer and play for Emporia State. The pair will both compete for spots in the Hornets’ starting five, the players said.

“I wasn’t pleased that I had to leave,” said Davison, a Virginia native who averaged just 4.2 minutes per game this season. “I was trying to help my team to win. I never thought about leaving during the season.”

Why did the duo choose a Division-II school? The answer is actually fairly obvious: if either were to transfer to another D-I program, they’d have to sit out a year according to NCAA regulations. (Transferring to another America East institution would require a two-year wait.)

“I just don’t want to sit out another year,” Fithian said.

Coach Walker declined to discuss the details of his conversation with Fithian, saying only, “We’re going to miss Jordan. He’s very charismatic; he’s got a lot of energy. We wish him the very best.” He declined comment about Davison, whose father, Ken, was Nick Billings’ coach in the NBDL this past year.

Fithian said he harbors no hard feelings toward the coach that brought him to Binghamton.

“We get along well as people, [but] on the basketball court, he’s got a different belief about how the game should be played,” Fithian said. “Our relationship is first of all as a coach-player, not as a friend … he’s doing what he has to do. You weed out players that don’t fit in the system. It didn’t work out for him, and he was straightforward with me. If that’s what he wants to do, then that’s his prerogative. I’m not the one making the decision.”

With the departure of Fithian and Davison, and the graduation of Schafer Jackson, Andre Heard and Sebastian Hermenier, the Bearcats have a lot of holes to fill in their roster before next season begins.

OTHER BU TRANSFERS UNDER AL WALKER:

Jordan Fithian and Andrew Davison aren’t the first players to leave Walker’s program. Last year, swingman Joel Casseus left the team after the season for personal reasons, and in 2003 projected starting point guard Darel Lucas abruptly left the team mid-season and transferred to Seattle Pacific. Backup guard Louie Karis also left the team after the 2003 season and transferred to CUNY-Baruch. Robert Todd and Kevin Kloostra each left Binghamton in 2003, with Kloostra now playing for D-II Windsor in Canada.