Penn State forward Aaron Johnson announced yesterday that he will be leaving the men's basketball team and will transfer to play at another school.

After an hour-and-a-half meeting with Penn State coach Ed DeChellis Thursday, the two decided it was best for the program and Johnson to go their separate ways.

"It was a mutual decision," Johnson said. "I think it was a combination of a lot of things. I think they will be a better team without me."

The 6-foot-9, 240-pound junior was recently named honorable mention all-Big Ten this season. Johnson led the Big Ten in rebounding with 9.9 boards per game and averaged 11.8 points a contest. He has one year of eligibility remaining, in addition to a redshirt year, after being invited to walk on to the Nittany Lion team as a freshman and starting 35 games in his 73-game career.

"At the end of this past season, I spoke with Aaron to discuss his future with the program," DeChellis said yesterday in a press release. "Following our discussion, both Aaron and I came to a mutual understanding that it would be better if Aaron continued his basketball career at a different institution."

Johnson's exit marks the seventh player to transfer since DeChellis took over for Jerry Dunn in April 2003. Penn State now returns just seven players for the 2005-2006 season, and there is uncertainty as to whether or not sophomore guard Marlon Smith will be able to play after suffering from a transient blood clot.

"I'm not in favor of [Johnson] leaving from a team aspect, but it's tough to be a part of what we are going through when he's only got a year left," said freshman guard Danny Morrissey. "It's tough to see us being much better next year."

According to Howard Johnson, Aaron's father, the forward has considered transferring for more than a year. The losses weighed too heavily on his son, nicknamed HoJo, as he compiled 23 wins and 63 losses during his three years at Penn State.

"He's done everything in his power in the last three years trying to be a positive force," Howard Johnson said. "He's given it everything he has for three years, and it's been devastating for him psychologically to perform like a champion with the new staff and way program is going so far its time for him to rejuvenate."

At the end of the season, Aaron Johnson and sophomore guard Ben Luber were the only two players remaining from the Dunn era. Howard Johnson said his son was affected by the current coaching staff's philosophy of "taking care of younger players at the expense of the older players."

Aaron Johnson's junior season was filled with spurts of dominating play and lackluster performances. On Jan. 22, he out-rebounded the entire Northwestern team in Penn State's only conference win. However, by the end of the season, it was obvious that Aaron Johnson had been worn down physically and mentally, which could be seen on both the stat sheet and in interactions with his teammates.

"It did seem as if he was separating from the team by the end of the year," Morrissey said. "But I didn't sense it was anything beyond what everyone else was experiencing."

Aaron Johnson must wait until the NCAA tournament concludes to talk to other schools. He said he doesn't mind having to sit out a season with the hopes of finding a successful program.

"It will be great to be at that kind of environment and work out," Aaron Johnson said. "If I have the privilege and they like me then I can go to a major Division I school."

HoJo, the fan favorite at the Bryce Jordan Center, doesn't want to leave Penn State, but said he feels it's something he has to do to better his basketball future.

"It breaks my heart to have to leave this school," he said. "I think it's the best in the country. I love this school."