After his dismissal from the Indiana University basketball team, Hanner Mosquera-Perea officially transferred to East Tennessee State to join a coach he has known for years.
According to the Associated Press, the East Tennessee athletic department confirmed Mosquera-Perea's transfer Tuesday. Steve Forbes, the team's coach, said he has known the Cambodian forward as long as he has been in the U.S.
"I've known Hanner since he came to the United States over seven years ago," Forbes said in the team's press release. "During that time, I've watched him steadily improve and grow into a starter at Indiana, where he contributed on two NCAA Tournament teams. He is a tremendous athlete and will be a great addition to our program next year."
Without a transfer waiver, Mosquera-Perea will have to sit out the upcoming basketball season, per NCAA transfer rules, ESPN noted. The six-foot-nine forward was dismissed from Indiana's team last month for what the school called a failure to live "up to their responsibilities to the program."
In Feb. 2014, Mosquera-Perea was charged with drunk driving and was then accompanying former teammate Devin Davis when the latter was charged with marijuana possession.
"I talked to Hanner about some of his past decisions," Forbes told ESPN. "I just felt like he was a young man who deserves a second chance. I trust him. I believe in him. I think a fresh start for him is a good thing."
Mosquera-Perea is also looking forward to the transfer, as he will be reunited with Peter Jurkin, a center from South Sudan who also used to play for Indiana.
"I have known the coaches, especially Coach Forbes, for a long time now and I know he's the right coach for me," Mosquera-Perea said in the release. "Coach Forbes and Peter told me a lot about the school, the players, the community and the fans, and I knew right then that this was the place I wanted to be. I'm going to do whatever I can do to help the team win, and I'm going to spend the next year stepping up my game and working hard so when I get back out there I'm able to make a difference for this team."
