Larry Hisle Jr., the University of Wisconsin basketball guard who visited the University of Maine last month to investigate transferring to the Orono-based institution, has eliminated Maine from his list of potential schools.

UM basketball coach Rudy Keeling said Thursday that Hisle informed him over the phone last week he had decided against Maine.

Hisle, who is looking for a school where he can play both Division I basketball and baseball, is reportedly still considering a transfer to New Mexico State or the University of Dayton.

Hisle, son of former major league baseball player Larry Hisle, could not be reached for comment.

“He had just got back from visiting New Mexico State when he called us and said we weren’t in the running any more,” said Keeling. “He said New Mexico State was more what he was looking for.”

A spokesperson in the New Mexico State Sports Information Office said Thursday Hisle has not yet indicated he will transfer there.

Keeling said Hisle may have experienced culture shock going from the Big Ten campus he was used to in Madison, Wis., to Maine’s smaller campus and athletic facilities.

“I think he may have felt we weren’t big-time enough,” Keeling said.

Hisle isn’t the only loss for Keeling’s program recently. Freshman forward Greg McClaire has transferred to Niagara University. McClaire, a 6-foot-3 small forward from the Bronx, N.Y., averaged 1 point per game in limited action for the Black Bears last season.

“It was a case of where he could see what we had coming in and he didn’t want to be in a backup role,” said Keeling, noting the three big forwards he recruited for next season, including two junior college transfers.

With the 100th anniversary of UM football and the 125th anniversary of the University of Maine coming up this year, the Black Bear athletic department and Regional Activities Guide of Maine have announced their intent to publish The University of Maine Sports History Book.

Scheduled for availability this fall, the book will offer fans, students, and alumni a complete history of UM sports highlighting more than a century of men’s and women’s athletics.

Current plans call for both a limited edition hardcover and a softcover edition of the book. For further information, contact the Regional Activities Guide of Maine at 1-800-660-2389.