The University of Maine men’s basketball team was dealt a major blow with Friday’s announcement that starting forward Rickey White has left the team for personal and family reasons.

“It’s permanent, and the reason we use ‘family and personal matters’ is that is exactly the case,” said men’s head coach John Giannini. “We’ve met over the last few weeks and at our last meeting, we determined it would not be possible for him to play.”

White, who is days away from obtaining a communications degree, was expected to return as a fifth-year player provided he obtains his degree this summer. The 6-foot-4, 185-pound forward was selected for the America East All-Conference first team last season after leading the Black Bears with 13.2 points per game. He also averaged 5.4 rebounds, two assists, and 1.6 steals per game.

“Obviously, this is not the outcome we wanted, but unlike the majority of setbacks we’ve faced, this one comes months before our team’s first games,” Giannini said. “So at least in terms of team chemistry and the confidence players have in each other, this doesn’t affect us as much had it occurred just before the season starts. This isn’t a positive situation, but it is something we can adjust to based on the time frame.”

White’s loss means the Bears will be much more guard- and perimeter-oriented.

“It changes our strengths. We’ll have to utilize our perimeter depth and quickness,” Giannini said. “There’s no question he’s one of the best players in the conference, but we can replace him with someone with more perimeter shooting and ballhandling skill.”

White finishes his UMaine career with 566 points in 69 games over three seasons.