Staff report
Another bench player from this year's Mountain West Conference Tournament champion Lobo team has decided to part ways with the program.
Sean Phaler announced he will leave the UNM basketball team, citing personal reasons that are "unrelated to basketball."
Phaler said in a UNM news release, "I would just like to thank all of the people in the UNM basketball family - both the players, who are my best friends, and the coaches, who brought me here."
Phaler averaged 2.5 points and one rebound in his 4.1 minutes per game this season.
He initially signed to play for UCLA out of high school but was let out of his national letter of intent when the head coach, Steve Lavin, was replaced by Ben Howland.
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Phaler came to UNM after a car accident in June of 2003 left him with two broken vertebrae. He was forced to redshirt his first season.
Phaler is the third Lobo from this year's squad to announce his defection. Guard Ryan Wall and forward Bambale Osby have also quit.
The team also announced one signing. Australian Ryan Kersten has signed to join the Lobos next season. The 6-foot-1-inch point guard out of the Australian Institute of Sport started eight of his team's nine games this year.
