May 1, 2007

VILLANOVA, Pa. - Sophomore guard Bilal Benn (Philadelphia, Pa./Cardinal Dougherty H.S./Hargrave Military Academy) will leave Villanova at the end of the spring semester and plans to transfer to Niagara University, it was announced today.

"We are sad to have Bilal leave our team but we are happy for him that he will be joining (coach) Joe Mihalich at Niagara University," stated Villanova head coach Jay Wright. "He will always be a part of our Villanova family.

"We are proud of Bilal and appreciate his efforts these last two years. He remains in good academic standing and has always made a positive impact on the Villanova community. This is a basketball decision on his part that we all support."

As a freshman in 2005-06, Benn saw action in 20 games for a Wildcat squad that finished with a 28-5 record and advanced to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament. His nine points and two assists keyed a Feb. 11 victory at DePaul. In 2006-07 he appeared in 28 games, averaging 1.9 points and 1.5 assists per outing for a `Cat team that ended the year with a 22-11 record. His most productive statistical night came on Nov. 30 when he contributed seven points and seven rebounds in a 72-44 victory at Stony Brook.