After two years as a reserve forward, sophomore Cory Johnson is leaving the ISU men’s basketball team.

At the beginning of the week, Johnson and coach Greg McDermott sat down and discussed Johnson’s role on the team and his future plans. After a few days of deliberation, Johnson let the staff know of his decision Thursday.

“After the talk early in the week, Cory took a couple days, put some more thought into it, and today he made his decision,” said assistant coach Jeff Rutter.

A 6-foot-7-inch forward, Johnson averaged 2.7 points and 8.6 minutes in 27 games this season. He played more than 10 minutes just twice during the Big 12 season and didn’t play in the Cyclones’ final two games of the year. As a freshman, the Duluth, Minn., native put up 4.2 points and 11.4 minutes per game.

His decreased role with the team was the sole reason Johnson decided to leave. Rutter said it was “100 percent his reason to make a change.”

Johnson could not be reached for comment, but he echoed that sentiment in a statement released by the team.

“I simply want to earn more playing time,” Johnson said in the press release. “My time at Iowa State has been terrific. It was my personal dream to participate in intercollegiate basketball at the highest level. Playing at Iowa State and in the Big 12 Conference was a great experience. At the same time, I want to find a school where I can be a key contributor in the team’s lineup.”

Rutter said Johnson hasn’t put much thought into where he will transfer, saying Johnson is “really wide open” to his next destination.

Johnson’s departure will free up another scholarship for McDermott to work with, but Iowa State already had some versatility in that area.

“We had two scholarships available prior to Cory’s decision,” Rutter said. “So we’ve been actively pursuing other players before this.”