Freshman Clayton Custer announced March 24 that he will transfer from Iowa State to pursue educational and athletic opportunities elsewhere.

“I truly enjoyed my time at Iowa State,” Custer said. “I was able to build relationships with people I’ll be close to the rest of my life and I will always cherish the moments I had here. Thank you to the Iowa State coaches, my teammates and Cyclone nation for the special opportunity.”

Custer’s announcement comes five days after Iowa State’s season came to an abrupt end in the first round of the NCAA tournament against University of Alabama Birmingham.

The freshman guard from Overland Park, Kan. appeared in only 12 games this season, averaging 5.8 minutes per outing in those 12 contests. Custer averaged 1.1 points, 0.7 assists and 0.4 rebounds per game in the 2014-15 season.

Custer was recruited heavily by Division I programs coming out of high school, but spent much of his only season in the cardinal and gold playing behind second-team all-Big 12 point guard Monte Morris. Sophomore Matt Thomas and senior transfer Bryce Dejean-Jones ate up most of the remaining minutes at the guard position.

Next season, transfer guard Hallice Cooke, formerly of Oregon State, will be eligible to play. Eventually, Marquette transfer Deonte Burton will also become game eligible, as he transferred partway through the 2014-15 season. With Morris and Thomas returning, the depth at the position will be greater and back-court minutes will likely be even sparser for bench guards.

“I appreciate the work and effort Clayton gave to our program this season,” said ISU coach Fred Hoiberg. “He has been a great teammate. I’ve enjoyed coaching Clayton and wish him the best in the future. I will do anything I can to assist him as he looks for a new school.”