UCLA basketball: Gordon apologizes for leaving midseason

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UCLA center Drew Gordon did not attend the press conference at which Coach Ben Howland announced the sophomore is leaving the team, but he did offer some comments on Twitter.com.

This morning, he told his Twitter followers: ‘waking up early.. sleeples night.. man its tough.. lots on the mind.’

That was followed by a message in the early afternoon.

‘to all my supporters and fans i apreciate all you done and im sorry but i set back is a set up for a great come back!!’ he wrote.

Teammates said that the player and Howland had butted heads at times this season, but no one suspected that Gordon was upset enough to leave. Gordon will transfer at the end of the quarter, a decision he came to after a series of meetings with Howland.

‘This is not a spur-of-the-moment decision,’ the coach said. ‘Ultimately, it’s what’s best for all parties.’

-- David Wharton