OXFORD - Ole Miss sophomore Malcolm White, the starting center on a guard-heavy roster, is leaving the team for personal reasons, the school announced in a news release Thursday evening.

White, a Baton Rouge native, cited a desire to play closer to his family.

White was rated the nation's No. 67 prospect by Rivals.com when he signed with Ole Miss.

In two seasons he showed flashes of offensive skill but had trouble getting off decent shots after posting up with his back to the basket and struggled to hold the ball in traffic.

He played in 31 games, making 27 starts and averaging 7.2 points and 5.7 rebounds. His 43 blocked shots were the most by an Ole Miss sophomore.

White played sparingly as a freshman behind the senior post trio of Dwayne Curtis, Kenny Williams and Jermey Parnell on an Ole Miss team that reached the NIT semifinals in 2008.

"We appreciate Malcolm's contributions to this program over the past two years, and we wish him nothing but the best in his future endeavors," Ole Miss coach Andy Kennedy said.

Parrish Alford