University of Hawai'i head men's basketball coach Bob Nash has announced that guard Kareem Nitoto will transfer from the school due to personal reasons.

"I want to thank Coach Nash and UH for giving me this opportunity to be a part of the program," Nitoto said. "I've made a lot of good friends and teammates which made this decision difficult. But my concerns for my mother's health and the rest of my family forced me to make this very difficult decision."

Nitoto's decision was made after a great deal of deliberation and counseling from his family and the UH coaching staff. In the end, his concerns for his family necessitated the decision.

"Kareem is a tremendous young man who made a great contribution to our basketball program and community," Nash said. "He was making big strides as our lead guard. His decision was difficult, but we understand and fully support him during this transition."

Nitoto started 23 games at point guard last season and averaged 7.1 points and a team-leading 3.4 assists per game. He was named to the Western Athletic Conference all-defensive team and ranked second on the team with 33 steals. As a freshman, Nitoto appeared in 29 games and made one start at point guard. He averaged 2.9 points and 0.9 assists per game.

A 2007 graduate out of San Leandro High School in northern California, Nitoto was rated among the top 10 points guards in the West Coast.