Temperamental forward Simplice Njoya asked for and was granted a release Monday from his basketball scholarship to Duquesne University, ending a disappointing two-year run with the Dukes, which included a 19-game NCAA-imposed suspension during his freshman season. The African-born Njoya, a 6-foot-10, 225-pound junior from Yaounde, Cameroon, told coach Danny Nee yesterday morning that he was interested in transferring to another school. Sources said Njoya, a highly emotional player who was heavily recruited out of The Masters School (N.Y.), already had contacted St. John's and Utah. "Simplice had a great opportunity at Duquesne, but felt he needed a change," Nee said. Njoya was unavailable for comment but issued a statement through the athletic department. "I will always respect Duquesne University and the friendships I built while I was here," he said. "In going through life, you are always making decisions and, after a lot of thought, this is the one I have made." While at Duquesne, Njoya attracted moderate attention from NBA scouts, who drooled over his quickness and leaping ability, but frowned at his lack of experience. Njoya, who averaged 8.1 points and 5.2 rebounds in two seasons, apparently is hoping for a chance to play in a higher-profile conference than the Atlantic 10. "We wish him the best," Nee said. "We talked about it. He said what he wanted to do, I told him what I thought, and we shook hands. It was very amicable. "It has always been important to me to make sure that a player is happy. If someone does not want to be here, my philosophy is to help that person find what he is looking for." Following an inconsistent season that saw Njoya average 7.7 points and 5.0 rebounds in 28.0 minutes per game, Nee was considering for next season red-shirting the inconsistent forward, who shot 41.7 percent in 30 games - 26 in which he was a starter. "I thought about it because I thought it might take some pressure off him," Nee said. Njoya originally signed a letter of intent with Nevada-Las Vegas after also being courted by such schools as Southern California, North Carolina, Georgia Tech and Michigan. But, when UNLV fired coach Bill Bayno, Njoya obtained a release and enrolled at Duquesne at about the same time former UNLV assistant Charles Cunningham joined Nee's staff on the Bluff. It was Cunningham who recruited Njoya at UNLV. Njoya's freshman year was curtailed by a 19-game NCAA suspension for receiving benefits while in high school prior to his enrollment at Duquesne. Njoya's departure gives Duquesne one open scholarship. Four other starters -- guards Jimmy Tricco and Bryant McAllister, forward Elijah Palmer and center Ron Dokes -- return to the team, and Nee already has received signed commitments for next year from 6-9 forward Sean McKeon of Phoenixville Area High School; 6-10 forward Kieron Achara of Maine Central Institute; and 6-3 point guard Martin Osimani of Miami-Dade Junior College, who also played one season at Utah. Plus, 6-10 forward Jon Pawlak and 6-4 guard Ryan Tricco will become eligible after redshirt seasons, and 6-6 forward Jack Higgins, a former Schenley star, will be available at the start of the second semester following his transfer last season from Cleveland State. "Nothing in our plan has changed. I like our team coming in," Nee said. "We're not going to overreact."

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