Former Jackson star Brett Kingma transferring

Guard Brett Kingma, a highly recruited player from Mill Creek's Jackson High School who saw a significant drop in his playing time as a University of Oregon freshman in 2011-12, has decided to transfer.

Kingma confirmed Thursday evening he was granted a scholarship release by the university this week and is expected to decide on another school in the coming months, likely with the intent of enrolling in the fall.

If Kingma transfers to another Division I program, he would have to sit out one season. If he transfers to a school outside of Division I, he would be eligible to play immediately.

As a high school senior in 2010-11, Kingma was the state's Class 4A Player of the Year by the Washington Interscholastic Basketball Coaches Association. He averaged 30.3 points a game as a senior and was recruited by programs across the country _ including Washington, Arizona State, Brigham Young, Pepperdine and Vanderbilt _ before deciding on Oregon.

Kingma played in 19 of Oregon's 34 regular-season and postseason games, averaging 3.1 points in nearly 10 minutes a game.

But his appearances diminished as the season went on. He played in all of the team's first 14 games, but just five of the final 20 games.

Kingma could not be reached for comment on Thursday.