Billy Baron has decided to leave Virginia and is expected to join his father at Rhode Island.

The announcement of Baron’s departure was made late Thursday afternoon.

“I love my coaches and my teammates at Virginia,” Baron said in a news release issued by the Virginia athletic communications office. “Virginia is a great place, but I want to go home, be with my family and play for my dad.”

“I knew when Billy decided to come to Virginia he had a very hard decision and labored over it,” said Virginia head coach Tony Bennett. “Obviously we’re sad to see him go and appreciate his contributions to our program, but the desire to play for your father is very strong, as I can personally attest. We’ll miss him and wish him well.”

Baron played in 17 games for the Cavaliers and averaged 3.0 points.