See Ben's story on the front page for continued discussion.

[Update] From Pankey's Twitter feed:

Gonna miss maryland &terpnation...always have a place in my heart & I appreciated the last 2 years..#familyfirst

— Ashton Pankey (@AshtonP_30) May 15, 2012

[Original] Jeff Ermann from Inside MD Sports is reporting that Ashton Pankey will transfer:

Freshman PF Ashton Pankey leaving Maryland & will likely transfer somewhere closer to home in NY, multiple sources say.maryland.247sports.com/Board/67/Panke…

— Jeff Ermann (@insidemdsports) May 15, 2012

UMD confirms Pankey's departure. Quote: "My mom is the rock in my life and I promised her I would take care of her like she did for me."

— Jeff Ermann (@insidemdsports) May 15, 2012

Ashton Pankey has been the subject of much transfer speculation since the end of the season. It appears that this speculation, whether or not it was founded at the time, has ultimately proven correct.

While we are not short on front court depth for this coming season, this could prove to be a bigger loss than many realize. Pankey displayed flashes of a mid-range game, a strong nose for rebounding, and a willingness to bang in the low post against the ACC's best big men. The results from this past season were certainly mixed, but it appeared that Pankey was looking forward to coming back and working for a spot in the starting lineup. The biggest losses here might be the potential that Pankey displayed and, at minimum, the competition he could have provided in practices.