Other than reaching the Final Four and playing in a national championship game, Maurice Polen couldn't have asked for a better way to finish his final season at Pitt in the spring. This former walk-on finally earned a scholarship that paid for his tuition, hoisted the Big East Conference tournament championship trophy at Madison Square Garden and got to play in an NCAA tournament game.

It was a pretty sweet way to end a career. Polen, however, didn't have his fill of college basketball, so he transferred to Division II IUP where he is currently exhausting his eligibility. On Saturday, he started against his former team and competed against some of the people he considers his best friends.

"It was weird going up against the guys I used to play and practice with every day," Polen said after the Panthers beat Polen and the Crimson Hawks, 86-60, at the Petersen Events Center.

Polen wasn't just any walk-on at Pitt. He made an impact on everyone in the program, including coach Jamie Dixon, who said awarding Polen a scholarship last year was one of the most rewarding moments of his coaching career.

Polen, who hails from Philadelphia, almost didn't go to Pitt. Had it not been for a $5,000 donation from a woman at his father's church he probably wouldn't have had enough money to go to school across the state.

"Maurice is one of the best human beings I've ever been around," Dixon said. "It's been a pleasure and honor to coach him. [IUP coach] Joe Lombardi needed a big guy and a great person and great kid. It would be selfish of me if I was the only one who got to coach him. Everyone should get the opportunity to coach Maurice Polen because he is a great individual."

Polen, a few credits shy from graduating from Pitt in the spring, is finishing up his undergraduate work at IUP this semester. Dixon and associate athletic director Donna Sanft worked it out so Polen will have a degree from Pitt when it's all said and done.

After earning his undergraduate degree, Polen will work toward his master's in criminology at IUP, where Lombardi will be glad to have him as long as possible.

Lombardi knew Polen from his days as an assistant on Pitt's staff. Lombardi is attempting to rebuild IUP after the scandal-ridden tenure of Gary Edwards and needed an older player who could provide some leadership for his young team.

"I knew he still had at least one year of eligibility," Lombardi said. "I needed a guy who could help us inside, bring some physicality to the team. Those were the physical aspects. But having a young team and trying to build a program, I was attracted to his core values and his character.

"Maurice had an impact on the Pitt program even as a walk-on. He handles himself very well. People listen to him. Guys on that [Pitt] team listened to him, even in the locker room. That's uncommon for a walk-on. But he had that type of respect. Maurice has been a terrific leader for us. It's all a part of building a program. Even if he's here for just a short time, it's been well worth it."

Lombardi would like Polen, who played a total of 29 minutes in his two-year career at Pitt, to play beyond this season. He is going to petition the NCAA to get another season of eligibility.

Playing in gyms nearly half the size on the Division II circuit certainly will be different for Polen, who is used to playing before crowds of 10,000-plus at home and on the road in the Big East.

On Saturday, when he was introduced as one of IUP's starters before the game he was subjected to the jeers of Pitt's student section, the same group that used to chant his name at the end of blowout victories in hopes that Dixon would empty the bench and play the walk-ons.

"I'm used to being the one, 'Put 'Rice in at the end of the game,'" Polen said. "A couple of fans said we still love you. A couple of others didn't like me as much."

Polen scored four points and had four rebounds against his old team, which is ranked No. 6 nationally. One thing is for certain. The games from here on out will seem much easier for Polen and his new teammates.

"It's a great experience," Polen said of playing at IUP. "I loved my role at Pitt. Now I have the opportunity to go to another program and actually play and lead in other ways."