Jul 27, 2015 12:33 PM EDT By Russell Westerholm, UniversityHerald Reporter

Shortly after gaining an unconditional release from his basketball scholarship at the University of Memphis, Austin Nichols announced where he is transferring to: Virginia.

He confirmed his decision Sunday with ESPN Radio less than two weeks after hiring a lawyer to fight Memphis' decision to block a number of transfer destinations. Believed to be one his desired schools, Virginia was off-limits at first.

Memphis initially did not want to grant Nichols a release, head men's basketball coach Josh Pastner told ESPN earlier this month. Memphis apparently did not like Nichols' timing, since they would have limited options for replacing their standout forward.

"It was my second choice coming out of high school, and the comfort level was built in," Nichols told ESPN 92.9 FM in Memphis of his decision to transfer to Virginia. "I look forward to helping them build on their success."

Other schools believed to be pursuing Nichols included Duke, Notre Dame, Kansas, and Wisconsin. He will have to sit out this season, according to the NCAA's transfer rules, but he will have two years of eligibility remaining starting with the 2016-2017 season.

Memphis quickly backed down from trying to block Nichols from transferring, but only granted him a conditional release. The school reportedly did not want him transferring to another AAC school, or any nonconference school on their schedule this season.

At that point, Nichols could have transferred anywhere, though Memphis would have revoked his financial aid.

"There's no legal basis for Memphis to deny a release at this point," Don Jackson, the Nichols family's lawyer, told ESPN earlier this month. "This isn't about one school. They have denied the release to over 40 schools."

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