First-year head coach Chris Collins has made quite a splash in his first few months on the job. Recruiting has picked up, with the Wildcats landing verbal commitments from guards Vic Law and Bryant McIntosh and forward Gavin Skelly. With the success on the recruiting trail, the most important question to be answered is whether or not Collins is the man capable of leading the Wildcats to their first-ever NCAA tournament appearance.
Northwestern will be able to begin practicing with an eye towards that goal on September 27, but they’ll do so without the services of 6-8 forward Mike Turner. Turner is taking a leave of absence from the program, but will remain in school during this period.
“Mike will take some time away from the program to focus on aspects of his life other than basketball,” Northwestern head coach Chris Collins said in the release. “He has our complete support and we will revisit his status within the program once the time is appropriate.”
Turner played just under 16 minutes per game in 2012-13, posting averages of 1.9 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. One of his best performances came in a 69-59 loss at Ohio State on Valentine’s Day, as he accounted for four points, four rebounds and a game-high eight assists. Turner’s season high for points in a game was seven, with that outing coming in a loss at Purdue in late-February.
Losing Turner doesn’t sap Northwestern’s depth, especially when considering the fact that both Drew Crawford (injury; 13.5 ppg and 4.6 rpg in ten games last season) and JerShon Cobb (suspension; 7.1 ppg in 2011-12) are back in the fold. Crawford, who was a third team All-Big Ten selection as a junior, was sidelined after ten games due to a torn labrum in his right shoulder.
Other players in the running for playing time on the wing include redshirt freshman Sanjay Lumpkin, sophomore Kale Abrahamson (4.9 ppg, 2.0 rpg) and freshman Nate Taphorn.
