Northwestern announced on Saturday morning that forward Mike Turner is transferring from the program. Turner appeared in all 32 games for the Wildcats last season, tallying 61 points during the season, but he took a leave of absence from the team in September as it looked like he was likely leaving the program.
Now the news is official, as the departure of Turner was looking more and more likely in recent weeks as Northwestern took a commitment from high school senior guard Johnnie Vassar, which would have put the Wildcats over the scholarship limit next season.
This news doesn’t come as a big loss for Northwestern. Turner looked overmatched in the Big Ten and had more fouls (85) than points (61) last season and the team was already moving on without him this season. The 6-foot-8 Turner will have two-to-three years of eligibility left after he redshirted his freshman season at Northwestern and sat out this season as well during the leave of absense.