On the heels of a five-win season, the last thing Northern Illinois needs is to lose its leading scorer.
However that’s exactly what may happen, as it was reported by Cavan Walsh of ChicagoHoops.com that 6-7 sophomore forward Abdel Nader has decided to transfer. Nader, who led the Huskies in scoring and was named to the MAC All-Freshman Team last season, averaged 13.1 points and 5.7 rebounds per game this season.
Sophmore Abdel Nader from NIU is transferring was the Huskies leading scorer both years there - will have 2 years left....
— Cavan Walsh (@cavwalsh) March 28, 2013
In Mark Montgomery’s first season in Dekalb the Huskies finished 5-25, going 3-13 in MAC play. The low point came on January 26, when NIU managed to score just four first-half points in their 42-25 loss at Eastern Michigan.
Nader is the lone NIU player to average double figures, making this a big loss for a program that shot just 35.8% from the field in 2012-13. Nader’s departure will likely result in more opportunities for forwards Aksel Bolin (7.4 ppg, 4.2 rpg) and Darrell Bowie (5.9 ppg, 3.8 rpg).
It also makes the task of landing a couple late signees in the 2013 class even more important for a program that doesn’t have much talent.
Nader has two seasons of eligibility remaining.
Photo credit: Northern Illinois Athletics
Raphielle also writes for the NBE Basketball Report and can be followed on Twitter at @raphiellej.