Northwestern's Coble to skip senior season

EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) -Kevin Coble, one of Northwestern's top players, has chosen to skip his senior season after sitting out with a broken left foot last year.

The team's leading scorer and rebounder for three years, Coble was injured in a preseason practice and had surgery.

In a statement, he says his rehabilitation “is most important,” and he will continue to follow the schedule set by his surgeon. He says he's been told he will have a full recovery.

Coble, who plans to graduate with a political science degree in December, announced his decision on Tuesday night. He averaged 14.9 points and 5.1 rebounds in 81 games and ranked 14th on the Wildcats' career scoring list with 1,203 points.

Coach Bill Carmody thanked Coble “for his contributions to the program over the past four years” in a statement.