Sophomore guard Stacy Arrington will return to the NIU starting lineup Wednesday against Northern Iowa after rejoining the team three games ago from a 16-day absence.

Arrington had missed four games between Dec. 18 and Jan. 3 when, after being benched during NIU’s Dec. 17 loss to Southern Illinois for disciplinary reasons, the 6-foot-2 guard from Chicago Calumet left the team.

“It was a basketball disagreement—not much more, not much less,” head coach Jim Rosborough said. “I think he’s grown up out of this whole thing. The thing that was so disappointing was that he had been playing so well. And when he left, we were 3-3.”

Arrington had been second on the team in points-per-game (15.5), field goal percentage (.507), and assists (16) before the incident.

“It was really something that I held in too long, and I didn’t tell the coach,” Arrington said. “I didn’t mean for it to go too far, and it got kind of out of hand. It was my fault. It was a little immature on my part and I’m sorry that I did it.”

Freshman forward Randy Fens will redshirt the remainder of the season as a medical hardship due to recurring pain in his injured right knee. Fens had undergone surgery to his right knee during his senior year at Dubuque’s Hempstead H.S. and had been averaging 4.4 ppg. and 5 rebounds-per-game for the Huskies this season.

“From a depth standpoint it hurts,” Rosborough said, “but it’s been a great experience for Brent (Varner).”

Varner has averaged 0.8 ppg., and 2.1 rpg. in Fens’ absence.