Marquette recruit Nick Noskowiak was released from his national letter of intent Friday evening, ending a long, dramatic saga. Throughout his situation, Marquette and Coach Steve Wojciechowksi stood by Noskowiak’s side, giving him the support he needed. But once he returned to his Sun Prairie high school team, Marquette and Noskowiak agreed to part ways, which will end up being best for both parties.

Noskowiak was the first recruit to sign under Wojciechowski’s tenure. The Sun Prairie native was a consensus top-100 recruit, ranking No. 73 on ESPN’s top-100 list. The guard was expected to play a significant role as a member of Marquette’s tremendous recruiting class. However, his senior year became full of turmoil.

The drama started in late December, when Noskowiak was inexplicably missing from the Sun Praire lineup. On Jan. 10, Noskowiak gave a reason for his departure from the team with a social media post explaining that he was battling depression and needed some time for himself. He also missed time at school and took classes online to supplement the work missed.

The story changed on Jan. 27, when Noskowiak tweeted he was not battling depression. In a since-deleted tweet, Noskowiak said he needed to get away from an abusive household and father. His father told the Wisconsin State Journal his son was in a treatment facility, but Noskowiak squashed those claims with his tweet.

Feb. 9, Noskowiak returned to the Sun Praire basketball team, and five days later, submitted a formal request to be released from his national letter of intent to Marquette.

Noskowiak’s release is a prudent move for both him and Marquette basketball. His senior year has been volatile for non-basketball reasons, and that drama could follow him to Marquette, especially because he is a Wisconsin native. His recent off-the-court issues are well known by Marquette fans, but by being released from his letter of intent, Noskowiak can start anew with another program. He is already drawing interest from many different programs, and going to another program is a personal first step to putting this whole situation behind him.

During Noskowiak’s absence from the Sun Praire program, there were many questions regarding whether Marquette would honor the scholarship should he not play basketball, or if Noskowiak even wanted to play basketball anymore. Being the most visible sport on campus, Marquette basketball would have kept Noskowiak in the spotlight when that might not be best for him, creating a distraction for both him and the program.

Granting his release takes away the possible distraction, and allows Wojciechowski to continue to recruit players he’s scouted with the additional scholarship. With Noskowiak’s talent and thin point guard depth, he certainly would have helped the team right away, but Wojciechowski has four available scholarships now and room to be flexible with the roster.

Noskowiak is having a tumoultuous senior season, to say the least. Marquette releasing him from his national letter of intent is the first step to move on from the situation.

The decision is a welcome change for both sides.