UNLV freshmen Daquan Cook and Demetris Morant will be redshirted
Nov 11, 2012, 5:41 PM EDT
Getty Images With the amount of talent at Dave Rice’s disposal this season, there were questions as to who would either lose minutes or have to redshirt with an eye towards the future at UNLV.
Those decisions have been made apparently, as the Las Vegas Sun reported on Saturday that freshmen Daquan Cook and Demetris Morant will sit out the 2012-13 campaign.
While this leaves UNLV with nine scholarship players until Pittsburgh transfer Khem Birch becomes eligible at the end of the fall semester, both Cook and Morant were in positions where they’ll see a lot more playing time in the future than they would have this season.
Morant, with the logjam in the paint that includes veterans (Carlos Lopez-Sosa, Mike Moser, Quintrell Thomas) and newcomers (Birch, Anthony Bennett and combo Savon Goodman), was a player pegged by many to be a candidate to sit out this season so that isn’t much of a surprise.
But Cook’s decision could be seen as such, given the fact that the Runnin’ Rebels are lacking when it comes to depth at the point. Anthony Marshall will run the show there, and it was possible that Cook would have been able to help UNLV in regards to getting their senior an occasional breather.
“That was a hard decision to make because Daquan has improved as much as anyone since he got here,” Rice said. “He would play minutes for us this year, but he’ll play more minutes as a fifth-year senior than a freshman. … He needs to get older and stronger; everything else will come.”
Redshirt situations can change, but it will likely take a significant injury to a perimeter player for Cook play this season.
With the Baltimore native being just 17 years old, the extra year to practice and mature physically will be a valuable one. However as a result of the move UNLV fans may have to watch a few games with their fingers crossed, hoping that none of the team’s guards are lost for an extended length of time due to injury.
Raphielle also writes for the NBE Basketball Report and can be followed on Twitter at @raphiellej.
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