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DaQuan Cook won’t be redshirting at UNLV after all

Anthony Marshall, Daquan Cook, Carlos Lopez-Sosa

UNLV’s Anthony Marshall (3) and Daquan Cook, right, celebrate after an NCAA college basketball game California, Sunday, Dec.9, 2012 in Berkeley, Calif. UNLV beat California 76-75. UNLV’s Carlos Lopez-Sosa is at left. (AP Photo/George Nikitin)

AP

Mike Moser may be out for a month or more after an ugly elbow dislocation, which would be bad news for any team. Moser was a preseason all-american. Those aren’t usually easy to replace.

The good news for the Runnin’ Rebels is that they do have some reinforcements on the way.

Next week, when UNLV travels to UTEP, former top ten recruit Khem Birch will be making his debut, which will help bolster the front court depth with Moser in a sling.

But that wasn’t a secret. The bigger news is that freshman point guard DaQuan Cook won’t be redshirting this season after all. The 6-foot-1 Cook was initially going to be held out for a year along with Demetrius Morant.

“We wouldn’t have made the decision to make him available if I didn’t have a plan to utilize him throughout the season,” head coach Dave Rice told the Las Vegas Sun. “Every game will be different. It will be a feel thing based on matchups and other factors.”

Rice has repeatedly said how impressed he is with the Baltimore native in practice, and this could end up being a beneficial move for the Rebels. As good as Anthony Marshall is, there are questions about whether or not he’s the kind of point guard that UNLV needs to be successful this season. Cook doesn’t necessarily have the reputation of being a pass-first point guard, but given the makeup of the UNLV roster, it may be a good move to get Marshall off the ball.

Rob Dauster is the editor of the college basketball website Ballin’ is a Habit. You can find him on twitter @robdauster.