Malik Cooke gets ticketed for membership on PTW's "Gettin' No Love' train

Okay, okay, okay, we have been remiss so in rectification of that we're bringing Nevada's Malik Cooke aboard the PTW "Gettin' No Love' train.

There's probably a significant number of WAC fans who are saying 'Malik who?' right about now so let's cut to a mini bio: Cooke is a 6-6, 205 Mr. Versatile for the Pack, having the ability to play just about every position on the floor. He turned 19 last month, possesses a 7-0 wingspan and played his prep ball in North Carolina.

Cooke is also a tangible example of the possibilities of individual improvement from one season to the next.

Last go-around, he saw playing time in all 33 games and averaged 2.4 ppg. and 2.9 rpg in about 11 and a half minutes a contest. Even as a frosh, he shot 48% from the floor.

After spending most of the summer in Reno and obviously working on honing his basketball skills, Cooke is firmly in place as a starter for Mark Fox this season and here's why:

*** 32.7 minutes a game
*** 11.0 points per game (shooting 526% overall, .733% from the foul line and 2-2 on threes)
*** 6.7 rebounds a game (10 offensive and 10 defensive)
*** tied for the team lead in steals with six

Cooke didn't make much of a national recruiting splash although he certainly was the pride of the Asheville area. The athletic abilities were already in place and it was a matter of continuing with his skill development.

It would be over the top to go so far as to say Cooke is the most important cog to the Pack program's success because the contributions of Luke Babbitt and Armon Johnson (and the attention they draw from defenses and in the game plans of opposing coaches) cannot be downplayed.

It is fair to note that Cooke is performing a role that no other Nevada player could fill at this time -- rebounding, defense and providing a solid contribution of points without really looking for his shot.

Come aboard Malik.