Recently, Nevada’s men’s basketball roster has taken on a decidedly gridiron hue.
Thanks to injuries and off-field issues, Eric Musselman‘s hoops team was down to just seven scholarship players. Because of those numbers, 6-5 Wolf Pack wide receiver Elijah Cooks was added to the basketball roster earlier this month. Monday night, 6-2 wide receiver-turned-safety Justin Brent confirmed on Twitter that, with the blessing of head football coach Jay Norvell, he too will be joining the Wolf Pack basketball team.
— J.B. (@JustinBrent) February 20, 2018
According to the Reno Gazette Journal, Brent was recruited as a basketball player by, among others, Georgetown, Marquette, Purdue, Virginia Tech and Xavier. He ultimately signed with Notre Dame with the intention of playing both sports at the school, but ultimately transferred from the Fighting Irish to the Wolf Pack.
Brent will begin practicing with the team, which will be the main job of both of the football players. While Cooks has traveled with the team to two games since joining, he has yet to take the floor with his new squad, although Mussleman admitted that he nearly put the receiver in late in their recent game against Utah State.
Last season as a true freshman, Cooks caught two passes for 23 yards. Brent, a redshirt junior, totaled 21 yards on his one reception before being moved from offense to defense.
