Nevada junior Caleb Martin, ruled out indefinitely earlier in the week, returned to the court on Saturday against San Diego State.
RENO — Caleb Martin was supposed to be out indefinitely with a lysfranc sprain to his left foot suffered against Colorado State last weekend.
Normally that is a 3- to 6-week recovery. Indefinite absence turned out to be just one game, and that’s great news for Nevada.
Martin, who missed the UNLV game, returned on Saturday and scored 10 points, grabbed four rebounds and dished out two assists in Nevada’s 83-58 thumping of San Diego State on Saturday at Lawlor Events Center.
Martin entered the game with 15:15 left in the first half. He went on to play 23 minutes. After the game, Martin was seen leaving with a boot on his left foot.
Nevada coach Eric Musselman said there was no misdiagnosis involved.
“There is some timeline where you’re worried about that thing being damaged for a long period,” Musselman said. “Once past the hurdle of him not being able to re-injure it or injure it further it comes down to pain tolerance. I thought he was going to be out five to six games. See how he feels tomorrow. Might not be able to practice for a few days. He’s a tough kid who can play through a little pain. I tried not to play him too much. Hopefully he’ll be able to play (against Boise State).”
Just his presence means a great deal to the team, according to Musselman.
“He is such a threat to make shots,” Musselman said. “Opposing teams have to honor (him). It opens up things for everybody else just having him stand out there.
“He helps a lot,” Jordan Caroline said. “You have to respect him. Make offense a lot easier; makes our job easier all the way around.”
DREW MISSES TRIPLE DOUBLE
Lindsey Drew missed his first career triple-double by one assist on Saturday. Drew finished with 12 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists.
Up until the final whistle, the Pack left him on the floor to get that last assist. Charlie Tooley hoisted up a 3-pointer that was off the mark late in the contest that would have given Drew 10 assists.
Drew said he was aware that he needed one more assist. He came close one game last season. Nevada hasn’t had a triple-double since 1979.
“Chuck (Charlie Tooley) had been sitting on the bench most of the game,” Drew said. “That’s a lot of pressure. Jordan had a couple of opportunities.
“Had to wait a whole year (to get this close). They are not easy to get. It would have been awesome.”
Drew has now scored in double figures four straight games and five of the last six.
THE JORDAN STREAK
The Pack remains nearly unbeatable when Jordan Caroline registers a double-double as he did Saturday with 26 points and 11 rebounds, six on the offensive glass.
Caroline has 23 career double-doubles, and the Pack is 22-1 in those games.
Caroline is now 34 points away from scoring 1,000 in a Nevada uniform.
THE NUMBERS GAME
The Aztecs are now 5-7 playing road games against top-25 teams … SDSU senior guard Trey Kell missed his third straight game and fifth of the season with an ankle injury ... Entering the SDSU game, Nevada had an RPI of 15 and a 39 strength of schedule … In 12 games, Nevada has had two players score 20 or more points.
ABSENT COACH, PLAYER
Johnny Jones, associate head coach, and his son, John, missed the game. The mother of coach Jones passed away earlier, and the duo flew back to Louisiana to be with family.
COOKE GETS A START
Senior Hallice Cooke got his first start in a Nevada uniform, and he responded with five points and four rebounds in 22 minutes.
“Hopefully this will help build his confidence,” Musselman said. “He deserves it. He cares about winning, and he’s done everything we’ve asked. He has a high level of understanding that this is his last go-around. I thought it was a good time to let him start.”