A gritty and demanding University of Washington basketball practice was coming to an end when the players suddenly converged on one of their own and began to holler and hug him.
On Tuesday afternoon, this was Nevada transfer guard Tayshawn Comer and his teammates learning in Alaska Airlines Arena that a California court had granted a preliminary injunction enabling him and countless others playing elsewhere to receive a fifth year of college basketball eligibility.
Initially, the 6-foot-1 backcourt player from Indianapolis, Indiana, had been informed he wouldn't benefit from the new NCAA "five in five" rule because he was considered a graduate after playing four uninterrupted seasons at Eastern Kentucky, Evansville and the Mountain West school.
However, the court granted a preliminary injunction on behalf of several players trying to continue their college careers after they weren't grandfathered in, though the NCAA has made it clear it will be appeal the latest decision.
Comer came to the UW because it still had a roster spot open whereas Nevada did not when the college governing body revealed the "five in five" rule, giving players five years to play five seasons, though players such as the now Husky guard were considered done with the game.
"It was bad timing," he said of not returning to the Reno program. "They already had their full roster and I had to move on."
For the Wolf Pack, he averaged 11 points, 3.7 assists and 1.8 rebounds per game for a 24-13 team
One of those losses was administered by the UW, which beat Nevada 83-66 on Thanksgiving Day a year ago in the Acrisure Holiday Classic in Palm Desert, California. Comer finished with a team-high 16 points.
New assistant coach DeAndre Haynes, who joined Sprinkle's staff in the offseason from Marquette, had a prior recruiting relationship with the guard.
"I was talking to coach Sprinkle and coach Dre," Comer said of Haynes. "He recruited me at Marquette before he got here. He started recruiting me and we built from there."
Comer is expected to play an important role for a rebuiliding UW team.
On Saturday night in Idaho, the Huskies played an exhibition game at Boise State and lost 109-91. Comer shared team scoring honors with forward LeJuan Watts, with each finishing with 16 points.
The UW plays another exhibition game on Sunday when it hosts Washington State at Alaska Airlines Arena, with a 1 p.m. tipoff.
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