Freshmen feel right at home in Nevada

By: Lukas Eggen

Monday, November 16, 2009 - 10:55 PM

“They’ve been doing really well,” Babbitt said. “They are both really skilled players. Once they get adjusted to the college game, they are going to play really well.”

Nevada has many young players making the transition to college this season, but few have faced a more difficult time than Patrick Nyeko and Marko Cukic.

Click to enlarge. Photo by Brian Bolton / Nevada Sagebrush.

Nyeko and Cukic, who are from London and Serbia, respectively, came to the United States years ago to pursue their dreams of playing basketball.

Now, after joining the team, they said the transition to the University of Nevada, Reno has been fairly easy.

“It’s been fine,” Nyeko said. “I’ve been in the (United) States for four years already, so I was already pretty used to the culture.”

For Cukic, living with a host family before coming to Nevada helped to make the transition to America easier.

“At first, it was really hard,” he said. “But the host family I used to live with made my time really easy and enjoyable.”

Wolf Pack men’s basketball head coach David Carter said he was pleased with the way the rest of the team has accepted the players and helped them adjust.

“That’s what the older guys do,” he said. “They’ve kind of taken them under their wings and they’ve done a good job showing them the ropes.”

Since joining the team, Nyeko and Cukic, who are also roommates, have formed a special relationship that has helped them deal with the changes in their lives.

“We’ve bonded,” Nyeko said. “He’s my roommate and my teammate, so we look out for each other.”

Cukic said Nyeko has been invaluable as someone to talk to about things.

“We talk all the time,” Cukic said. “We have a connection because he’s from London and I’m from Serbia, so we have something in common.”

Teammates and coaches have been impressed with the way Nyeko and Cukic have gotten used to a new university so soon after coming to the U.S., but they still notice some differences.
“They’re a little different I guess,” Hunt said. “I mean, they like soccer, which is something we don’t, but that’s about it.”

Despite being roommates, Nyeko and Cukic have gained very different reputations on the team.

“Patrick’s more of a quiet guy,” Nevada forward Joey Shaw said. “He doesn’t really talk a lot.”

Cukic, on the other hand, isn’t afraid to be vocal.

“Marko’s a character,” Shaw said. “He makes us laugh; every day he’s doing something funny.”

Wolf Pack forward Luke Babbitt said both have nuances about them that make them different.

“They both do little things that make you go ‘What are you doing?’ especially for Marko,” Babbitt said. “But, he’s a real cool guy.”

Now, with the season just getting underway, Babbitt said Nyeko and Cukic have lots of potential to help Nevada this season.

“They’ve been doing really well,” Babbitt said. “They are both really skilled players. Once they get adjusted to the college game, they are going to play really well.”

Marko and Patrick

➤ Marko Cukic, from Serbia, and Patrick Nyeko, from England, moved to the United States to continue playing basketball.
➤ Cukic and Nyeko are roommates as well as teammates.
➤ Patrick Nyeko attended Seattle Prep before coming to the University of Nevada.
➤ Nyeko and Cukic are two of three freshmen on Nevada’s roster. Reno native Keith Fuetsch is the other.
➤ Cukic played nine minutes in Nevada’s game against Montana State and recorded two points, one rebound and two assists.

Lukas Eggen can be reached at leggen@nevadasagebrush.com.