Hunter putting best foot forward

Steve Guiremand

Monday, March 1, 2004 | 10:51 a.m.

ALBUQUERQUE -- Demetrius Hunter's feet are hurting him again ... and bad.

So much so that Hunter, a 6-foot-2 senior from Cheyenne High School who underwent off-season surgery on his Achilles' tendon, looked like he walking on eggshells as he left the floor following pregame warmups before Saturday afternoon's 72-70 loss at Air Force. So much so that Hunter insisted that true freshman Michael Umeh take his place in the starting lineup.

And depending on how Hunter's feet respond to treatment, it may not be the last time that Umeh starts this year. Remarkably, not only did Hunter come off the bench to see action against the Falcons, he played 19 minutes and scored six points on two long 3-pointers.

"He came to me the other day and said maybe he'd do better if he came off the bench," interim head coach Jay Spoonhour said. "It just shows you the kind of kid he is. He doesn't care about minutes or anything like that. Then he goes out there to see what he can do and he plays well.

"If he feels it's better for him to come off the bench, then great."

Hunter, a former Nike All-American who played for two years at Georgetown before transferring back home to UNLV, said his sore feet have gotten worse over the years.

"I also had foot problems when I was at Georgetown," he said. "But as I've gotten older, they've really started to bother me. After warmups or when I come out of a game, my feet always burn and sting. It's something I have to live with, you know? I can't change my body."

So Hunter, who also has played with a painful hyperextended right elbow for part of the season, finds himself in the training room almost as much as on the practice floor these days ... which is a lot.

"His attitude is just tremendous," Spoonhour said. "You have to pull him off the practice floor. If a whole team had the attitude that he has, you'd never lose."

"People don't see what he has to go through every day with the treatments and all that," junior guard Romel Beck said. "It motivates me. When I get a little bump or something, compared to D. Hunt, it's really nothing to what he's gone through here at UNLV. He's a tough kid and a tough player."

Hunter was asked if the thought of quitting had ever entered his mind while dealing with all his injuries.

"I've thought about that plenty of times," Hunter admitted. "I just go out there and try to give it my all. That's all I can do. I thought it was better that (Umeh) start (Saturday). If I start or if I don't play, it doesn't matter. I just want to win. But I'm not going to quit now. I'm not going to quit."

So even though he hasn't contributed as much on the court this year as many Rebel fans had hoped following his successful start at Georgetown, Hunter has made up for it with his leadership and toughness.

"It breaks you heart," Spoonhour said of Hunter's physical setbacks. "It's sickening. You don't want that to happen to anybody, and certainly not a kid who has gone though as much as he has. He's one of the nicest kids. But it's not over for him yet. He'll keep scrapping and give you every ounce he's got until the final horn sounds."

Tonight Hunter returns to the site of his finest game in a UNLV uniform. A little over a year ago he scored 24 points, including 6-of-10 from 3-point range, to help lead the Rebels to a 75-66 victory over New Mexico at The Pit.

When reminded of that fact after Saturday's tough loss to the Falcons, Hunter managed a brief grin.

"The only thing I want to leave there with this time is a win," he said. "That's what keeps me going now. If we can win from here on on out, it would be a good thing."