Pointer forced to be patient

By Ryan Greene

Wednesday, April 1, 2009 | 11:18 p.m.

With some of the busload of incoming defensive backs already making an impact out at Rebel Park during spring practices -- and a slew of others still set to arrive this summer -- Quinton Pointer can do nothing but sit and watch.

The junior cornerback has yet to put pads on this spring, and won't do so until fall camp begins.

After dealing with the effects of a hyperextended left elbow for much -- if not all -- of his sophomore season, Pointer is still nearly three months away from his return following surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder.

"I can't stand just sitting out watching them practice," he said, donning his red No. 10 practice top and carrying a football helmet. "I'd like to get in there and hit a couple people."

More than just hitting people, though, Pointer wants to reclaim his spot as one of the Mountain West Conference's true up-and-coming defenders.

Those days feel like ages ago for the Cape Coral, Fla., product.

In 2007, Pointer did more than enough to earn preseason third-team All-MWC honors heading into last season.

Aside from being one of the fastest bodies in the entire program, he started eight games, recorded 50 tackles and made two picks as a freshman.

"I think he's a very smart player," UNLV coach Mike Sanford said. "I think he's fast. I think he breaks on the ball well, he has really good instincts, and he makes plays. He made plays his freshman year."

Last season was a bit more of a struggle, and that was apparent on day one. Literally.

On the first day of fall camp, Pointer was carted off the field following a collision over the middle in the secondary. The elbow injury kept him out for the rest of camp.

He still played in all 12 games for the Rebels, and finished with 44 stops and two picks, numbers that mirrored those of 2007.

But he was hardly the same.

Known as a heavy hitter based on his 2007 showing, Pointer didn't take full advantage of several opportunities during the season's first half to lay the wood.

"I hesitated a little bit because of the injury, trying to get back into things," he said.

As far as his ability to make plays on the ball, that took a hit, too.

Wearing a more-than-bulky brace that covered the majority of his left arm, he had trouble catching the football and completing plays that could have shifted momentum in a big way.

In no game was this more apparent than against Utah on the road in the season's second game -- a 42-21 Rebels loss.

UNLV held close with the eventual Mountain West and Sugar Bowl champs for a half, but missed two golden opportunities to take an even bigger bite out of the Utes.

Pointer dropped an interception over the middle and let a bouncing fumbled ball out of his grasp before halftime, helping keep two Utah drives alive.

The elbow wasn't his only problem. The torn labrum which was fixed over the winter was the result of a lingering injury suffered against Wyoming in 2007, which nagged him throughout the 2008 season.

"He played hurt last year," Sanford said. "He played with a bad elbow, and then a bad shoulder, just played hurt. He was never right. He really hasn't been right since his freshman year."

Still, Pointer showed some flashes late in the 2008 campaign which helped him hold onto his starting spot in a struggling defensive backfield that seemed to have new names inserted by the week.

Against New Mexico -- a 27-20 win that kept UNLV's fading bowl hopes alive -- he picked off a pass in the Lobos' red zone late in the second quarter and returned it 77 yards, with UNLV trailing 14-3 at the time, to set up a Rebels score that shifted the game's tides for good.

The hope for Sanford and his staff is that more of the same will come in 2009 with Pointer at -- knock on wood -- full strength.

"It was a slow season," he said of 2008. "I started getting back into the groove a little later in the season, I kind of got used to the elbow a little bit, almost got back to 100 percent. I'm praying that I'll finally get to play a whole season at 100 percent without any injuries."

When Pointer returned from injury to start the 2008 season, a starting spot was all but assumed.

This season, it won't be a given.

UNLV's incoming class includes eight defensive backs. Three of them are already on campus for spring ball, including Warren Ziegler, a speedster who has already made quite the impression with coaches and his teammates.

Essentially, he's back to square one.

Not a problem for Pointer. Ask any quarterback, and he'll tell you that a short-term memory is the key to success. You've got to be able to get beat and forget about it right away.

"Put everything behind you," Sanford said has been his constant reminder to Pointer. "You're gonna be healthy. You're gonna be a new man.

"He had a great spring (last year), and he showed that he's the real thing, that he can be a legitimate, top-level Mountain West Conference corner. Now, he's gotta get back to that."

Pointer says he won't shy away from a challenge.

"I think I have to come back and prove myself and show that I can be a top defender on the team and earn my spot back," he said with a grin. "It's not frustrating at all. I've just got to let them know that I can still do what I can do to get the job done. I love competition."