NCAA denies extra year of eligibility for Pitt's Cook

PITTSBURGH -- The NCAA has rejected Pittsburgh forward Mike Cook's request for an extra year of eligibility. His senior season was cut short by a knee injury.

Cook played 11 games before injuring his knee Dec. 20 during overtime of a 65-64 win over Duke.

Under NCAA rules, an extra year of eligibility is possible if the athlete plays 30 percent or fewer of the team's games. Cook played 11 of 32 games -- or 34 percent.

He averaged 10.4 points last season. Pitt was 40-8 with Cook as a starter.

"Situations like this are hard to take when you know how dedicated Mike's life has been to playing basketball," coach Jamie Dixon said in a statement.

Cook transferred from East Carolina after the 2004-05 season and sat out the 2005-06 season because of NCAA transfer rules. He graduated with a degree in communications last spring.