Chris Murray

cmurray@rgj.com

The domestic battery charge against Nevada basketball player Elijah Foster has been dismissed with prejudice while he pleaded guilty to a different charge, according to the Reno Municipal Court website.

Foster pleaded guilty to disturbing the peace (breach of peace) and willful and unreasonable loud/raucous noises. That is a misdemeanor. He must undergo 14 weeks of counseling, which he is currently doing at the University of Nevada, according to the Reno Municipal Court website

Nevada basketball coach Eric Musselman said Monday that Foster, the Wolf Pack's starting center, remains indefinitely suspended.

"Elijah is in the same situation as he has been," Musselman said.

Foster was arrested Nov. 29 and charged with domestic battery (first), meaning his first such offense, and contempt of court for an unpaid speeding ticket in Esmeralda County in Southern Nevada.

The initial police report on the case read as follows: "The defendant had made statements on a call to dispatch that consisted of him saying to the victim, who is his girlfriend of two years, 'Shut up or I'll hit you again.' The victim was crying at the time. The victim had a recent scratch by her right eye. The defendant was taken into custody for domestic battery and transported to the (Washoe County Sheriffs Office) for booking."

Foster's in-custody video arraignment Nov. 30 was canceled; his court arraignment Dec. 22 was canceled; and his bench trial Jan. 3 was canceled. The plea agreement was finalized Jan. 5. The battery charge being dismissed with prejudice means the plaintiff and/or state cannot re-file the charge.

The 6-foot-7, 240-pound Foster, who has been Nevada's starting center the last two seasons, was averaging career highs in points (12) and rebounds (7.4) this season while shooting a team-best 61.5 percent from the field in seven games.

His suspension, coupled with a severe head/shoulder injury to freshman starter Josh Hall, has left Nevada (14-3, 3-1 Mountain West) with just seven scholarship players for the last three games.

Hall, who was taken off the court on a stretcher after taking a hard fall on a dunk attempt on Dec. 28 against San Jose State, still hasn't returned to practice and isn't expected to travel with Nevada to Wyoming for a game Saturday.

"I don't think we'll have Josh back and that's really disappointing," Musselman said. "Quite frankly, we thought he'd be back by Wednesday or Thursday at practice. I hope we're doing everything we can with his rehab on his shoulder because that seems to be the problem. He needs to get in and get rehab on that as quick as possible."

Additionally, point guard Hallice Cooke, a transfer from Iowa State, returned to practice for the first time Monday. He was medically disqualified prior to the year with a heart issue but has been cleared to play again. Cooke must still sit out this season under NCAA transfer rules.