Overview

Even though he played just one season for the Buckeyes, Cook was regarded as the best sixth man in college basketball. The long-range marksman averaged 9.8 points and 4.3 rebounds per game for OSU while playing just 19.7 minutes per game. A big man trapped in a guard's body, he dished out 40 assists and blocked 10 shots, while 139 of his 167 rebounds came off the defensive boards.

Like fellow freshmen Greg Oden and Mike Conley, Jr., Cook was a 2006 McDonald's All-American, averaging 25 points a game as a senior in leading Dayton (Ohio) Dunbar High School to the Ohio Division II state title.

Cook averaged 24.5 points, six rebounds, five assists and 3.5 steals in 30.5 minutes of action in a pair of victories at Ohio State's Value City Arena to claim the state title. He tallied 26 points in a 74-48 semifinal victory over Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary and then scored 23 in the 73-46 championship game victory over Triway.

With 49 points to lead Dunbar to its first championship in 19 years, he was named the outstanding player on the 2006 Associated Press Division II All-Tournament team. Cook earned Ohio Division II third team All-State honors as a sophomore and was a first-team selection and the Division II co-Player of the Year as both a junior and senior.

Cook won team MVP honors during the ABCD underclassmen all-star game later that summer. He scored 21 points in a 135-132 victory. Playing for the West in the 2006 McDonald's All-America game, Cook scored 17 points in a 112-94 victory over the East squad. He made 5 of 9 3-pointers in the win. During the 2006 Roundball Classic game at the United Center in Chicago, Cook shared the West's team MVP honors with Oden by scoring 18 points in helping the West to a 118-102 victory.

Cook scored 672 points as a senior, connecting on 43 percent of his field goals and 79 percent of his foul shots (90 of 113). The Wolverines finished the season 26-2. Cook scored 20 or more points in 21 games and had six games with 30 or more points. He scored a season-high 41 points in a 101-53 victory vs. Villa Angela-St. Joseph.

In his only season at Ohio State in 2006-07, Cook was named Big Ten Conference Sixth Man of the Year by the league's coaches, adding All-Big Ten honorable mention from the media. He started just one of 39 games, but led the team in scoring seven times and paced the Buckeyes in rebounds four times. He connected on 44.5 percent of his field goals (141 of 317) and 69.7 percent of his free throws (46 of 66), as he made 54 of 130 3-point tries (41.5 percent). He logged 382 points in 770 minutes of action, but turned the ball over 56 times and was charged with 66 fouls.

Scouting Report

Positives: Has a thick, developing frame with good upper-body muscle tone and a long reach...Excellent scorer who consistently connects from mid-range with his jumper...Has the strength to drive through defenders toward the basket and has an explosive first step that leaves his opponent grasping at air...Dominant rebounder for a guard, showing the timing and elevation to compete with the bigger forwards for the missed shots off the boards...Has a killer instinct, knowing that he can not only create his own shots, but score vs. virtually any defender...Very hard driver to the basket and was one of the better deep-range 3-point shooters in college...Good wing prospect and high percentage 3-point shooter, but will go through long stretches where he disappears on the court when he doesn't have the ball in his hands...Explosive driving through the lane and shows the range to fire from anywhere on the court...Good finisher in transition and has the body strength to squeeze through tight areas and knows how to use his body control to finish after initial contact...Good outside shooter and creative off the dribble, but still needs to improve his ball-handling skills...Best when fed the ball...Has very good quickness on the open floor...Will get a few putbacks when crashing the glass...Not afraid of contact going for the rebound and can shoot both off the dribble and on the catch... Valuable player in his spot-ups and does a nice job of running the court and scoring in pick-and-roll situations...Uses his initial step to defeat his man driving to the basket.

Negatives: While some feel he is a good ball handler, he committed a high amount of turnovers during NCAA Tournament play...Was plagued by inconsistent and lackluster play down the stretch, averaging just 4.4 points per game over his final 11 contests...Can draw fouls under the basket, but with his strength and slashing ability, he should be driving more in the lane rather than firing jumpers...Had a poor assist-to-turnover ratio (40/56) and gets a bit reckless in his ball security...Has an explosive first step driving to the rim, but will make some foolish passes rather than finish the play...Sometimes gets too team-conscious rather than showcasing his own ability...Can be more selective and will force shots from the perimeter when pressured...Doesn't have the long wingspan you look for in a shooting guard, but his ball-handling skills are lacking for the point...Better driving to the basket from the right side, as he seems to have balance issues attacking from the left...More comfortable shooting jumpers than drawing fouls by driving to the basket...Adequate free-throw shooter, but will need to improve in this area for the next level...Shows no aggression on the defensive end and might lack confidence in his abilities in this area.

Compares To: BEN GORDON, Chicago. For a team needing instant offense off the bench, Cook will be a nice fit as the sixth man. However, he went into a deep funk the second half of his freshman year and has ball-security and ball-handling issues on offense and didn't grade as anything close to a lock-down defender. He has the strength to drive to the basket at will, but either gets too impatient or take the shortcut by firing jumpers. He is possibly one of the most lethargic defenders in the draft and a definite liability in this area. While he can light up the scoreboard, there are too many holes in his game to compete at the next level right now and would have been much better served staying in Schoolfor at least one more season.

High School

Attended Dunbar (Dayton, Ohio) High School, playing basketball for head coach Peter Pullen...Earned 2006 McDonald's All-American honors after averaging 25 points a game as a senior while leading the team to the Ohio Division II state title for the first time in 19 years...Named the outstanding player on the 2006 Associated Press Division II All-Tournament team...Earned Ohio Division II third-team All-State honors as a sophomore and was a first-team selection and the Division II co-Player of the Year as both a junior and senior...Scored 672 points as a senior, connecting on 43 percent of his field goals and 79 percent of his foul shots (90 of 113)...The Wolverines finished the season 26-2, as Cook scored 20 or more points in 21 games and had six games with 30 or more points...Scored a season high 41 points in a 101-53 victory vs. Villa Angela-St. Joseph...Averaged 24.5 points, six rebounds, five assists and 3.5 steals in 30.5 minutes of action in a pair of victories at Ohio State's Value City Arena to claim the state title...Tallied 26 points in a 74-48 semifinal victory over Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary and then scored 23 in the 73-46 championship game victory over Triway...As a junior, Cook averaged 23 points and 11 rebounds per game and led Dunbar to a 22-5 record and a berth in the Division II state semifinals....Averaged 21.8 points, 10.2 rebounds and 4.2 assists as a sophomore at Dunbar, shooting 42.4 percent from 3-point range...Won team MVP honors during the ABCD underclassmen all-star game later that summer...Playing for the West in the 2006 McDonald's All-America game, Cook scored 17 points in a 112-94 victory over the East squad. He made 5 of 9 3-pointers in the win. During the 2006 Roundball Classic game at the United Center in Chicago, Cook shared the West's team MVP honors with Greg Oden by scoring 18 points in helping the West to a 118-102 victory...Played with OSU freshmen teammates Greg Oden and Mike Conley on the SPIECE Indy Heat team in AAU tournaments during their prep careers...Was the team's leading scorer in the 2004 Big Time event in Las Vegas. The team was unbeaten and won the championship...His USA Red team won the bronze medal at the

International

Personal

Business major who hopes to one day have his own line of clothing...Son of Renae Cook...Born 4/28/87...Resides in Dayton, Ohio.

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