Mike Cook Has Leader
Some guys are very difficult to classify by position, and Mike Cook of Friends Central H.S. in Wynnewood, Penn., falls into that category.
Simply put, Cook is a scorer. The burly 6-2, 215 pound swingman pumped in 26 points on Sunday afternoon to help Philadelphia-based Positive Image to a 63-42 championship game victory over the Playaz Black program of Paterson, N.J.
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While he looks to be on the pudgy side, Cook (pictured right) is a very good athlete who scores effectively around the basket and via midrange jumpers. The Playaz simply couldn't contain him, even though going into the game they knew he would be a primary weapon.
"One thing my dad always told me was to work on my handle," Cook said. "That's what I did for the last two years was work on my handle and make sure that I was quick enough with the ball, so that when I got the body that I wanted, I could just muscle a guy once I got to the basket."
Providence is the clear leader right now for Cook, who is waiting on a recent test score result to see if he has qualified academically. In addition to the Friars, UMass and East Carolina have also expressed interest.
Playing alongside highly touted junior Mustafa Shakur and senior Shedjie Childs in the backcourt, Cook averaged 19 points, eight rebounds and five assists per game this past season at Friends Central.
He kept up the beat last weekend in Providence, leading Positive Image to the title with his scoring ability.
"That's what I do, I score for the team," Cook said. "We had other guys do the dirty work, the big guys and guards both did a good job of rebounding, so a lot of my points were in transition because I was running the floor and the guys did a good job getting me the ball."
So how high will Cook get recruited this spring? A lot depends on the academic issues. He said he has a core GPA in the neighborhood of 2.3, and estimated that he needed roughly 10-20 more points on his SAT score in order to qualify.
Of course, Cook could also opt to attend prep school. If he does that, it's likely that he will become a hot commodity again on the recruiting circuit next summer and fall.
"Once I get to college, I know I am going to have to drop some weight, but it really doesn't make a difference as long as I can get to the basket," Cook said. "I am working on my jump shot now."
And if Cook develops a consistent three point shot, it will only be that much tougher for opponents to stop him.