Quinn Cook: What Do We Know?
Posted by: Gutty
The Tar Heels need to sign a point guard in either the 2011 or 2012 recruiting class. So far, the top two candidates in 2011 are Marquis Rankin (athletic, raw, combo-esque) and Quinn Cook (short, steady, true point). Roy Williams seems to prefer Cook over Rankin at this point in time, and will most likely continue to visit Cook throughout his junior year at Dematha.
Putting the hard work and effort in on recruiting Cook is a good move for UNC basketball because:
- He is in no hurry to decide. The decision will come in 12+ months.
- He has shown public interest in UNC, including attending Late Night with Roy 2009.
- Keeping connected with Dematha and the DC area talent is important for further establishing DC-Virginia-Maryland area as the primary local recruiting base for UNC. (Ginyard, Lawson, Marshall, McAdoo, Cook)
Plain and simple, there is no room for a Cook scholarship, yet. All 13 schollies are spoken for. However, Ed Davis and John Henson are expected to leave before 2011. There is no harm in continuing to build solid ground with Cook and see what happens within the next 12 months. If he were to commit to UNC, he would likely see only limited playing time in the 2011-2012 season, as there would be 3 point guards on the roster. In his sophomore season at UNC, he would be sharing PG duties with Kendall Marshall to make our fleet of PGs completely DC-based.
So what do we know about Quinn Cook?
- Plays for the AAU team DC Assualt, the same squad that has featured Duke players Nolan Smith, Josh Hairston and Tyler Thorten. Cook is very close with Nolan Smith, and both share a special bond due to similarities in their personal lives such as losing a father at an early age and having sisters with similar personalities. During the high school season last year, Cook’s Dematha team edged out Tyler Thorten’s Gonzaga team by 1 point for the DC-area title. DC Assault also boasts famous alumni such as Michael Beasely, Andris Biedrins, Keith Bogans, Dante Cunningham, Jeff Green, Deron Washington, and James White.
- Height has been listed as 5’ 10” (DC Assault page), 5’ 11” (Scout), 6’ 1” (Rivals). The truth is probably closer to 5′ 11″ or 6′ 0″.
- At Dematha, some stats show that he averaged 8 points and 6 assists per game as a freshmen, and 14 points and 8 assists per game as a sophomore. His MaxPreps stats profile offers up some different, incomplete statistics.
- Mainly described as undersized, steady, changes speeds well, good passer, speedy, no apparent problems with jump shot or range. Similar to Leslie McDonald, he may not excel at any one skill, but is well-rounded in many.
- Starting point guard for the 16 and under National Team.
- Mediocre wingspan around 72”-73”.
- Wears size 13 shoes. Maybe he can get slightly taller?
- Can score in big situations, dropping 22 in the Gold Medal game with USA and 25 points with Dematha in a ESPNU-televised matchup against local rival Bishop O-Connell (Kendall Marshall’s team)
- 2011 Rankings – Scout currently has him as the #6 PG, Rivals has him as the #5 PG.
So what’s the prognosis on Quinn Cook?
Cook is first and foremost steady and efficient at the most important position on the court. Although just a sophomore, he already is what he will become and his consistent nature means there are no anticipated changes with his game. Roy can make accurate predictions about his development over time due to his steady characteristics. He is a sure bet in many ways, which mitigates risk at the most important position.
He has a tremendous pedigree, which is a quality that Roy seems to really value with his recent targets. With the Dematha and National Team experiences, he is guaranteed to come onto a roster as a fundamentally prepared Freshman. His head seems to be in the right place. He seems willing to listen to all the right advice and all the right people.
The draw of Cook is his lack of weaknesses rather than his obvious strengths. He will play four years of college basketball with no risk of early departure. His development is not stunted on the offensive end. Although he considers himself a pass-first PG, he can also score more fluidly than your average distribution-only PG. Cook seems like a similar prospect to Larry Drew and Adonis Jordan, although he seems to score more easily at a young age.
Here are links to keep tabs on Cook as his game develops:
- ESPN (via Scout)
I understand the logjam at the prospective scholarship spots. But if anyone isn’t paying attention we need talent at the guard spot. i like barnes and bullock both #1 respectively at their positions. But we need a point guard. I watched tape of marshall, but teague’s brother selby, and a couple other points guards are more agressive and assertive in their games. Which is what we need…lawson,cota.