Omar Cook: A Basketball Journey Around the World
Every now and then a player comes along who is just special. For me, there was a Point Guard from Queens (via Brooklyn), New York who fit all the criteria for that designation and his name was Omar Cook. Cook was one of those players who seemed like a lock to make the league. The buzz in NYC surrounding High School basketball in the late ’90s would most likely have something to do with Omar Cook. He was just that talented. His name spread like wildfire and he was known to many as the next great PG from the New York. The 6’1 point guard out of Christ The King HS had all the skills needed to reach the highest level. What separated him from his peers was his uncanny strength at the point guard position. His court vision, speed, and his general basketball IQ gave him the upper hand when facing his opponents and I would hear tales of guys being scared to death to play against him. Ask anybody who followed NYC basketball about Cook and they would more than likely tell you how he had the city in a stranglehold.
In High School Omar Cook was one of the best players in the country. He played AAU with the Riverside Church and had almost every school in the country recruiting him. Photo courtesy of Slam Magazine
In the late 90’s New York City was a hotbed for elite point guards. There has always been a lot of pressure put on NYC guards to succeed. After all guys like Kenny Smith, Mark Jackson, Kenny Anderson and Rod Strickland all made it. There was a new batch of point guards in NYC and at the time they were all able to co-exist. It wouldn’t be right to write an Omar Cook article and not mention Andre Barrett and Taliek Brown as well. They all competed against each other and all thrived in their own right. All three were McDonald’s All American out of High School and went on to have solid collegiate careers. Guys wore their ties to the city like a badge of honor. Cook was one of the best point guards of his era and was destined to do great things. He was just different than the rest.
Omar Cook spent one year with St. John’s University before embarking on his professional career. Photo courtesy of USA Today
Cook was recruited by just about every college program in the country. He really wanted to go to North Carolina to play with the Tarheels but when his scholarship was given away to another player Cook settled on St. John’s. Cook had immediate success at St. John’s and in his lone college season, he was 2nd in the country in assist. He was always a guy who enjoyed putting his teammates in a position to score. Although Cook showed flashes of brilliance at St. John’s the team struggled to win games. He led the team in scoring that one year with just over 15 points per contest. He racked up assists, finishing 2nd in the country and made the Big East All-Rookie team.
Ask anybody who followed NYC basketball about Cook and they would more than likely tell you how he had the city in a stranglehold.
After one year at St. John’s Cook shocked the world and declared himself eligible for the 2001 NBA draft. Even though he showed flashes of being ready, many NBA scouts, as well as his coach Mike Jarvis, were shocked at his decision. They thought he needed at least another year or two to work on his jump shot which at best hovered around the 35% mark from the field.
Head coach of St. John’s, Mike Jarvis, instructs Omar Cook against Villanova at Madison Square Garden. St. John’s won 82-70. (Photo by Mike Albans/NY Daily News Archive via Getty)
One and done ain’t for everybody. Cook’s stock plummeted and he ended up getting selected in the 2nd round by the Orlando Magic with the 31st overall pick. The magic had immediate concerns with his shot-making ability and traded him to the Denver Nuggets. Denver cut Cook not too long after and he was left to figure it out for himself. He would end up in North Carolina playing in the NBA D-League for the Fayetteville Patriots. A long way off from the high hopes he and many others in New York City had for him. When things like this happen you begin to reevaluate your life and realize that you have two choices, to pack it up and give up or you focus on what’s important and work. Cook chose to work and in February of 2004 the Portland Trail Blazers called him up. He was the last man on the bench but he was an NBA player and got his foot in the proverbial door. That opportunity was short lived and he was cut before the following season started. He had one more shot in the league with the Toronto Raptors before calling it a wrap for his NBA hopes. Things really didn’t work out as planned in the NBA but his basketball dreams of being a professional basketball player were materialized overseas in Europe.
Cook got drafted in the 2nd round of the 2001 NBA draft and left 3 years of NCAA eligibility on the table. He bounced around the league for a few years before taking his talents overseas. Photo courtesy of Getty Images
Just because someone isn’t a marquee name in the NBA doesn’t mean they aren’t a professional player. There’s a whole world of professional basketball overseas and Europe would be the next destination for Omar Cook’s basketball prowess. The first stop was Dexia Mons-Hainaut, a club in Belgium’s top basketball league. At 24 years old living in a different country is a lot to manage. First, you’re in a new environment and secondly, you don’t know the native language. Throughout his 14 year international career, Cook has had the good fortune of playing for some great clubs. He’s played in Serbia, Russia, France, Spain, and Italy just to name a few. He’s been the epitome of a professional and has been one of the better players wherever he’s gone. Cook has won championships, led the respective league in steals and assists in the same year. He’s been able to stay healthy and that was most important for his career.
Cook has made a career for himself overseas. He has been playing for nearly 18 years with no visible end in sight. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia
What Cook is not is a cautionary tale. Sure he didn’t have mainstream success in the NBA but he’s been able to play professionally for 14+ years and been able to see the world at the same time. People tend to get enamored by the Big lights of the NBA but truth be told to get paid to play a game you love is nothing short of remarkable. At the time people viewed leaving college early for the NBA a huge mistake, but now it’s the norm. Kids leave early pretty frequently for a shot at living their dream. You never know what can happen and have to be ready at every opportunity that presents itself. We salute Omar Cook for all that he’s been able to accomplish. Hope to see him live out more of his goals and continue to make his mark on the world through the game of basketball. ?