Gregory Olin Cook (December 8, 1958 – March 19, 2005) was an American

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player. Nicknamed "Cookieman", he played collegiately for the

LSU Tigers The LSU Tigers and Lady Tigers (also known as the Fighting Tigers) are the athletic teams representing Louisiana State University (LSU), a state university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. LSU competes in Division I of the National Collegiat ...

and was renowned for his defensive prowess. Cook posted his best statistics during his freshman season in 1976–77 when he averaged 11.5 points and 9.2 rebounds. He sat out the 1977–78 season before returning for his three final seasons. During those years, Cook helped lead the Tigers to an SEC tournament championship in 1980 and an NCAA Final Four appearance in 1981. He was selected by the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the Na ...

as the 40th overall pick in the

1981 NBA draft The 1981 NBA draft was the 35th annual NBA draft, draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on June 9, 1981, before the 1981–82 NBA season, 1981–82 season. The draft was broadcast in the United States on the NBA ...

but never played in the league. Cook played briefly in the

Continental Basketball Association The Continental Basketball Association (CBA), originally known as the Eastern Pennsylvania Basketball League, and later as the Eastern Professional Basketball League and the Eastern Basketball Association, was a men's professional basketball m ...

(CBA), appearing in five games for the

Wyoming Wildcatters The Wyoming Wildcatters were a professional basketball team based in Casper, Wyoming. They played 6 seasons in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA), the defunct development league for the National Basketball Association (NBA). They manage ...

in the 1984–85 season. Cook died in his sleep in

Houston, Texas Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

, aged 46.

Career statistics

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 1976–77 , style="text-align:left;",

LSU Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as Louisiana State University (LSU), is an American Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louis ...

, 27 , , 27 , , 30.1 , , .462 , , – , , .589 , , 9.2 , , 1.9 , , – , , – , , 11.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1978–79 , style="text-align:left;",

, 28 , , – , , – , , .465 , , – , , .617 , , 6.3 , , 2.1 , , – , , – , , 6.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1979–80 , style="text-align:left;",

, 31 , , – , , 29.1 , , .400 , , – , , .659 , , 5.8 , , 2.7 , , 1.1 , , .2 , , 4.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1980–81 , style="text-align:left;",

, 33 , , 26 , , 28.6 , , .564 , , – , , .710 , , 5.3 , , 1.6 , , 1.0 , , .1 , , 9.2 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 119 , , 53 , , 29.2 , , .480 , , – , , .646 , , 6.6 , , 2.1 , , 1.0 , , .1 , , 7.8

References

External links

College statistics
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cook, Greg 1958 births 2005 deaths 20th-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century American sportsmen Abraham Clark High School alumni American men's basketball players Basketball players from Newark, New Jersey Basketball players from Union County, New Jersey Centers (basketball) LSU Tigers men's basketball players New York Knicks draft picks People from Roselle, New Jersey Power forwards Wyoming Wildcatters players