Adam Zagoria covers basketball at all levels. He is the author of two books and an award-winning journalist whose articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Sports Illustrated, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide.
Five-star Arizona Compass Prep wing Mookie Cook breaks down his recruitment after dynamic performance at Hoophall East
By ADAM ZAGORIAMarquis “Mookie” Cook and his Arizona Compass Prep teammates took care of business at Hoophall East in Delaware this week.
Ranked No. 6 nationally by ESPN.com, Arizona Compass Prep cruised to blowout victories over both Our Savior Lutheran (N.Y.) and Westtown (PA). The 6-foot-7, 200-pound Cook went for 16 points and four rebounds, making 4-of-7 from deep, in a 75-45 rout of a Westtown team featuring Duke-bound Dereck Lively II. That was an impressive rebound after a sub-par game (5 points, 7 rebounds) in a blowout of Our Savior Lutheran in a game watched by Kentucky’s John Calipari and Chin Coleman, who were there for Cook and his teammate Kylan Boswell
“That was dope, that was something I always dreamed of,” Cook said of having Calipari at the game. “That was just a blessing being able to cross that off my list.”
Ranked the No. 2 small forward in 2023 by 247Sports.com, Cook is being recruited by a Who’s Who of high-major programs including Kentucky, Arizona, Oregon, Michigan, UCLA, Gonzaga, and Kansas. He broke down several of his top suitors for ZAGSBLOG:
Kentucky: “They just said you’re a versatile player, you can play multiple positions. They really want me. They like that I can post up, pretty much make an impact on the game without offense, just a presence of being on the court.”
Cook took his first official visit to Kentucky in October.
“It was dope, man,” he said. “It’s a real family place. You can understand the brotherhood behind it, why they have so many NBA players, and just the legacy.”
Gonzaga: “They like how I can play fast, that’s their game style, up and down trying to get some buckets. They think I can come in and be a versatile player.”
Arizona: “Tommy Lloyd came from Gonzaga so pretty much the same message. He loves how I play. I have a pretty good connection with him, he’s a good guy.”
Oregon: “Oregon, that’s my hometown, it would be dope to play there. Dana Altman, Phil Knight, that’s just greatness behind it.”
He plans to take an official there Feb. 10 for the Stanford game.
Kansas: “Pretty much the same thing, they love how I play. They say being coached by Bill Self, that would be dope.”
Michigan:“Juwan Howard, he loves that I can play multiple positions, stretch the floor out and play hard with intensity. That’s the main thing he loves.”
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Adam Zagoria is a Basketball Insider who covers basketball at all levels. A contributor to The New York Times and SportsNet New York (SNY), he is also the author of two books and is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker. His articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide. He also won an Emmy award for his work on the SNY mini-documentary on Syracuse guard Tyus Battle.
A veteran Ultimate Frisbee player, he has competed in numerous National and World Championships and, perhaps more importantly, his teams won the Westchester Summer League (WSL) championships in 2011 and 2013.
He lives in Manhattan with his wife and children.
