The son of a former NBA Defensive Player of the year, Elgin Cook says defensive effort hasn?t been a problem for him.
?It was important to him, so it was important to me,? Cook said, referring to his father, Alvin Robertson, a four-time All-Star with the San Antonio Spurs and Milwaukee Bucks.
Cook hopes his defensive energy will endear him to Oregon fans next season, when the junior college transfer could be in line to earn a starting job for the Ducks. A 6-foot-6, 195-pound freshman forward at Northwest Florida State College, Cook made a verbal commitment to the Ducks on Wednesday, becoming Oregon?s fifth recruit in this class.
He chose Oregon over Gonzaga, among others, and will have three years of eligibility with the Ducks. The spring signing period begins April 17.
Cook is averaging 14.8 points and 6.0 rebounds while shooting 61.4 percent from the field for Northwest Florida State, which is 25-2 and ranked No. 3 in the country. The team also includes the nation?s top junior college prospect, point guard Chris Jones, who has signed with Louisville.
Cook was a first-team all-league pick and the conference freshman of the year, according to his coach, Steve Forbes.
?He?s had a fabulous season for us,? Forbes said. ?He?s a very, very athletic player and can really defend multiple positions.?
Cook visited Oregon two weeks ago with his father; they sat behind the Oregon bench during the Ducks? last-second loss to California at Matthew Knight Arena.
?I just fell in love with the place,? Cook said. ?During the tour, they took me to meet some academic advisers and they laid out a plan for me, and that was just awesome. ? And the fans were crazy.?
After that, Cook and his father visited Gonzaga, but Cook said Oregon was a better fit for him, based on his relationship with UO coach Dana Altman and assistant Tony Stubblefield. Oregon is graduating four seniors after this season, so the chance to play significant minutes helped, too.
?Elgin is smart. He saw that,? Forbes said. ?He made a very informed decision.?
Said Cook: ?I want to come in right away, run the floor, block some shots and make some plays.?
Cook was a former City Conference player of the year in Milwaukee, Wis. He had originally signed with Iowa State but did not qualify academically out of high school.
Cook redshirted at Northwest Florida State last season to get his academics in order, and he is on schedule to earn his degree there this summer, Forbes said.
The Ducks signed three recruits in the fall: Jordan Bell, a 6-foot-8 power forward from Long Beach, Calif; 6-9 Brazilian center Cristiano Felicio; and A.J. Lapray, a 6-4 wing from Salem's Sprague High. Another recruit, 6-4 shooting guard Jalil Abdul-Bassit out of North Idaho JC, has given a verbal commitment to the Ducks.
-- Adam Jude
Source: http://www.oregonlive.com/ducks/index.ssf/2013/03/ducks_get_commitment_from_juni.html
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