Tag: Mookie Cook

Kwame Evans Jr. announces return to Oregon for 2024-25 season

Big-time returner for the Ducks in 2024.

Kwame Evans Jr., a freshman power forward for the Oregon Ducks men’s basketball team, will return to Oregon for the 2024-25 season. Evans announced the news Tuesday morning on Twitter.

After the Ducks lost Creighton in the round of 32 of the NCAA tournament and their season came to a close, Evans left his future at Oregon ambiguous, telling Oregonian reporter James Crepea that it was “hard to tell,” what his future looked like.

Evans was a key player for the Ducks throughout last season, and he could be even more impactful going forward. As a freshman, Evans averaged 7.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game, while also averaging more than one steal and one block each game.

In 2023-24, Evans did experience some struggles finding consistency in his game. Smoked layups and defensive breakdowns weren’t uncommon for the freshman. But what has never been in doubt is Evans’ talent and potential to grow. Even from the start of the season to the end, Evans transformed his game, and there’s no cap on what he can do going forward.

Evans came to Oregon as a 5-star recruit in the class of 2023, and he was joined by Jackson Shelstad and Mookie Cook — two Portland natives who were also highly sought after in their recruiting class. Shelstad and Cook have both announced their intent to return to Eugene in the fall, and now that the trio of elite recruits has a year of experience, Oregon could be a dangerous team come fall.

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Altman: Mookie Cook out this week following injury against Utah

Mookie Cook won’t be available for the Oregon Ducks this week after a foot injury against the Utah Utes.

The Oregon Ducks’ 4-star freshman wing Mookie Cook will not play this week against the Arizona schools. Per head coach Dana Altman, Cook tweaked his foot against Utah which will keep him off the court.

Oregon’s game against Utah was just Cook’s fifth game as a Duck. Before the season began, Cook needed ankle surgery, and his recovery sidelined him for the first two months of the season. Cook made his debut on the road against the Washington Huskies, where he shot 2/3 from the field in just six minutes.

In his next four games at Oregon, Cook still didn’t play much. His surgery recovery and lack of conditioning played a role in his minutes limitation, but he may have seen his playing time increase in the next few games if not for his injury.

Since Oregon will be without Cook to come off the bench, Keeshawn Barthelemy, Jadrian Tracey, and Kario Oquendo will be the leaders of the Ducks’ second unit. Against Utah, the Oregon bench had only 16 points, which allowed the utes to build a lead when the starters were of the floor. Against the Wildcats — the third-best scoring team in the country, the Ducks won’t be able to rely solely on their starters, and production from the bench will be key.

The Ducks’ Sunday loss to the Utah Utes was their second in a row, the first being a road game against Colorado a few days prior. This week, they’ll host Arizona State on Thursday and Arizona on Saturday. Currently, Oregon is tied with both schools for first place in the Pac-12, so the result of these games will be impactful.

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‘He has come along well;’ Dana Altman discusses Mookie Cook’s early development with Ducks

Oregon Ducks true freshman Mookie Cook got a delayed start to the season due to an injury, but Dana Altman has been impressed so far.

When you talk about true freshman players on the Oregon Ducks this year, much of the attention starts with Jackson Shelstad, a point guard prodigy who has taken Eugene by storm over the past several weeks. But next to him stand both Kwame Evans Jr. and Mookie Cook, a pair of highly-rated players who have shown their abilities so far on the court this season.

While we’ve gotten an extended look at what Evans can bring to the table — the freshman is averaging 9 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists in 24 minutes per game this year — it took several weeks before Cook was able to show off his skill set due to an injury that he suffered eight months ago.

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The blue-chip freshman made his debut earlier this month against Washington, and though it was in limited action, Cook showed promise, giving a spark to the offense with a pair of dunks in the second half of a gritty win.

From an outside perspective, though, it feels like Cook is being forced to deal with some unfair and unrealistic expectations in Eugene. While his peers Shelstad and Evans have enjoyed early success, Cook has had a slower burn to the start of his career thus far, playing just an average of 8 minutes in his three games so far.

“He’s had the toughest adjustment, he’s been out for eight months,” head coach Dana Altman said on Wednesday. “He’s only been in live drills here for the last few weeks. And he’s a freshman, so he hasn’t played in our system, he doesn’t know our system as well as Nate and Dante, who have been around.”

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For a high-profile recruit like Cook, who starred as a young version of LeBron James in the Peacock original movie “Shooting Stars,” this gradual rollout may be difficult to deal with. Altman has seen the promise from his freshman already, though, and knows that with continued effort, the highlights will come.

“I think he has come along well. He still has some rust that he’s got to shake off,” Altman said. “I don’t anticipate his minutes going up a lot here early, but hopefully he’ll work himself into shape, pick up our system a little bit better, and give us what he did against Washington, and Washington State — seven or eight minutes off the bench and give us a boost.”

As the rest of the roster continues to get healthier and start gelling with the Ducks heading into the meat of their conference schedule, competition for minutes is going to be fierce, and Cook is going to have his work cut out for him trying to earn his spot in the rotation. Based on the talent we’ve see from him, and the glimpses of high upside that he’s shown already this season, there should be a lot of excitement about what he can bring to this team in the spring.

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Oregon fails to break into ESPN’s most recent bracketology poll

Once again, the Oregon Ducks were left out of ESPN’s Bracketology poll, written by Joe Lunardi.

The Oregon Ducks men’s basketball program kicked off conference play last week with wins against the USC Trojans and UCLA Bruins, moving them to 10-3 (2-0 in conference play) on the season. But despite the success, the Ducks were once again left out of Joe Lunardi’s (ESPN) weekly bracketology.

ESPN’s “Bracketology” is a mock bracket where Lunardi predicts which teams would make up the field of 68 in the NCAA tournament if the season were to end today. Last week, Lunardi didn’t mention Oregon in his picks, but this week, they are listed as the eighth-best team left out of the field of 68. That’s progress, but it certainly isn’t where the Ducks want to be.

Although USC and UCLA are also omitted from this week’s bracketology, both the Trojans and the Bruins are quality teams, and I thought those wins would move the needle enough for Oregon this week. In the Pac-12, the Ducks are just one game back in first place. Utah and Colorado currently share the top spot in the conference, but the Ducks will play both teams later this month, giving them a chance to improve their national standing.

Lunardi’s Bracketology is updated twice a week during the conference season, so the Ducks could move up with a win over Washington on Thursday. Mookie Cook, a 4-star freshman, is expected to make his debut in the game. If the Ducks win, I can’t see them being left out of the 68-team field in Lunardi’s next Bracketology report.

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Mookie Cook set to make his college basketball debut this week

Mookie Cook, an elite freshman small forward, is set to make his college debut against Washington on Thursday.

After being plagued by injuries to start the season, the Oregon Ducks men’s basketball team has received some good news: Freshman Mookie Cook will make his college debut in the Ducks game against Washington on Thursday.

Cook is one of three elite freshmen in Oregon’s 2023 recruiting class. Through the first few months of the season, Jackson Shelstad and Kwame Evans — the Ducks’ other two freshmen — have been two of the team’s best players. Oregon lacks depth at the wing position, so the addition of Cook could make a big impact for the Ducks on both ends of the floor.

Cook was rated by 247Sports as a 4-star recruit, but at one point he was one of the most sought-after prospects in the class of 2023, rated as the No. 2 player in the class. Cook brings a lot of speed and athleticism to the floor and is also an elite shooter, making him a pure three-level scorer.

 

Before the start of the season, Cook needed ankle surgery, and he has been working to get back to the floor as soon as possible. The Ducks are still waiting on the return of star center N’Faly Dante, whose impact on both ends of the court is tremendous.

Dana Altman talks 5-star freshmen, jump to Big Ten, and new-look Ducks heading into 2023 season

Dana Altman talks 5-star freshmen, jump to Big Ten, and new-look Ducks heading into 2023 season

It’s been quite a while since we’ve gotten the opportunity to last speak to Oregon Ducks men’s basketball coach Dana Altman. In fact, I think the last time I was in a room with him was the night that he went on a rant about the program, the fans, and the outlook of things going forward, making national headlines in the sport.

It’s safe to say that a lot of things have happened from then until now.

For starters, the Ducks will now be playing in a new conference starting a year from now after the University of Oregon jumped from the Pac-12 to the Big Ten. That seems like pretty major news that would be worth getting Altman’s opinion on.

After that, we have also been gifted a pretty new-look roster in Eugene, which features a few holdovers from last year — N’Faly Dante, Nate Bittle, Keeshawn Barthelemy, and Jermaine Couisnard, among others — but boasts a pair of 5-star freshmen with another highly-rated 4-star player who made up the No. 8 ranked 2023 recruiting class for the Ducks.

There’s another good topic of conversation.

With those new additions, a big influx of incoming transfers, and every other storyline that has built up over the offseason, it’s safe to say that there was no shortage of things to discuss with Altman in his first media availability on Thursday afternoon.

Here are Altman’s most notable quotes from that interview:

Report: Oregon to face Georgia in Las Vegas doubleheader with USC

According to a report from college hoops reporter Jon Rothstein, the Ducks will open the men’s basketball season against Georgia in Vegas.

According to Jon Rothstein of College Hoops Today, the Oregon men’s basketball team will open the 2023-24 season in style.

As part of a doubleheader where USC will face Kansas State, the Ducks will play Georgia in Las Vegas. This will be the first college game for a few marquee players looking to make an impact on the next level.

The most notable name is USC’s Bronny James, who will mostly be a one-and-done before going on to the NBA. But Oregon also has a couple of freshmen who will most likely be on national television for the first time with their new team in point guard Jackson Shelstad and Mookie Cook.

Playing Georgia right away will also be a bit strange for transfer guard Kario Oquendo, who played for the Bulldogs for two seasons and led UGA in scoring in 2021-22 with just over 15 points a game.

There has not been a formal announcement for this marquee event, but no doubt either ESPN or Fox will want to broadcast this doubleheader in Sin City.

Shelstad and Cook invited to Team USA U19 Training Camp

Incoming Oregon freshmen Jackson Shelstad and Mookie Cook have been invited to Team USA’s Under 19 training camp.

Oregon Ducks men’s basketball fans might get to see a sneak peek into what the 20-24 team could look like.

Incoming freshmen Jackson Shelstad from West Linn, Ore. and Mookie Cook out of Portland, were both invited to Team USA’s Under 19 training camp that will be held in Colorado Springs, Colo.

A final 12-member roster will be announced prior to the 2023 FIBA Men’s World Cup, scheduled for June-24-July 2 in Debrecen, Hungary.

Shelstad most recently competed with Team USA at the Nike Hoop Summit in Portland, while Cook earned a trip to the McDonald’s All-American game.

Cook is a 6-foot-7 small forward and he was ranked as a Top 30 recruit in the Class of 2023. Shelstad is6-foot point guard tat is expected to start from Day 1 replacing Will Richardson.

Athletes attending training camp were selected by the USA Basketball Men’s Junior National Team Committee. The full list of athletes is below:

  • Omaha Biliew (Iowa State)
  • Blake Buchanan (Virginia)
  • Myles Colvin (Purdue)
  • Marquis ‘Mookie’ Cook (Oregon)
  • Jeremy Fears Jr. (Michigan State)
  • Trentyn Flowers (Louisville)
  • AJ Johnson (Pro)
  • DeShawn Harris-Smith (Maryland)
  • Milan Momcilovic (Iowa State)
  • Jackson Shelstad (Oregon)
  • Joseph Tugler (Houston)
  • Cody Williams (Colorado)

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How Mookie Cook, KJ Evans, and Bronny James performed in 2023 McDonald’s All-American Game

Mookie Cook shot 66% from the floor and Kwame Evans was perfect from the FT line. With 5 three-pointers, though, it was Bronny James who stole the show.

The ultimate showcase for high school basketball players took place on Tuesday night with the McDonald’s All-American Game being broadcast on ESPN. The top basketball players in the 2023 class were able to get on the court and compete in an all-star game that has featured some of the best players in both NBA and WNBA history over the past several decades.

For fans of the Oregon Ducks, there was reason to tune in, with signees Mookie Cook and KJ Evans taking part in the festivities. There was also the main attraction of Bronny James, son of NBA legend LeBron James, who is reportedly considering a commitment to the Ducks in the coming months, along with USC and Ohio State as well.

The game itself was highly entertaining, with the East taking a hard-fought victory over the West, 109-106. While there were a ton of stars to watch, here’s how the two Oregon players — Cook and Evans — and the potential Oregon player — James — ended up playing in the showcase.

Watch: First trailer for ‘Shooting Stars’ starring Oregon’s Mookie Cook is out

The first trailer for Mookie Cook’s ‘Shooting Stars’ where he plays a young LeBron James has dropped.

Mookie Cook has already made quite a name for himself, even before stepping foot on the court inside Matthew Knight Arena as a member of the Oregon Ducks.

The 4-star forward from Portland, Oregon, has made waves in the basketball world already, starring as a young LeBron James in the upcoming Peacock film “Shooting Stars.”

The film depicts James as a high schooler at St. Vincent-St. Mary’s, where he blossomed into the greatest basketball prospect of our generation.

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The movie “chronicled how James and his best friends in Akron formed a close-knit bond that sustained them through a failed national championship tournament and winning a title by the end of high school,” wrote The Hollywood Reporter. “Along the way there were plenty of tests, such as broken homes, jealousies and even James’ own mega-success.”

The first trailer for the film was released on Tuesday.

Cook recently talked to 247Sports about his experience filming the movie.

“Doing the movie was so real, a surreal moment,” Cook said. “I never thought I’d be doing something like that. It was just so cool being around all of those people and understanding the work they put into it because from the outside looking in it doesn’t seem that hard but you really have to drop into character.”

The movie is set to come out on June 2 on Peacock.

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