A little birdie got in my ear…
By Anthony Bosco
Since the story first broke in March, there has been very little printed or even spoken about St. John’s freshman point guard Omar Cook and his possible early departure from school to the NBA. That is, until last week.
A little birdie got in my ear about a week ago saying he heard from a guy who knows Cook who said that the fab frosh was all but out the door at St. John’s.
So I did a little checking this week and heard the same thing I heard more than a month ago, that Cook is still going to class at St. John’s, still has not said anything official about his plans, but is keeping his options open as to playing pro ball next year.
I think everyone assumed that all got quiet from Cook’s camp following the initial rumblings of his possible parting because of the incredibly negative backlash from experts and members of the media who all but came out and said Cook would be crazy if he went pro this early.
Then, of course, there was some controversy around agents Carl and Kevin Poston of Professional Sports Planning, Inc., whom Cook was reportedly leaning toward signing. When it was uncovered that one of them is reportedly under investigation by the NFL Players Association while the other was allegedly named in a federal indictment of a Kansas City street agent, everything just kind of stopped.
For one brief week it seemed that all everyone was talking about or writing about was Cook and the decision he was about to make. And then, just as quickly as Cook’s storm started, it dissipated, vanishing into thin air. The rumors quieted and the debate ceased, at least for a little while.
So for the past month there has been very little news, no change in the story line, just a young basketball player with unlimited potential going to class like thousands of others students at St. John’s.
I would say the precursor to things starting to heat up again was the annual Wheelchair Classic, a high school charity basketball tournament, held at St. John’s. I went to the finals on Thursday, April 19, my first trip back to Alumni Hall since the Red Storm’s season ended.
Sitting there along the sidelines, I noticed a bunch of Red Storm players joking and clowning around at one end of the court. Among them were Donald Emanuel, Abe Keita, Alpha Bangura, Reggie Jessie and John Parker. All of them seemed to be having a good time, watching the best high school players from New York square off against one another.
I looked for Cook, but didn’t see him. I was hoping I would see him, hoping for some clue about what his future may hold by seeing him with his teammates. But I never did see him there — not exactly.
When I spoke with photographer Pete Snyder at halftime of the Queens-Brooklyn consolation came, I suggested trying to get some pictures of some of the college coaches in attendance. When he asked me who to shoot, I pointed up to the bleachers where I could see St. John’s coach Mike Jarvis, who was flanked by two high school coaches and his son, Mike Jarvis II, also known as “Deuce.”
Pretty soon Pete was gone from my view and when the second half began, I was again focusing on the game.
It wasn’t until the next day when Pete’s photos came back did I realize Cook was indeed at the game. There he was, plain as day, sitting next to a smiling Jarvis in the stands, sporting a blue baseball cap, T-shirt and denim jacket.
But what was the significance? Did it mean Cook was coming back and that all the rumors and reports were nothing but bluster and that the talented point guard was returning to the Red Storm for his sophomore year?
Or was it, like I was later told, just a friendly, “Hi, how are ya?” courtesy paid on a coach by a player?
Honestly, it probably means nothing in the grand scheme of things, just a photo of two guys taking in a basketball game.
But there has been at least one thing since that photo was taken that might compel Cook to come back to St. John’s next year. St. John’s locked up JUCO star Marcus Hatten for next year, adding a much-needed scoring threat to its roster.
Last year St. John’s fell off a bit, failing to make the NCAA or NIT tournaments or get past the first round of the Big East Tournament, a title the team had won just a year before. The Red Storm finished with a 14-15 record at season’s end, something that was probably a bitter pill for the ever-competitive Cook to swallow.
But with Hatten in the fold, along with the recent addition of point guard Tristan Smith, there is depth on the team that wasn’t there last season. There are more options for the play-making Cook, more chances of winning a few more games and, so it would seem, more reason for him to return.
Of course that could mean nothing as well. If Cook is either persuaded or convinces himself that the best place for him to be next year is the NBA, then he’s gone, pure and simple.
That would be a mistake in my opinion. I’m sure he can compete in the NBA and I’m sure someone would draft him come June, but he probably wouldn’t make an impact right away on any team. He would be forced to ride the pine until enough injuries or time had passed that would force him onto the floor.
But at St. John’s he would be the star, at least for another year.
Reach Sports Editor Anthony Bosco by e-mail at TimesLedgr@aol.com or call 229-0300, Ext. 130.
