By ADAM ZAGORIA
Marquis “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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