Quote:Omar Cook (born January 28, 1982 in Brooklyn, New York) is an American minor league professional basketball player.

Cook originally went to Christ The King RHS and was later drafted out of St. John's University by the Orlando Magic as the third pick in the second round (31st overall) of the 2001 National Basketball Association Draft, but failed in his premature attempt to make the NBA. He was then traded to the Denver Nuggets, but failed to make the team. Cook played a few games for the Portland Trail Blazers (17 in 2003-04) and the Toronto Raptors (5 in 2005-06) before he was released. He is often referred to as a prime example of college basketball players who declare for the NBA draft too early. In July of 2005 he was drafted by the AAPBL, but the league folded less than 2 weeks after the draft.

It should be noted that he was second in the nation in assists and first in the Big East for the one year he spent at St. John's. He also broke Mark Jackson's record for the most assists in a game for a St. John's player with 17 against Stony Brook. He also briefly led the NBDL in steals and assists in 2004, while playing for the Fayetteville Patriots.

During the 2005-2006 season he played in the Belgian league with Mons. The following year he appeared to work for two teams, France's Strasbourg and Russia's Samara. He changed side and country again in 2007-08, playing in Serbia with KK Crvena Zvezda (Red Star Belgrade).[1]

Quote:1 Omar Cook Toronto Raptors
Position: PG
Born: 1/28/82
Height: 6-1 / 1,85
Weight: 190 lbs. / 86,2 kg.
College: St. John's '04

Good defensive point guard... Talented playmaker... Likes to drive to the basket... Needs to develop a more consistent jump shot.

Attended the Christ the King HS in Queens, New York.
Played college ball at St. John's till 2001.
Selected by the Orlando Magic as the 32nd overall pick in the 2001 NBA Draft. Draft rights were traded to the Denver Nuggets.
Signed with the Dallas Mavericks in November 2001. Released in late December, he joined the Fayetteville Patriots of the NBDL.
Moved to the Boston Celtics in April 2002. Waived in July.
Signed with the Orlando Magic in September 2002. Waived in October. Soon later returned to the Fayetteville Patriots of the NBDL.
Signed with the Indiana Pacers in September 2003. Waived in October.
Returned to the Fayetteville Patriots of the NBDL in 2003-04.
Signed with the Portland Trail Blazers in February 2004. Waived in June.
Signed with the Charlotte Bobcats in August 2004. Waived in October. Returned to the Fayetteville Patriots of the NBDL later that season.
Signed with the Toronto Raptors in April 2005.
Signed with Dexia Mons-Hainaut (Belgium) in October 2005.
Signed with Samara (Russia) in 2006-07. Moved to Strasbourg (France) in April 2007.
Signed with Red Star Belgrade (Serbia) in August 2007.
Selected to the McDonald's All-America Game in 2000.
Named to the BEC All-Rookie 1st Team in 2001. Led the conference in assists.
Named to the All-NBDL 2nd Team in 2002, 2004 and 2005.
Set an NBDL record for most assists in a game with 19.
All-NBDL Honorable Mention in 2002-03

Quote:Portland Trail Blazers point guard Omar Cook went to St. John's University, jumped early to the NBA, and bounced back and forth between the league and the NBDL before signing a Portland contract that should keep him around for a while. InsideHoops.com editor Jeff Lenchiner recently met with Cook in Madison Square Garden for an exclusive interview.

InsideHoops.com: Talk about your career, getting back into the NBA and making the Blazers.

Omar Cook: I've been through a lot the past two, two and a half years, NBDL, back to the NBA, NBDL, back to the NBA, just going through a whole lot, and now I finally got my shot. I'm making the most of it. I'm taking everything I learned from the coach, from the players, from the experience, taking everything I've been through and taking it with me.

InsideHoops.com: You did great in the NBDL, leading the league in assists.

Omar Cook: I was leading the league in assists and steals. It was fun for me. It taught me a lot about life, more than basketball. I learned how to become a better player, but I just worked hard and I got back.

InsideHoops.com: And your Blazers deal is for more than one year.

Omar Cook: Yeah, I signed a multi-year deal with the Blazers. Hopefully everything works out. I'm just working hard. I can control only what I can control, and everything else, I let my basketball speak for it.

InsideHoops.com: As for college, and leaving college early, how much would staying an extra year in school have helped your NBA career?

Omar Cook: If I was in college one more year, I definitely would have been a lottery pick, or definitely first round, but I choose to come out, I felt I was ready and I went for it.

InsideHoops.com: If you could do it all over again, would you have stayed an extra year?

Omar Cook: You know what, either way, I think the past couple of years I've been going through, it made me a better person, so I wouldn't trade it in for nothing. As long as everything works out from now, then everything will be fine.

InsideHoops.com: What kind of advice would you give to current young players thinking of jumping early to the NBA?

Omar Cook: Just believe in themselves, if they feel they're ready, get as much information as they can and go from there. I can't tell nobody to finish their education when I didn't finish mine. If you feel you're ready, you gotta go for it. You can always go back to college and get your degree. But college is good for some people and may not be good for others. If you feel you're ready to play basketball, if you're ready to take that step... I felt I was ready, unfortunately it didn't work out, but now I'm back, and you'll see.

Quote:Кошаркаши Црвене звезде савладали су загребачку Цибону резултатом 106:93 (31:28, 24:19, 19:24, 32:22) у трећем колу НЛБ лиге и после новог тријумфа заузимају лидерску позицију на табели. Плеј Омар Кук пружио је још једну феноменалну партију, пошто је забележио 26 поена (4-4 за два, 3-7 за три), 9 асистенција и 5 украдених лопти за укупан индекс корисности 39. Капитен Тадија Драгићевић био је најефикаснији са 30 поена (12-19 из игре), док је Ненад Мишановић убацио 17 (8-11), уз чак 13 ухваћених лопти.

У табору гостију странци су водили главну реч - Лери Ајусо је убацио 27 (4-6 за два, 5-9 за три), Сем Хоскин је имао 21 поен, док је Крис Ворен постигао 18.

Након нешто нервознијег почетка, Звезда серијом тројки (по две Ковач и Кук) долази до предности и преузима контролу над утакмицом. Кук је био беспрекоран у организацији игре, имао је 3 асистенције, а уз то и 10 поена. Мишановић је са две рампе и неколико скокова остварио превласт под кошевима, па је наш тим дошао до +9. Ипак, Мулаомеровић са линије пенала и Розић тројком у последњој секунди враћају равнотежу – 31:28 за „црвено-беле“ на крају прве четвртине.

Тандем Хоскин – Ајусо задавао је пуно проблема домаћину и управо поенима америчког центра Цибона је прешла у вођство – 42:41. Чувари су се смењивали на Хоскину, али је бивши кошаркаш Олимпијакос увек проналазио право решење, па је до полувремена сакупио 12 поена.

Наши кошаркаши поново појачавају темпо и серијом 9-0 коју су иницирали Шлљиванчанин и Драгићевић долазе до 8 поена вишка, коју су сачували до одласка на одмор.

Звезда почетком трећег периода долази до двоцифрене предности, али Хоскин опет враћа тим Јосипа Вранковића у игру. Разлика у корист „црвено-белих“ константно се кретала између 5-10 поена, али сваки пут када би Звезда била у налету, Ајусо би преузимао одговорност и погађао (9 поена у трећој четвртини).

Иако је виђен врло ефикасан меч, на крају је пресудила добра одбрана Црвене звезде. Средином последње деонице, наши кошаркаши су ношени фантастичном подршком са трибина одиграли веома чврсто у дефанзиви, што је за последицу имало велики број лаких поена из контри и неколико атрактивних потеза.

Хоскин је у потпуности заустављен, а Звезда је тројком Драгићевића направила највећу разлику на утакмици – 101:83.

Тренер Караџић је у самом финишу пружио шансу младима Рондовићу и Краснићу, а млади бек је поготком уз звук сирене ставио тачку на величанствено вече.

ЦРВЕНА ЗВЕЗДА: Краснић 3, Марковић 11, Кикановић 6, Кук 26, Ковач 6, Мишановић 17, Тица, Драгићевић 30, Рондовић, Цветковић 3, Шљиванчанин 4, Бакић.

Црвена звезда у суботу гостује екипи Будућности у 4. колу Јадранске лиге.