The Washington, D.C. native recently signed an undrafted rookie contract following his four-year career at Duke
PG Quinn Cook dazzled during his three years with DeMatha Catholic High School from 2007-10 before finishing his high school career at Oak Hill Academy and becoming a National Champion at Duke. (Jordan Smith for Synthesis/Koubaroulis LLC. / The Washington Post)
August 19, 2015, 8:12 p.m. — There have been 43 players to win both an NCAA Title and an NBA Championship. Having just captured a National Championship with Duke in April, Quinn Cook has a golden opportunity to become the 44th player to win both rings.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have just signed Cook, the former DeMatha point guard, as an undrafted rookie. He will be joining the “Big Three” of LeBron James, Kevin Love and fellow Blue Devil, Kyrie Irving. Unfortunately for Cook, the Cavs are already loaded at point guard with Irving, Mathew Dellavedova and Mo Williams. However, Cook played off the ball his senior year under Coach K to make room for freshman point guard, Tyus Jones. Plus, Williams has a history of playing off the ball during his veteran NBA career.
Cook is not unaccustomed to playing alongside superstars like James and Irving. As a Blue Devil, he played with the likes of Austin Rivers, Jabari Parker, Jahlil Okafor, Justise Winslow and Mason Plumlee. During his one-year run with Oak Hill Academy in 2010-11, he ran the court with Ben McLemore, who went on to excel at Kansas and is now in the NBA as well. Cook also played in the 2011 McDonald’s All-American Game alongside the nation’s best prep players.
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Prior to his Duke career or his time with Oak Hill, the D.C. native spent three years with DeMatha in Hyattsville, MD. He led the Stags to an 85-18 record over those three years, and the squad was the top-ranked team in the state of Maryland his junior season. Cook was named the Washington Post All-Met Player of the Year as a junior in 2010, after being named to the All-Met Third Team as a sophomore in 2009. He was the first junior to achieve Player of the Year honors in 30 years.
As a high school senior, Cook was rated as a five-star recruit by Scout.com and a four-star recruit by Rivals.com. Scout rated him as the No. 37 player in his class, and similarly Rivals rated him as the No. 38 player. He ultimately signed with Duke over Villanova, UCLA and North Carolina.
As a freshman at Duke, Cook averaged just under 12 minutes of action per game, playing behind guards Austin Rivers, Seth Curry, Andre Dawkins and fellow D.C. native, Tyler Thornton. He saw a major bump in minutes and in production as a sophomore, averaging 11.7 points and 5.3 assists per contest. After putting up similar numbers as a junior, his career really skyrocketed as a senior. Playing primarily off the ball, his scoring average spiked to 16.0 per game. In addition to his increased numbers, he was the team captain and the true team-leader for the squad.
The 2014-15 Duke team was highlighted by one the the best freshman classes of all time, but Cook was the rock that held the team together. Despite the deep young talent on the roster, Cook was named Second-team All-ACC and began to achieve national recognition during the NCAA Championship run.
Cook missed the chance to play alongside Irving by one year as a Blue Devil, but will now have that opportunity as a member of the Cavs. If the Cavs do bring Cleveland the title they so desperately covet and expect, then Cook would become just the second former Duke player to ever win a championship at both levels. The only Blue Devil with this accomplishment under his belt is Shane Battier, who also happened to win his two NBA rings with the help of LeBron James as a member of the Miami Heat.
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