If Cooke Grows Taller, Watch Out
Freshman Might Have Big Up-Side
Posted: February 15, 2013
HARRISONBURG — Charles Cooke is growing.
The James Madison freshman is playing with confidence, his shot is kissing the net more often, and his overall basketball arsenal is becoming more sophisticated.
Charles Cooke is growing.
Just 18 years old with giant size 16 sneakers, the 6-foot-6 swingman said doctors have told him he could sprout up to 6-8.
“He’d be scary at 6-8,” JMU coach Matt Brady said last week. “We’ve been talking about that since we’ve recruited him. If he puts on another inch — because he’s a really good shooter … his potential is crazy.”
Cooke is giving fans a peek at that potential more and more often recently.
Since breaking a bone in his left wrist on Jan. 9 and missing the next four weeks as he healed, Cooke has elevated his play and become a starter for the Dukes (15-12 overall, 9-5 in the Colonial Athletic Association), a team driven by seniors but enhanced by freshmen.
The Trenton, N.J., native set career highs twice in the span of four games — most recently a 16-point performance in front of family and friends in a loss at Drexel in Philadelphia on Sunday.
All with a soft cast still on his left hand.
“It took me a minute to get used to wearing this, and I’ve just been putting up a ton of shots with it on,” Cooke said. “I got used to it. I’m pretty comfortable with it on, except for dribbling.”
Ironically, the cast on Cooke’s off hand may have helped the young player develop quicker. It forced him to hone his shooting stroke.
“He and I had been working on trying to get his left hand off the ball,” Brady said. “Obviously, I work with a lot of guys, and I think it takes a year, or at least an offseason, to help guys improve in shooting. When he broke his wrist and had a cast on his left wrist, I said to Charles — and he thought I was trying to be funny — I said, ‘This is actually going to be a blessing in disguise. This is going to make you get your left hand off the ball.’”
Cooke made the adjustment, and his stats emphatically bear out that evidence.
In 16 games before injuring his hand, Cooke was shooting 36.7 percent from the field. In seven games since returning, he’s making 51.3 percent of his shots.
“I noticed a major difference that I’m taking my hand on the ball,” Cooke said. “Before I always had my left hand as a guide on the ball.”
For the season, Cooke is averaging 5.7 points in 22.8 minutes per game. That ranks third among the Dukes’ four freshman, but Cooke — the youngest player on the team — has perhaps been the most consistent rookie since his comeback from injury.
It’s easy to start thinking about his potential growth as a sophomore and beyond. Cooke said his father, also named Charles, is about 6-3 or 6-4. His mother, Paula, is 6-1, and he said he has two sisters over 6 feet tall.
Already an adequate size for a small forward — though Brady would like to see Cooke add strength to his 190-pound frame — Cooke is probably the second-most athletic player on the team, behind senior A.J. Davis. When his wrist prevented him from practicing with the team, Cooke would stay after practice and attempt one-handed windmill dunks.
Sure he goofs around a bit, but Cooke also makes time for serious refinement.
In Tuesday’s win over Towson, Cooke didn’t excel, going 2-of-6 for four points in 23 minutes. Roughly a half hour after the game, he was back on the court working on his dribbling and shooting.
Brady has praised that type of work ethic of this freshman class since before the players even arrived on campus. And Cooke just seems to fit in on the court.
“He’s unusual in a freshman in that he really kind of plays within himself,” Brady said. “He’s got ability to score, rebound, block shots, defend, and for a freshman, he bides his time. He’s patient, he’s poised, and he plays within himself. Probably more so than any freshman we have.”
While the rookies are precocious on the court, Brady just hopes they’ll mature faster off of it.
Cooke, who doesn’t turn 19 until July, says his favorite hobby outside of basketball is playing video games, “like a normal teenager would.” His go-to game is “Call of Duty Black Ops,” in which he locks thumbs against Davis and fellow freshman Andre Nation.
Cooke’s favorite weapon in the first-person shooter game?
“I use an AK,” he said, referring to an AK-47, which is an automatic assault rifle. “I’ve got a 100-round extended clip. It’s cool.”
The next shot he takes on the basketball court will be his 100th this season. Because of his constant fine-tuning, it will likely be smoother than the last.
“…He had made some improvement in the fall,” Brady said. “He had gone from a fair shooter to an average shooter. And I think when he gets his body in front of him and on balance, I think he’s a really good shooter.”
The James Madison freshman is playing with confidence, his shot is kissing the net more often, and his overall basketball arsenal is becoming more sophisticated.
Charles Cooke is growing.
Just 18 years old with giant size 16 sneakers, the 6-foot-6 swingman said doctors have told him he could sprout up to 6-8.
“He’d be scary at 6-8,” JMU coach Matt Brady said last week. “We’ve been talking about that since we’ve recruited him. If he puts on another inch — because he’s a really good shooter … his potential is crazy.”
Cooke is giving fans a peek at that potential more and more often recently.
Since breaking a bone in his left wrist on Jan. 9 and missing the next four weeks as he healed, Cooke has elevated his play and become a starter for the Dukes (15-12 overall, 9-5 in the Colonial Athletic Association), a team driven by seniors but enhanced by freshmen.
The Trenton, N.J., native set career highs twice in the span of four games — most recently a 16-point performance in front of family and friends in a loss at Drexel in Philadelphia on Sunday.
All with a soft cast still on his left hand.
“It took me a minute to get used to wearing this, and I’ve just been putting up a ton of shots with it on,” Cooke said. “I got used to it. I’m pretty comfortable with it on, except for dribbling.”
Ironically, the cast on Cooke’s off hand may have helped the young player develop quicker. It forced him to hone his shooting stroke.
“He and I had been working on trying to get his left hand off the ball,” Brady said. “Obviously, I work with a lot of guys, and I think it takes a year, or at least an offseason, to help guys improve in shooting. When he broke his wrist and had a cast on his left wrist, I said to Charles — and he thought I was trying to be funny — I said, ‘This is actually going to be a blessing in disguise. This is going to make you get your left hand off the ball.’”
Cooke made the adjustment, and his stats emphatically bear out that evidence.
In 16 games before injuring his hand, Cooke was shooting 36.7 percent from the field. In seven games since returning, he’s making 51.3 percent of his shots.
“I noticed a major difference that I’m taking my hand on the ball,” Cooke said. “Before I always had my left hand as a guide on the ball.”
For the season, Cooke is averaging 5.7 points in 22.8 minutes per game. That ranks third among the Dukes’ four freshman, but Cooke — the youngest player on the team — has perhaps been the most consistent rookie since his comeback from injury.
It’s easy to start thinking about his potential growth as a sophomore and beyond. Cooke said his father, also named Charles, is about 6-3 or 6-4. His mother, Paula, is 6-1, and he said he has two sisters over 6 feet tall.
Already an adequate size for a small forward — though Brady would like to see Cooke add strength to his 190-pound frame — Cooke is probably the second-most athletic player on the team, behind senior A.J. Davis. When his wrist prevented him from practicing with the team, Cooke would stay after practice and attempt one-handed windmill dunks.
Sure he goofs around a bit, but Cooke also makes time for serious refinement.
In Tuesday’s win over Towson, Cooke didn’t excel, going 2-of-6 for four points in 23 minutes. Roughly a half hour after the game, he was back on the court working on his dribbling and shooting.
Brady has praised that type of work ethic of this freshman class since before the players even arrived on campus. And Cooke just seems to fit in on the court.
“He’s unusual in a freshman in that he really kind of plays within himself,” Brady said. “He’s got ability to score, rebound, block shots, defend, and for a freshman, he bides his time. He’s patient, he’s poised, and he plays within himself. Probably more so than any freshman we have.”
While the rookies are precocious on the court, Brady just hopes they’ll mature faster off of it.
Cooke, who doesn’t turn 19 until July, says his favorite hobby outside of basketball is playing video games, “like a normal teenager would.” His go-to game is “Call of Duty Black Ops,” in which he locks thumbs against Davis and fellow freshman Andre Nation.
Cooke’s favorite weapon in the first-person shooter game?
“I use an AK,” he said, referring to an AK-47, which is an automatic assault rifle. “I’ve got a 100-round extended clip. It’s cool.”
The next shot he takes on the basketball court will be his 100th this season. Because of his constant fine-tuning, it will likely be smoother than the last.
“…He had made some improvement in the fall,” Brady said. “He had gone from a fair shooter to an average shooter. And I think when he gets his body in front of him and on balance, I think he’s a really good shooter.”