He still played well enough to earn All-CIF honors for the second straight year, leaving many to wonder what could have been.
"It was just something I had to play through," Cook says now of the severe sprain he suffered in December of 2005. "I could have taken a rest on it, but I just wanted to play.
"I had to help my team out."
It was a display of dedication not lost on his teammates.
"Even though he was injured, a lot of people couldn't tell because he was so good, and he sucked it up a lot of the time to carry the team," sophomore forward Hector Harold says. "He's a warrior, he'll do anything for his teammates."
Cook reaggravated the injury in the second round of the playoffs, but pushed himself to play in the championship game against Price, which the Wildcats lost, 66-27.
"[Cook] never got on track, he still had a good year but never was healthy," Cooke says. "It was tough seeing [Cook play in] the Price game because he basically didn't score and I could tell he was hurting.
"He always tries to go, and now I try to teach him that I would rather he sit it out and just be healthy, because you're not going to be good to a team if you can't go. He understands that now."
With the worst of the injury behind him, the 2006-07 season has the potential to truly be a breakout year for Cook.
Cook will be asked to further display the versatility that has made him such a highly regarded talent over the first two years of his career.
As a freshman, Cook played point guard, using his excellent court vision and willingness to distribute the ball selflessly to form a potent on-court relationship with former Renaissance All-CIF power forward Leif Williams.
