A top recruit who calls senior guard Nolan Smith his “big brother” will join the Blue Devils next year.
Five-star recruit Quinn Cook will join the Duke Basketball program next year, he announced on ESPNU Thursday afternoon. Cook is the No. 20 recruit and the fourth-ranked point guard in the Class of 2011, according to Scout.com. He will graduate from Oak Hill Academy in the Spring and chose Duke after narrowing his search down to the Blue Devils and UCLA.
Cook is a long-time friend of Smith, whom he met at a basketball tournament more than 10 years ago, said Cook’s mother, Janet. Cook and Smith were both competing in tournaments for their respective age groups when some of the parents on Cook’s team began to complain that he received more playing time. When Cook got upset, Smith supported him, and the two have been friends since that day.
“I met him when I was five years old at an AAU tournament,” Cook said. “We definitely became close, and it’s like we’ve lived the same life. We’ve lost our fathers, we’re with our moms and sisters our whole life, [then] Oak Hill and we’re going to Duke.”
Smith will graduate this spring, so the pair will not get the chance to play with each other. However, Smith played a major role in Quinn’s recruitment, Janet Cook said. “What Nolan was and is is a confidant and an adviser,” Janet Cook said. “[Quinn] saw Nolan as he went through the good times, but he was there when Nolan was going through the bad times—he saw the whole metamorphosis.... I can’t explain the friendship slash brotherhood but it’s unbelievable.”
Initially, Janet said she thought that there were too many guards in the Duke program and that UCLA was “a better fit for him.” In fact, Cook likely would have been the Bruins’ starting point guard from the outset. During his visit to Duke, however, Cook was not promised a starting slot or a certain number of minutes, but Janet said head coach Mike Krzyzewski told Cook he will have a major role on the team.
“He used the term that Quinn is a great ‘floor general,’ a great leader,” Janet Cook said. “[Krzyzewski] said he is one of the best point guards he has ever seen.”
Cook will have to battle for every minute he plays as a freshman considering the crowded backcourt. But, the depth at his position will provide exceptional competition on a day-to-day basis on the practice court.
“I love competition,” Cook said. “Now I know I can go somewhere where every day in practice I’m going against a top player.”
During his official visit that coincided with Countdown to Craziness, a second-year event that kicks off the Blue Devils’ season, Cook spent time with other 2011 commits, including Austin Rivers, the nation’s top recruit. Cook said the event helped him understand what it is like to be a basketball player at Duke.
“It definitely shows the fan support,” Cook said. “It shows how the city of Durham loves Duke basketball. If it’s a recruiting tool, it definitely worked on me.”
Quinn is the fourth player in recent years to join the Blue Devil program after playing AAU basketball for DC Assault, an elite high school team based in the nation’s capital coached by Smith’s stepfather, Curtis Malone. In addition to Smith, freshmen Tyler Thornton and Josh Hairston played for the program. Janet said when Smith leaves the program, her son hopes to carry on his legacy.
“Nolan is a winner, Josh and Tyler are winners and I think I’m a winner as well,” Quinn said. “We work hard as well, and Coach K sees that—winners and workers.”
Chris Cusack contributed to this article.Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.