Farewell, Captain Cook

Grayson Allen scored a career-high 27 points.

Matt Jones matched his career-high with 17.

Jahlil Okafor failed to score in double figures for the first time in his collegiate career.

Duke won by 43 points.

Those are all storylines one could write about following the Blue Devil's 94-51 shellacking of the Demon Deacons Wednesday night at Cameron Indoor Stadium. But the real story is that of the captain, Quinn Cook, playing for the final time on his home court.

“Time has wings," Cook said in an address to the crowd following the game. "I remember four years ago I was here watching Nolan [Smith], his last game here. It’s surreal that I’m here, and he’s here with me."

Cook is one of Duke's most beloved seniors in recent memory. Tyler Thornton and Josh Hairston were never truly fan favorites, as their strong locker room presence didn't translate onto the court. Mason Plumlee, Seth Curry and Ryan Kelly were all probably better players than Cook, but never truly engaged the fan base. Miles Plumlee never emerged from the shadows at Duke. But Cook has been the perfect combination of lovable and talented by the time his Cameron career came to an end Wednesday—not unlike the man he fondly remembers watching years ago.

Cook wasn't always so loved. In fact, he made it pretty easy for opponents to hate him when he began his career. The Washington product may not have been on the court all that much his first season, but he always did something that could rub people the wrong way.

He would put his pointer and middle fingers on either side of his nose, pointing to his eyes and scream "NoMe", which quickly became a Twitter hashtag. He'd make a scene with his two-fisted chest push when someone other than him made a big play. He would just generally jaw at refs. He may not have resided in head coach Mike Krzyzewski's infamous dog house that first year, but he did get left behind on a road trip, along with fellow freshman Michael Gbinije, for academic issues.

Cook's game took a leap during his sophomore year, but his attitude hadn't quite made the adjustment yet. Before the season started he proclaimed himself to be one of the leaders of the team—big talk from someone with a short track record. And although he started the year with a bang, he went out silently, shooting 7-for-32 in the NCAA tournament.

In 2013-14, Cook found his way back into the doghouse, failing to hang on to his starting job despite the talent differential between himself and Thornton. He also occasionally lost his temper, as in the Michigan game at Cameron where Cook spiked forward Jon Henson with the basketball after the two became tangled under the basket. That's not exactly the actions of a beloved leader.

Then things changed this summer for Cook.

"He came ready," forward Amile Jefferson said. "He took the summer so seriously. He made himself better and he made himself accountable for everything that he did, and in that same sense, it made him able to be on everybody. He was on a mission from the start."

And so was born Captain Cook, a player worthy of adoration.

With his final home game in the rearview mirror, it would be a Herculean task to find someone who had anything but the utmost respect and love for Cook in that Duke locker room.

“This summer, this guy Quinn right here, he took me in like a big brother," senior Sean Kelly told the Cameron faithful. "He got me through a lot of tough workouts, and none of this would have happened without him. So this is who we’re celebrating tonight: Quinn Cook.”

“He’s done a lot for me," freshman Tyus Jones said. "He’s been a big brother.... He’s been outstanding and I credit a lot of everything I’ve been able to do to him, just because he took me under his wing since day one, pushed me to become better, told me to play my game."

“He doesn’t want to make it about him," center Marshall Plumlee said. "But he doesn’t have to. We love him so much we want to play well for him, and we’re all going to do something special.”

The quotes can continue on for pages and pages, but the now-humble Cook is likely already uncomfortable with the praise he's gotten. After all, if you ask Cook, all that matters is winning. Or at least that's what he told his teammates before his special night, according to Jones. And after the final buzzer sounded, he continued to deflect attention.

“I get a lot of credit for being this great leader and blah, blah, blah, but these guys make my job, and Amile’s job, easy as captains," Cook said.

In what must have been an impossibly emotional few days for Cook—the seven-year anniversary of his father's death was the day before his Senior Night—the captain overflowed with appreciation and respect for everything around him, something one wouldn't expect of the brash 18-year-old who stumbled onto campus in August 2011. Cook gave an emotional shoutout to his mother and sister, reflected on the accomplishment of graduating from Duke and made sure the fans who have supported him for the last four years knew exactly how much he appreciated their support.

But Captain Cook isn't ready to sail off into the sunset just yet. This whole season has been about one thing and one thing only for Cook: winning a title. That's what associate head coach Jeff Capel told him to focus on before the season, and that's the final message Cook will ever deliver on Coach K Court as a player.

“We’ve got a big game Saturday, and we’re trying to put another banner up there," Cook said. "Lets go get number five.”