Mookie Cook made it an awesome August of basketball recruiting for Oregon on Friday, when the five-star wing committed to the Ducks to give coach Dana Altman his second top-10 pledge of the 2023 recruiting cycle. Cook joins forward Kwame Evans Jr. in the class after Evans committed on Aug. 2 amid speculation that the two may want to play together in college.
Now, that idea is on track to happen at Oregon, which is set to take over the No. 6 spot in the 247Sports Team Rankings for the 2023 class. At 6-foot-7 and 200 pounds, Cook is ranked the No. 4 overall player in the class by 247Sports and is considered the No. 2 small forward in the class. He is from Oregon originally but is playing for Compass Prep in Chandler, Arizona, as a high school senior in the 2022-23 season.
Among the options Cook considered following his first commitment and subsequent de-commitment from Oregon were the G League Ignite program. But he told 247Sports that Oregon “has always been my first love and I have always wanted to be there since I was young.”
This marks the seventh five-star commitment in the past seven recruiting classes for Altman. Though some of Oregon’s most-recent five-star recruits haven’t made a huge impact on the Ducks, such as Bol Bol, N’Faly Dante and CJ Walker, it’s clear that Oregon remains among the West Coast’s premier destinations for elite talent, even amid UCLA’s resurgence and Gonzaga’s elevation to a perennial power.
Cook a talented player, actor
When Cook committed to Oregon initially on March 31, 247Sports national basketball director Eric Bossi wrote that Cook plays similarly to a young Andre Iguodala.
“The name of Cook’s game is versatility and athleticism,” Bossi wrote. “He can initiate some offense, he’s a big-time finisher on the break and he is an elite defender.”
While the Iguodala comparison may be most apt, some fans may notice shades of LeBron James in Cook’s style. That’s because Cook took time away from the court over the spring and summer to portray a younger version of the legendary NBA superstar for the upcoming film “Shooting Stars.”
Another top 2023 recruit off the board
Cook is the sixth player ranked in the top 10 of the 2023 class to make an announcement, joining No. 2 Justin Edwards (Kentucky), No. 3 Xavier Booker (Michigan State), No. 5 Mackenzie Mgbako (Duke), No. 6 Matas Buzelis (G League Ignite), No. 7 Kwame Evans Jr. (Oregon) and No. 8 Sean Stewart (Duke). Still uncommitted are No. 1 DJ Wagner, No. 9 Isaiah Collier and No. 10 Mikey Williams.
