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Things looking up for Dunbar grad Daequan Cook

Daequan Cook tussles with a young camp participant during the first day of the Daequan Cook Basketball Skills Camp on Monday at the Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center in Dayton. Cook, a Dunbar High School graduate, plays basketball with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Lisa Powell/Staff Daequan Cook tussles with a young camp participant during the first day of the Daequan Cook Basketball Skills Camp on Monday at the Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center in Dayton. Cook, a Dunbar High School graduate, plays basketball with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

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The first day of the Daequan Cook Basketball Skills Camp was held Monday June 13 at the Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center in Dayton. Cook, a Dunbar High School graduate, plays basketball with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Lisa Powell/Staff The first day of the Daequan Cook Basketball Skills Camp was held Monday June 13 at the Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center in Dayton. Cook, a Dunbar High School graduate, plays basketball with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

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By Doug Harris, Staff Writer Updated 7:12 AM Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Daequan Cook just wrapped up his third year of running his youth basketball skills camp, attracting 138 grade-school students to an all-day session Monday at the Salvation Army Kroc Center on Keowee St. and about 100 high school players Tuesday.

The Dunbar High School grad and current Oklahoma City Thunder guard doesn’t just lend his name to the event or make an obligatory appearance. He insists on taking a hands-on approach.

But Cook gets almost as much out of returning home to share his hoop experience as those wide-eyed campers do from interacting with him.

“I have support not only from family, but from kids who look up to me,” he said. “They know the game — and not just the game, but a lot about me.

“The Internet is amazing. ... Growing up, I didn’t know very much. I just knew Michael Jordan and that he could jump real high. That was it. But now, they know your whole bio.”

Cook just finished his fourth year in the NBA and his first with the Thunder, who reached the Western Conference finals before losing to the eventual champion Dallas Mavericks.

After seldom playing through the first half of the season, the 6-foot-5 Cook ended up shooting a career-high 43.6 percent on 3-pointers and was a factor in the playoffs, appearing in all 17 games and reaching double figures three times, including a high of 18 points against the Memphis Grizzlies.

“Once you get the opportunity, it changes a lot of things,” he said. “Your confidence gets better. You become more involved. Sometimes, when you’re not involved or playing as much, you don’t feel as close to the team. Getting the opportunity, you show your coach what you can do, and it helps the camaraderie between you and the team. You feel like you’re a part of it.

“The exit meeting (with the Thunder) was, ‘It was a great year.’ I contributed, and me not giving up — knowing I didn’t play the first 27 games — and sticking with it showed a lot about myself and my maturity.”

Cook’s season average dipped to 5.6 points from a pro-best of 9.1 in his second year while playing with the Miami Heat, and the late-season surge could do wonders for his career.

After earning $2.1 million this season, he’s a restricted free agent for 2011-12, meaning the Thunder probably can expect competition for his services (they can keep him by matching any other offers).

Mike Conley Sr., Cook’s agent, said he’s fielded calls from several teams. Complicating matters, though, is that the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement expires June 30, likely putting any serious negotiations on hold.

“He’s matured a whole lot from last year to this year, just his whole outlook,” said Conley, a former Olympic gold medalist in the triple jump who coached Cook for years on a powerhouse AAU team that included son Mike Conley Jr. and Greg Oden.

“When he wasn’t playing there for a while, he could have just complained and blamed everybody. But he hired a shooting coach and went to the gym. He was the first one in and last one to leave and turned it around for himself. Coaches took notice, and he started playing.

“I think his best years are ahead of him. I get on Daequan a lot because he’s been limited so far in the league. Teams have seen him as a shooter. Obviously, the community of Dayton knows him as an exciting scorer. He can score any which way you hand it to him. ... I want to get him back to expanding his game and doing what we know he can do.”

Cook is renting a home in Oklahoma City and was returning there today to work at a Thunder basketball camp. The club has a nucleus of young stars, including the sensational Kevin Durant, and Cook has no desire to leave.

“That’s where I want to be. That’s where I fit in. My gut feeling right now is that’s where I’m going to end up. I had a great season there. I helped out a lot. (They like) my habits, becoming not just a better player on the court, but better off the court. It all starts there.”

That’s the message he was imparting at his camp, which included life skills seminars, a motivational speaker and several basketball stations run by the likes of former Thurgood Marshall standout Juwan Staten.

But the best part for Guillermo English, who will be a sixth-grader at West Carrollton Middle School this fall, was getting to banter with Cook.

“He likes kids, and he encourages us to play harder and harder,” English said. “If I ask him how he does something, he’ll tell me.”

“I said ... ‘You’re doing better and better every time I see you on TV.’ He said thank you.”

Contact this writer at  (937) 225-2125 or dharris@DaytonDailyNews.com.

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