And he did, buying a 185-pound South African Boerboel named King about a year ago to top his Miami Heat teammate Beasley.
His dog-buying practices, like his attendance at two weekend football games at Welcome Stadium, showed to many in the crowd that Cook still has largely the same light-hearted, entertaining and competitive attitude he did as a star player at Dunbar High School and for one season at Ohio State.
With a long holiday weekend, Cook stayed five days in Dayton and took a break during the Dayton Classic V between Central State and Virginia Union on Sunday, Sept. 7, to discuss topics including a nagging injury to his left shoulder, his upcoming wisdom teeth removal and his once-bright future as a quarterback.
Through the summer, Cook has worked to rehabilitate the still-unknown injury to his left shoulder that caused some discomfort last season, as he completed a campaign during which he averaged 9.1 points and 24.4 minutes in 75 games for the Heat. In his two-year career with the Heat, Cook has shot 37.8 percent from the field in averaging 9 points per game.
His connection to Miami strengthened two weeks ago when he purchased his first home in the city, a four-bedroom, five-bathroom downtown residence in which he lives with his cousin and god brother. And, of course, his giant dog.
“There’s a lot of stuff that goes on back home that I can’t always get to,” Cook said. “They help me stay connected, and I like to get back when I can.”
Like this weekend, when Cook was mingling with fans at Dunbar’s game against Trotwood-Madison on Saturday and the Dayton Classic on Sunday. He carried two cell phones on his hip and is a little more muscled, but otherwise, in appearance and personality, he seems very similar to the Cook that led Dunbar to the 2006 Division II state championship.
He was scheduled to be back in Miami today to have surgery to remove some wisdom teeth, but he said his recovery wouldn’t keep him from attending Saturday’s Ohio State-Southern California football game in Columbus.
All the while, watching the game up close at Welcome Stadium or from the stands at Ohio Stadium, Cook might wonder what could have happened if he stuck with football.
“In sixth grade, I played flag football and I was a quarterback, and I was pretty good,” Cook said. “I always wanted to play high school football, until one day I saw how hard they were hitting. Then, not so much.”
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-7389 or knagel @DaytonDailyNews.com
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