Cooking Up the Competition
Written By: Shane Mills
Contributing Writer
In her third season here at Old Dominion, Jackie Cook has become an all-around basketball player for the Lady Monarchs. Cook has embraced her role as a starter and has really taken it in stride. Starting in all of the 16 games that she has played in this season, Cook is the second leading scorer on the team, averaging 8.8 points per game.
“I have always loved my time here at Old Dominion University, but this year I have really enjoyed it more than I have in the past,” Cook said. This translates to her play on the court, which has improved every year that she has been here. The Hinckley, Ohio native is on pace to set career highs in points per game and in rebounding.
Coach Barefoot had a meeting with her team before the season to discuss what roles she expects her players to play in the upcoming season. “She told me that she wanted me to be a scorer this year and to get a lot of rebounds,” Cook said.
Cook set a personal goal from that point forward to get double-digit points in every game and to get the most rebounds at the guard position. This is a goal that Cook has been able to accomplish over the last four games.
Not only has she stepped up in the stat line, she has also stepped up as a leader in her third season with the team. “Being a leader has always sort of come natural to me so this isn’t a new role. I like to lead by example, whether it be working hard in practice, staying after to shoot or just being there for my teammates no matter what,” said Cook.
Even with the early struggles that this team has faced, starting off the season with a subpar 6-12 record, Cook still has very high expectations for this team. “I expect us to have a winning season and to win the CAA Championship,” Cook said.
Cook cares more about team goals than individual goals, as it took her time to even think of some personal ones. After contemplating, Cook said, “it would be nice to receive some kind of All-CAA team and to be one of the leading scorers for the team at the end of the season.”
An attainable goal considering she has already set a career high 19 points against Northeastern. That 19 point effort was the first time all season Cook has led the team in points.
Regardless of their rough start, there is still hope for this Lady Monarchs team to right the ship. They still have a lot of games left to be played on the schedule and they have the confidence needed to reach their goals. If anything like Jackie Cook, expect them to keep improving with time. By the time the CAA tournament rolls around, Cook and the Lady Monarchs plan to be competitive and driven.
Photo by Binh Dong
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What a dramatic contrast to her teammate Tia Lewis, Cook actually hesitated when asked about personal goals whereas I don’t believe Tia could could come up w/ any team goals if asked. A big part of the Lady Monarch’s problem is Tia Lewis thinks it’s all about her & as long as she scores her points a loss is just another loss on her way to the WNBA. She will never get to that goal w/ the “me” only attitude she has. She does not understand what it mean to be a Lady Monarch, many great one’s have passed before her & their success was based on being a team & not all about one individual. Her lack of leadership is very telling in the post game pressers & her fundamental lack of the concept of “team” is even more offensive to this storied program. I suggest she’s reads up on Lady Monarch history & takes a public speaking class if she is going to continue to represent our institution.