Sometimes, the best moves are the ones without much attention. That may be the case with Gonzaga Basketball landing grad transfer Aaron Cook.
Like all the other teams, Gonzaga Basketball has been all over the transfer portal. They’ve been reaching out to some bigs but have primarily focused on point guards. Players such as Carlik Jones, Holland Woods and Terrell Gomez have gotten attention but in the end, it was Aaron Cook who landed a coveted Bulldog scholarship.
A 6’2 guard out of St. Louis, Cook has spent the last four seasons in the Missouri Valley Conference for Southern Illinois. He was a full-time starter for two years, averaging around 10 ppg and just over three assists each night. But the Saluki guard was on track for a breakout senior campaign this past season, averaging 15.0 ppg on 55% shooting in the first six games.
Unfortunately, a broken hand derailed Cook’s season and he wasn’t able to come back. What did come from it is that he was able to get a medical redshirt, making him eligible to become a grad transfer this offseason. He elected to enter the transfer portal and ultimately decided that a chance to make a deep run in March with Gonzaga was the preferred choice.
While the early display of offense this season upped Cook’s value, the defense is what the 6’2 guard was best known for. He’s an outstanding individual defender, getting a career-high seven steals in a game against Oakland this year. The Bulldogs were the No. 1 scoring offense this season but at times were vulnerable on the defensive end. Cook will be a benefit on that end without question.
This particular grad transfer could’ve gone many places for a chance to start but opted for what likely will be a backup role, assuming that sophomore Joel Ayayi decides to return to Gonzaga for next season. That’s because five-star point guard prospect Jalen Suggs will get the nod to lead the offense and should have a huge freshmen campaign.
But the question as to who was going to back him up hung in the balance. Ayayi is capable but not preferred in a half-court situation. The other ball-handler on the roster was Dominick Harris, a top-60 combo guard incoming freshman. The pickup of Cook isn’t a knock on Harris at all but rather a coach’s preference of having as much upperclassmen leadership on the court as possible, especially for a team like Gonzaga who is an early Final Four contender for 2020-21. Cook can lead the offense when Suggs is out and has the experience needed to handle adversity. As for Harris, he can get brought up slowly and without pressure, which Coach Few probably wants.
This is a near-perfect marriage for both sides. Gonzaga wasn’t going to land a top-tier grad transfer like Jones or Gomez and have them willing to take a backup role. Cook is willing but also is capable of being a starter if need be, such as Ryan Woolridge from this past season. Now, Gonzaga’s depth, already considered to be the best overall for next year, just got a bit better. All they need is for WCC Player of the Year Filip Petrusev to officially return and a preseason No. 1 ranking will be set.