Cook is Norwich's purple presence in the paint
By Shaun Savarese
Sun Sports Writer
ssavarese@evesun.com
There were games last year where you barely noticed Storm Cook on the basketball floor. This season, the Norwich senior center is hard to miss as the dominant purple presence in the paint.
In 20 games, Cook has shown boundless basketball ability. He can rebound, score, and change the game defensively. In a January game against Seton Catholic Central, he had 25 points and 13 rebounds.
This season, he averages over 10 points a game, and is one of the main reasons why the Purple Tornado are playing basketball in March.
But he's not just a good athlete, he's a good person.
"If you wanted to raise a son, you would want to raise him like Storm Cook," said Norwich Purple Tornado head coach Tom Collier. "He's the most polite, caring kid you'll ever meet...everybody on our
team loves Storm."
When discussing Cook as a person, Collier gushes. Calling him "soft spoken," and "a great teammate." It is clear that the coach cares about his senior center. When discussing Cook as a player, Collier is effusive. "Storm's the best rebounder in our league. there's no question about that," Collier said.
In last Saturday's Section IV championship win over the Oneonta Yellowjackets, Cook had eight offensive rebounds and 14 total rebounds.
"We knew they were going to play a three-two type (zone) deal,” Cook said after the game. “We knew one guy was going to stay on one side of the paint. There was an opening on the other side, so I went to that side to get all my rebounds and stuff.”
Cook is humble and polite off the court, and tenacious and physical on it. But that wasn't always the case his first two years on the varsity. Just a season ago, Cook had nine scoreless games and averaged under
two points per game.
"The difference between last year and this year for Storm is the development through the use of weights," Collier said.
The Norwich coach watched his player mature and grow toward the end of last season, and in an intensive weight program over the summer.
Cook attributes his 2012-13 shortcomings to a football injury that hampered him for over a month. The coach believes that Cook works out three times a week at the YMCA but he may be underestimating "the best
rebounder in Section IV."
When asked how much time he put into the gym to strengthen his legs and core, Cook replied, "every day."
Maybe that's why he had 12 rebounds and three blocks against Oneonta earlier in the season, or 10 points, six boards, and two blocks against Windsor or the 15 rebounds he had in the Stop DWI Tournament, defeating New York Mills, while also earning all-tournament team honors.
The 6-foot-4 "shot changer" is averaging over 10 rebounds a game this season, and will be getting on the bus to the Binghamton University Events Center Saturday with a chip on his shoulder.
Cook played about half the game against Westhill last year in the state regional finals at Onondaga Community College.
On one of the final possessions of that game, Cook had the ball. "We were running a 'double.' Kyle Edwards was coming off a double-screen to get the pass, and the guy got into Storm's body and he lost the ball," Collier said.
The Purple went on the lose that regional final by one point. That game stuck in the mind of Storm, and he is determined to "avenge the loss."
Tom Collier is "very confident" that they can beat Westhill this Saturday. "That's why we work hard, practice hard, and play hard. We wouldn't be where we are if we weren't confident," he said.
However poised the Purple Tornado coach is, he is aware of what's ahead of him and has planned accordingly. "Westhill is supposedly the
best team in the state," he said. "If (Cook) can play 32 minutes, he'll play 32 minutes. That's how important he is to our team."
Cook, an Oklahoma State Cowboys fan, is no doubt a tremendous rebounder, but basketball is a team game and he will need the help of his guards if Norwich is going to win this weekend.
"The biggest thing that helps Storm is our strong guard play. It frees him up underneath," Collier said.
Norwich is set for another big game, and as the team follows the disciplined and patterned routine of coach Collier Saturday afternoon, there will be at least one Tornado, listening to his IPOD, ready to "storm" the court.
Sun Sports Writer
ssavarese@evesun.com
There were games last year where you barely noticed Storm Cook on the basketball floor. This season, the Norwich senior center is hard to miss as the dominant purple presence in the paint.
In 20 games, Cook has shown boundless basketball ability. He can rebound, score, and change the game defensively. In a January game against Seton Catholic Central, he had 25 points and 13 rebounds.
This season, he averages over 10 points a game, and is one of the main reasons why the Purple Tornado are playing basketball in March.
But he's not just a good athlete, he's a good person.
"If you wanted to raise a son, you would want to raise him like Storm Cook," said Norwich Purple Tornado head coach Tom Collier. "He's the most polite, caring kid you'll ever meet...everybody on our
team loves Storm."
When discussing Cook as a person, Collier gushes. Calling him "soft spoken," and "a great teammate." It is clear that the coach cares about his senior center. When discussing Cook as a player, Collier is effusive. "Storm's the best rebounder in our league. there's no question about that," Collier said.
In last Saturday's Section IV championship win over the Oneonta Yellowjackets, Cook had eight offensive rebounds and 14 total rebounds.
"We knew they were going to play a three-two type (zone) deal,” Cook said after the game. “We knew one guy was going to stay on one side of the paint. There was an opening on the other side, so I went to that side to get all my rebounds and stuff.”
Cook is humble and polite off the court, and tenacious and physical on it. But that wasn't always the case his first two years on the varsity. Just a season ago, Cook had nine scoreless games and averaged under
two points per game.
"The difference between last year and this year for Storm is the development through the use of weights," Collier said.
The Norwich coach watched his player mature and grow toward the end of last season, and in an intensive weight program over the summer.
Cook attributes his 2012-13 shortcomings to a football injury that hampered him for over a month. The coach believes that Cook works out three times a week at the YMCA but he may be underestimating "the best
rebounder in Section IV."
When asked how much time he put into the gym to strengthen his legs and core, Cook replied, "every day."
Maybe that's why he had 12 rebounds and three blocks against Oneonta earlier in the season, or 10 points, six boards, and two blocks against Windsor or the 15 rebounds he had in the Stop DWI Tournament, defeating New York Mills, while also earning all-tournament team honors.
The 6-foot-4 "shot changer" is averaging over 10 rebounds a game this season, and will be getting on the bus to the Binghamton University Events Center Saturday with a chip on his shoulder.
Cook played about half the game against Westhill last year in the state regional finals at Onondaga Community College.
On one of the final possessions of that game, Cook had the ball. "We were running a 'double.' Kyle Edwards was coming off a double-screen to get the pass, and the guy got into Storm's body and he lost the ball," Collier said.
The Purple went on the lose that regional final by one point. That game stuck in the mind of Storm, and he is determined to "avenge the loss."
Tom Collier is "very confident" that they can beat Westhill this Saturday. "That's why we work hard, practice hard, and play hard. We wouldn't be where we are if we weren't confident," he said.
However poised the Purple Tornado coach is, he is aware of what's ahead of him and has planned accordingly. "Westhill is supposedly the
best team in the state," he said. "If (Cook) can play 32 minutes, he'll play 32 minutes. That's how important he is to our team."
Cook, an Oklahoma State Cowboys fan, is no doubt a tremendous rebounder, but basketball is a team game and he will need the help of his guards if Norwich is going to win this weekend.
"The biggest thing that helps Storm is our strong guard play. It frees him up underneath," Collier said.
Norwich is set for another big game, and as the team follows the disciplined and patterned routine of coach Collier Saturday afternoon, there will be at least one Tornado, listening to his IPOD, ready to "storm" the court.
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