Cook Return

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NikeHawk21

Well-Known Member
I was kind of hoping we could get him back this week even just for a few minutes to shake the rust off. If this team continues to play well Fran may have a tough decision to make with the starting lineup. The good thing is we will need all the bigs we can get @ Purdue I'm guessing there will be some foul trouble issues.
 
Maybe he comes off the bench the first couple of games back. He's obviously really talented but is still lacking in some fundamentals so hope he's schooled himself up since the injury.
 
SteveGarvey1 said:
Maybe he comes off the bench the first couple of games back. He's obviously really talented but is still lacking in some fundamentals so hope he's schooled himself up since the injury.
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Luckily for us, most of the things he needs to improve on our teachable and things he can learn through experience. The question is how long it will take for him to pick it up.
 
I haven't heard anyone really bring this up but I hope him coming back doesn't slow down the momentum the team has had. I know he's a heck of a player but there's only one way to knock off the rust. I'm sure he'll be a little rusty to start with it's just a matter of how much rust and how long does it take for him get back in the groove.
 
I don't mind throwing Cook into the fire, he is a major talent and needs to be starting. I just hope it isn't at the expense of Pemsl as he has came a long ways while Cook has been out, especially on the defensive end.
 
How's this:

JBo- 28 min / CW- 12 min
Jok- 30 min/ Brady- 10 min
Moss 20 min/ Baer 20 min
Cook 25 min/ Wagner 15 min
Pemsl 25 min / Uhl 15 min

Now that's just a rough outline. I thought Williams had a couple good minutes at wing against UNI, he could eat into Brady's time for defense. How Jones would fit into that mix I have no idea.
 
Defense and rebounding Mr. Cook...defense and rebounding...the rest will take care of itself. It would be pretty awesome if we could have Cook, Wagner, Pemsl, and Baer hitting the offensive glass. Second chance points need to go up when Cook gets back.
 
SteveGarvey1 said:
Maybe he comes off the bench the first couple of games back. He's obviously really talented but is still lacking in some fundamentals so hope he's schooled himself up since the injury.
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The best thing Fran could do would be to have him come off the bench for a couple games. Let him watch the game from the bench, get a feel of the action, and then throw him in.

Have him go in off the bench with Baer, and feed off that energy and support.

Looking forward to seeing the Pemsl & Cook tandem. I think they will compliment each other quite well. Especially once they start extending their games. They both have decent shots, so that is coming. Both need to hit 70+ % from the line. That's when they will take off, when teams have to worry about fouling them... .

Pemsl has good ball handling skills, and the ambidextrous Cook will get better. They will be able to feed one another well by seasons end. And in the future years, look out!

I think we are in for quite a show my friends... Especially when they learn to play team defense with one another. They WILL own the lane.
 
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NikeHawk21 said:
How's this:

JBo- 28 min / CW- 12 min
Jok- 30 min/ Brady- 10 min
Moss 20 min/ Baer 20 min
Cook 25 min/ Wagner 15 min
Pemsl 25 min / Uhl 15 min

Now that's just a rough outline. I thought Williams had a couple good minutes at wing against UNI, he could eat into Brady's time for defense. How Jones would fit into that mix I have no idea.
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Might work. I think Baer will average more than 20 a game.

The lineup I want to see is Jok, JBo, Baer, Cook & Pemsl. That one will be great by mid-January.
 
I hope they move Baer to play more 3. I would like to see the following rotations at the 4/5

Cook, Pemsl 20-25 Min
Wagner, Uhl 15-20 Min

The rotation at the 2/3 would look like this:
Jok 30 Min
Moss 20-25 Min
Baer 20-25 Min
Ellingson 5-10 Min

Bohannon 25-30
Williams 10-15

In essence that is a 9 man rotation with Ellingson only providing some spot minutes, or even minutes at the end of the game with 4 guards if we are protecting a lead. I liked how Iowa went with Bohannon, Moss, Jok, Ellingson and Baer to close out the ISU game. All good ball handlers, good FT shooters.
 
NikeHawk21 said:
I think Wagner and Uhl will be hurt the most minutes wise by Cook's return. I like Pemsl in that 20-25 minute range he has been in.
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Yep, I agree! I've been a little disappointed in Wagner and Uhl's development. I also didn't want this cutting into Baer's minutes either as he has been awesome defensively. He is 2nd on the team in rebounds and leads the team in blocks and steals.

I think our top 5 are Cook, Baer, Pemsl, Jok, and Bohannon with Moss being the first guy off the bench. If they can keep improving on the defensive end of the court we will knock off a few teams in the Big Ten, we all know they can score.
 
I said it in another thread but I would prefer Cook not to be inserted back into the starting lineup. The current lineup is in a grove so I don't think it makes much sense to rock the boat.

Having Cook come off the bench with Baer will provide 2 guys that can really score and have immediate impact once they hit the floor. I like having that versatility and depth coming off the bench.
 
FM mentioned after UNI how great it was to have someone like Baer coming off the bench. His mind is in the game the second he is inserted, and he does not need a certain # of touches to get in a groove. He also mentioned that Baer seems to wear down with heavy minutes and become less effective. Even if he is one of the 5 best, it might be in team's best interest for him to continue to come off the bench.
 
Here is my worry with Cook coming back. He has major upside, but the defensive rotations have been clicking against Iowa State and UNI. I think we ease him in slowly as not to upset the defense we have finally found. He is a freshman and is still learning. He also was hurt by missing a lot of Game Action (learning time) with the injury. Coming off the bench as I high energy guy would be best to start off with. I think Baer is our best defensive player and it will help cover up some of Cook's inexperience until Cook picks up some of the defensive rotations quicker.
 
Lazersharpe said:
Here is my worry with Cook coming back. He has major upside, but the defensive rotations have been clicking against Iowa State and UNI. I think we ease him in slowly as not to upset the defense we have finally found. He is a freshman and is still learning. He also was hurt by missing a lot of Game Action (learning time) with the injury. Coming off the bench as I high energy guy would be best to start off with. I think Baer is our best defensive player and it will help cover up some of Cook's inexperience until Cook picks up some of the defensive rotations quicker.
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Excellent points here. It would also be easier for Cook to guard fatigued players or bench guys when he is fresh and get him some defensive confidence and maybe some easy buckets.
 
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