In my 56 years of watching Iowa BB..

[HuckFinn]

I saw Don Nelson and the Hawks beat MN at their place many years ago. Don, Jerry Lucas, and Terry Dischinger from Purdue were all BT first team that year, and all three played center. Nelson was very good on O, but defensively he was other worldly. Followed up with an incredible NBA career.

Sam Williams was incredible. I don't think he was over 6'3" (if you know better, let me know). He could rebound with the best of them and played some really great basketball.

Ronnie Lester was probably the single best player I watched.

Basketball is certainly a team game. The best Iowa team I have ever seen was Ralph Miller's Six Pack. The thing I remember most was their ability to pass the ball. Was a thing of beauty. The other memory is that Benny Mc Gilmer (sp?) would come off the bench, make a great defensive play, get excited, steal the ball and then sprint down the court and launch an off balance shot from about 25 feet and miss the entire basket, at which point Ralph would go crazy and pull him out of the game and yell at him for about 5 solid minutes.

 

[EstronHawkKing]

Cook is very skilled athletically and talented to a degree right now but he also has bad hands and makes lots of turnovers

and numerous games where he was a no show

 

[revkev73]

Cook = Quintessential Underachiever

What does he learn in practice, about the fundamentals of BB? Heart and head drift off during competition for periods of time.

Explosive doesn't equate to a great BB player.

Ricky Davis was a notch or two above, IMHO...head problems also.

 

[koralakers]

Cook is the biggest talent I have seen play for the Hawks. I hope he stays at Iowa.

That is all

Agreed! 1st-team all BIG next year. Averaging 18 and 8. Book it

 

[HawkGold]

Lester was the best player in the nation. Cook has the most raw talent at Iowa...maybe.

 

[oregonhawkeye]

Most of us can't comment on anything before 1980 and even then it's hard with the differences in eras. For me this guy is Roy Marble. Fastest guy in the gym at 6'6" with hops and handles. He only ever started practicing his jumper in earnest the summer before his senior year- his admission. And he could play defense when he wanted to.

 

[tksirius]

Wow. After reading this thread, Cook should declare for the draft. Why come back?

 

[SmokeTownHawk]

Just thought I'd throw Joey Range's name out there. Too short a career.

 

[Adam]

Cook has a rare athletic level. He of course still needs to work on quite a few things but this will be his team going forward. If he plays all 4 years here he will definitely end up being McCaffery's best player.

 

[dwghawk]

I think Bruce "Sky" King should at least get a mention.

 

[1980HAWKFAN]

Ronnie Lester would be my choice. Really liked his game. Let's not forget Maury Weir. During his time he lead the NCAA in scoring and was considered by many the best ever.

 

[ssckelley]

It's hard to imagine that a 14-18, soon to be 14-19, team has the most talented player ever to put on an Iowa uniform.

 

[1hawkeye1]

While Cook is very talented, he is not nearly the best Hawkeye I've ever seen. Lester, BJ, Marble, Woolridge, to name a few.

The most explosive Hawkeye I've ever seen? Yes, I would agree with this.

 

[JG10Hawk]

Cook is the most physically gifted I've seen. He reminds me of Julius Randle. Physically gifted, good handles for a big his size, good around the rim, and good at attacking the rim off the dribble.

I'll be really surprised if he never plays in an NBA game.

 

[InGoodCo]

bad hands and turnovers are common of younger players. I believe he made a huge jump this year, expect more of the same from him as he develops. I suspect bad hands and turnovers will be less of a thing his Jr and Sr seasons.

 

[hawkdrummer1]

You're a good dude Chosen, but not even close on this one.

Lester
Thompson
Marble
BJ
Davis (gag)
Nelson
...more

Cook has the potential to be in the Top10, but he's not there yet. He has athletic ability but a limited game and Is inconsistent. If hops or inside presence is all you're impressed by, Gerry Wright and Reggie Evans could be in the discussion.

 

[InGoodCo]

I love TC - I definitely hope he doesn't transfer, but the more I watch Luka - I really think he's potentially Iowa's best player on the floor when said and done from this current roster. And Jordan might end up breaking some ridiculous records.

 

[ChosenChildren]

You're a good dude Chosen, but not even close on this one.

Lester
Thompson
Marble
BJ
Davis (gag)
Nelson
...more

Cook has the potential to be in the Top10, but he's not there yet. He has athletic ability but a limited game and Is inconsistent. If hops or inside presence is all you're impressed by, Gerry Wright and Reggie Evans could be in the discussion.

If Cook stays 4 years (and he might), you may change your opinion. As an example, Lester (who I saw play his entire career), made a huge jump from his sophomore to his junior year. Remember, Cook is only a sophomore. I agree that he is raw and his mind wanders, but he is only a sophomore. I also think he will play on a better team next year, with everyone coming back and some interesting new pieces (McCaffery's son, Weiskamp, etc.)

 

[Kennyfromminne]

Cook is the biggest talent I have seen play for the Hawks. I hope he stays at Iowa.

That is all

He has talent. I know he's young but he pouts so often when things dont go his way. He needs to get more mentally strong

 

[Hawkfnntn]

You're a good dude Chosen, but not even close on this one.

Lester
Thompson
Marble
BJ
Davis (gag)
Nelson
...more

Cook has the potential to be in the Top10, but he's not there yet. He has athletic ability but a limited game and Is inconsistent. If hops or inside presence is all you're impressed by, Gerry Wright and Reggie Evans could be in the discussion.

Evans had stone hands and wasn't a leaper at all. Dude hustled way more then Cook and was great at boxing out and drawing fouls. But to say Evans was all that talented would be a stretch. Cook literally can do anything on the basketball court besides shoot 3s. He's shown he can make free throws too. He's better at that then his 67% mark shows I think. It's his basketball IQ at times and hustle that slow him down from reaching his potential. He's only a soph. Who's to say in the next couple years he doesn't.
It's an interesting debate. I lean towards the OPs thoughts on him.