Nothing Blocks Anthony Cook in His First Year

Anthony Cook hasn’t had the opportunity to slam dunk the high lobs that became his trademark at Van Nuys High, but that hasn’t stopped him from showing his stuff at the University of Arizona.

Entering tonight’s contest against UCLA, the 6-8 forward is second in the Pacific 10 in blocked shots. Ahead of him is Washington’s 7-0 center Chris Welp. Cook blocked him twice in their first confrontation.

“I was just helping out,” Cook said of the blocks on Welp. “He spun out of a trap and was really surprised when I blocked him. He came the same way again and seemed even more surprised when I blocked him again.”

Arizona’s opponents aren’t the only ones who have been surprised by his play.

“In the beginning I wasn’t practicing that well and I’d thought I’d be redshirted,” Cook said. “I just kept working, though, and eventually I started developing.”

He progressed so rapidly that he has started in the Wildcats’ last 14 games. Through Arizona’s first 23 games, he’s averaging 5.1 points and 4.2 rebounds. In his second start against Boston College, he scored 10 points, had eight rebounds and blocked four shots. As a high school senior, Cook averaged 20 points and 14 rebounds.

Arizona (16-7, 7-3 and second in the Pac 10), the youngest team in the conference, was picked to finish eighth in a coaches preseason poll.

Cook, the East Valley League’s Most Valuable Player each of his last two years at Van Nuys, has found the transition to the college game challenging.

“It’s not like high school where there’s one or two stars and three other guys,” Cook said. “Everybody out there is a star. I came here and had to change my whole style of play.”

And everybody else’s, too.