TicketsMay 2, 2012
CINCINNATI - One of the greatest to ever play the game at the University of Cincinnati will be honored when Cheryl "Cookie Monster" Cook is inducted into the Greater Cincinnati Basketball Hall of Fame on May 9, 2012. Cook is Cincinnati's top women's basketball scorer and one of the best female student-athletes in school history.
"When I got the call, it was a humbling experience," Cook said. "Being inducted into the Indiana Hall of Fame was great for my Indiana family, but it's an honor to be inducted into the Greater Cincinnati Hall of Fame."
"Cheryl is undeniably one of the best players to ever put on a Cincinnati women's basketball uniform," said UC women's basketball head coach Jamelle Elliott. "I am so happy her greatness is being recognized by the Greater Cincinnati Hall of Fame. I have had a chance to spend some time with Cheryl, who remains a great supporter of our program. Obviously, I had heard stories of what she was like on the court, but I have been more impressed that she is an even better person."
The Indianapolis, Ind., native set virtually every Bearcats scoring record, tallying 2,367 points during her four-year career, the seventh-highest total in NCAA women's basketball history at the time she concluded her career. "Cookie" is one of three UC players to eclipse 2,000 points and was one of the nation's top six scorers her junior and senior seasons. After earning honorable mention all-America honors as a junior, she was selected for the Olympic Trials, though an injury hampered her efforts to earn a berth on the 1984 U.S. team.
Cook returned to garner second-team all-America honors as a senior, and was the nation's second-leading scorer. An all-around player, Cook not only tallied the most assists by a UC performer by the close of her career (her 360 currently ranks fourth), the 5-9 guard also is sixth in rebounding (688). A two-time Metro Conference Player of the Year selection, Cook landed a berth on the 1986 U.S. Pan American Games team. She is the only UC women's player to have her jersey number, 24, retired.
Joining Cook in the Class of 2012 is UC men's basketball standout Nick Van Exel and Jerry Couzins of the 1965 squad.
"It's always an honor to go in with a person like Nick Van Exel, who had a storybook career and our backgrounds are very similar," Cook said. "We had the opportunity to do what we love doing. It started out at the university and it just expanded from there. I have to give my thanks to the University of Cincinnati."
Founded nearly 15 years ago by George Smith and Bob Huggins, the Greater Cincinnati Basketball Hall of Fame was created to recognize coaches, players and officials in the Greater Cincinnati area who have achieved greatness in high school or college basketball.
"Cookie is the all-time best player at UC," said hall of fame board of director's member Donald Hughes. "She is the only woman to have her jersey retired and put up on the wall."
While Cook has written her name in the UC record books, she still follows the program she had a hand in developing and expects great things to come from fourth-year head coach Jamelle Elliott.
"Coach Elliott is a proven winner," Cook said. "She came from a winning program. I think her winning attitude has the trickledown effect. It has spread around the University and her players. I'll give her another year and you're going to start seeing the true champion that she really is."
In the fall of 1995, Cook was further honored by selection to the James P. Kelly University of Cincinnati Athletic Hall of Fame.
The Greater Cincinnati Hall of Fame will host its annual banquet on Wednesday, May 9, at Receptions in Fairfield. The evening will start with a reception at 5:30 p.m., followed by dinner and the induction ceremony. Tickets are available for $50 per individual or $400 per table. All ticket requests can be sent to Donald Hughes at dhughes12@cinci.rr.com or via phone at (513) 469-7411.