Gallaudet women's basketball coach Kevin Cook to be inducted into alma mater's Hall of Fame

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Gallaudet University women’s basketball coach Kevin Cook will be inducted into the Urbana University Athletic Hall of Fame on October 9. Cook will become the 33rd Hall of Fame member at his alma mater.

Cook just completed his third season at Gallaudet, the world's only university in which all programs and services are specifically designed to accommodate deaf and hard of hearing students. He earned his master's degree from Gallaudet this past May.

"I am humbled and honored to be recognized by Urbana University and for being inducted into its Hall of Fame. This is something that will last a lifetime and beyond," said Cook. "I had many good times at Urbana as I learned a great deal in the classroom and learned a lot about life during my collegiate years."

Cook led the Bison to their best season in a decade with a 14-12 record and a sixth-seed in the Capital Athletic Conference (CAC) tournament. The postseason appearance was the first since the 2006-07 season. GU won more games this season then the past three years combined. The 7-9 conference record was the best since the 9-5 mark set by the 1999-00 team. The seven conferences wins are the fourth most in GU history since it has been a member of the CAC. In fact, the seven wins equals the total amount of conference wins the Bison had over the past nine years combined (7-123). Cook also coached the CAC Player of the Year in junior center Easter Faafiti (Pittsburg, Calif.) as she led the league in scoring and rebounding. Faafiti was also selected to two different All-American teams. She was the first Bison to earn the end of the season award from the CAC since the 2000-01 season. This was also the last year for Gallaudet in the CAC after being a charter member since the conference formed in 1989. GU joined the North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) this summer.

Cook received the prestigious Carol Eckman Award last spring from the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA). He became the first Division III coach to be honored since the award's inception in 1986 when Laura Mapp from Bridgewater (Va.) College was selected as the first honoree of the Carol Eckman Award. Any active women's basketball head or assistant coach at the NCAA Division I, II, III, NAIA or JC/CC levels are eligible to be nominated for the award. The criteria for the award includes; sportsmanship, commitment to the student-athlete, honesty, ethical behavior and courage.

Cook graduated from Urbana in 1983 with a bachelor’s degree in social science. Cook was a member of the Urbana men’s basketball program his freshman season (1979-80) as a reserve. The following year he started his lengthy coaching career as he assisted the Graham High School girls’ basketball team. He helped to lead Graham to the district championship and a regional final appearance in 1980-81. As a junior at Urbana, Cook assisted the University’s women’s basketball program and founded Urbana’s AAU basketball program. He coached the AAU team to back-to-back state championships and appearances in the national AAU tournament. As a senior, Cook served as an assistant men’s basketball coach to Urbana’s Bob Cawley.

The Urbana University Athletic Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place following the Homecoming football game between Urbana and Kentucky Wesleyan College slated to kick-off at Noon on October 9. The ceremony will begin 30 minutes after the conclusion of the Blue Knights' football game in the Urbana Student Center.

“Kevin Cook is both an appropriate selection and an amazing personal story,” said Urbana University Trustee and Hall of Fame Chairman Dave Ross. “He knew that coaching was his vehicle to stay in basketball and make a lasting contribution to the sport. I’m especially impressed that he refers to himself as ‘a proud graduate of Urbana University.’ He reflects well on our institution.”

Cook, 49, a native of Fremont, Ohio, has also battled adversity during the 2009-10 season. On December 10, 2009, a house fire claimed the life of his sister, 47-year-old Kelly Preston, in Helena, Ohio. Preston was able to save her 16-year-old daughter and 3-month-old grandson before her passing. The GU community along with CAC schools and officials rallied to help Cook and his family by collecting clothing and cash donations for the displaced family.

In January, ESPN.com ran a lengthy feature, a rarity for a Division III program, on Coach Cook and the Bison titled "Sign of Success - Cook getting Gallaudet back on track." The story showed how Cook had to learn American Sign Language so he could communicate with his deaf and hard of hearing student-athletes plus how in three years he was able to get the Bison back on the national map after a 10-year hiatus. Plus, the piece touched on how Cook has courageously battled Parkinson's disease.

Prior to arriving at Gallaudet, Cook served as an assistant coach with the Houston Comets for 11 years where he was part of four WNBA championships. He also served as a coach on four different WNBA All-Star teams. Prior to coaching in the WNBA, Cook served as an assistant coach with the University of Kansas from 1984-93. Cook was part of four Big 8 championship teams that made four trips to the NCAA tournament. In between his stints with Houston and Kansas, Cook coached two years at Garden City Community College where he led the program to a No. 12 national junior college ranking.

Cook's international experience is vast, as he has served as the Nigeria women's basketball national team head coach for the past several years. He guided Nigeria in the 2006 World Championships in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The following year he coached Nigeria in the 2007 All-Africa Games in Algiers, Algeria where Nigeria posted a 7-1 record and won the silver medal. In the past five years he has visited six African countries where he has hosted basketball fundamental clinics for coaches and players.

Also see:

• Official press release by Urbana University on Coach Cook
• Fremont coach to be honored by alma mater (The Fremont News-Messenger)