Perennial Friends League basketball powerhouse, Friends Central School used to be the laughingstock of the Main Line and beyond, but the laughing by opposing teams came to a sudden stop in the fall of 1998 when a freshman named Mike Cook showed up at the Quaker School on City Avenue.
Now Cook is going to be the head coach of the basketball team at his alma mater.
From the Friends Central Website –
Phoenix Basketball has come full circle with Mike Cook as the head coach. He entered Friends’ Central School in the ninth grade and led an incredible turnaround in the program. The Phoenix were 6-10, 1-6 before Mike arrived, and the next season went 16-3, 6-3. By the time Mike graduated in 2002, the Phoenix were 22-3, 9-0. He was the FCS Boys’ Basketball All-Time leading scorer with 1800 points, a record that stands to this day. He lettered four years for then Head Coach Keino Terrell and was named Most Valuable Player his junior and senior seasons and Honorable Mention All-State and All-Area his senior season. Mike led Friends’ Central to two Friends Schools League titles, averaged 22 points, seven rebounds and three assists and was league Player of the Year in his senior year.
Cook’s college career took him to East Carolina State. In his sophomore year, he averaged 15 points per game for them. He then transferred to the University of Pittsburgh where he averaged in double figures in both his junior and senior years. Cook also helped the Panthers win the Big East title in 2008.
Following his graduation from Pitt, Cook played professional basketball in a career that included stops in Poland, the UK, China, Qatar, Iceland, and Serbia.
Since 2016 he has worked at FCS as Assistant Director of Admissions and Athletic Liason.