Never got to the Starkey piece on Mike Cook learning about how much he matters to his teammates and family.
“People really care for me,” he said. “That’s the biggest thing with this: You know who’s really there for you.”
Start with coach Jamie Dixon. He didn’t just monitor the situation when Cook went down. He knelt beside Cook, holding his hand, as Cook writhed in pain.
“I’ll never forget that about Coach Dixon,” Cook said. “That meant a lot to me and my family. I remember I looked up and saw him for a second. I saw his face. He really felt for me.”
…
Several of Cook’s relatives and friends were at the Garden that night. His girlfriend, Julie Henley, boarded a bus from her hometown of Philadelphia to Pittsburgh. She was there to greet Cook the next night when he arrived home. She has yet to return to Philly.
Fields is there every day, too. He sustained a broken foot in Pitt’s next game, so he and Cook rehab together. Fields’ quick wit keeps Cook smiling.
Cook’s father, stepmother and younger brother live right around the corner. They moved from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh when Cook transferred from East Carolina after his sophomore year.
Cook’s brother, William, is a ninth-grader at Schenley High. Their father, Michael, is a Navy veteran with diabetes, so living near the VA hospital is perfect.
That’s some strong family support.
From the Fields injury, he doesn’t blame the cheerleader he tripped over.
As for the Dayton cheerleaders who caused the injury, Fields has no problems with the dancers’ proximity to the court. He said it was a fluke accident.
“I don’t think they need to be (farther back),” Fields said. “They are just fine. This doesn’t usually happen, but of course in my instance, I probably should say they should move back a little bit.”
This article on Benjamin breaking through in terms of his shooting and overall play has a last bit that I liked.
“As of right now, I’m out there having fun and playing the game,” he said. “If there’s an opening, I’m going to try to take it and just be aggressive with my situation. Everybody always says the senior season at Pitt always comes up short. I’m not looking to have that. We want to make every season better than the next.
“As a senior, you always want to leave your program better than it was when you came here. That’s what me, Ron and Mike are trying to do. We want to make Pitt a better program.”
That has been something of a common theme each year with the seniors and it’s a credit to Coach Dixon for having the players understand and appreciate it. They are making Pitt better each year and building towards something bigger. From Krasuer to Gray and Graves and this year Ramon and Benjamin, they have all talked about how they are leaving Pitt in better shape and a better program. And it’s true. They may not get to be playing when the next breakthrough happens, but they were vital in helping the team and program getting closer to that point.
