Wyoming’s Nigle Cook: ‘He’s Got All the Ability in the World’

LARAMIE -- Redshirting has become a lost art in the era of the transfer portal.

Lack of playing time can cause wandering eyes. Development be damned.

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Now, throw in the fact you came all the way to Wyoming from a famed high school basketball factory more than 1,900 miles away where the palm trees sway. Six of the 11 players on that roster are now playing Division-I hoops.

Oh, and throw in a head coaching change, too. No to mention witnessing a majority of last year's roster hit free agency after a disappointing 15-win season.

That's Nigle Cook's story.

Why did this DME Academy grad stick around after playing just 14 total minutes? He has perspective.

"I think it's just a learning experience," the soft-spoken 6-foot-6, 176-pound shooting guard said. "I just had to grow in the system, get bigger and get stronger. It was my first year in college. Everyone thinks they can go in and play their freshman year, but sometimes you just have to sit the bench and just learn from the people ahead of you."

It would be less than honest, he said, that helplessly watching from the sideline was easy. That's where trusting the process came in handy. Cook would also be lying if he said he didn't explore his options after Jeff Linder announced he was leaving for an assistant job at Texas Tech in early May.

"My family and I went back to the drawing board," he admitted.

That's when Sundance Wicks called. Cook was instantly re-recruited.

"He's just a really good guy," he added, referring to his new head coach. "He told me what he wanted for me and how he was going to push me to get to where I want to be. So, I felt like it was the right decision to stay.

"... He broke down a lot of my film and told me where he wants me to improve at and what I'm really good at. He's going to exploit it into the offense to where I could be my best, even on defense."

Though potential can often be a "curse word" in this business, Wicks said on Tuesday, Cook has that in spades. From his 39-inch vertical -- off one foot, no less -- to his pound-for-pound strength to his basketball IQ, this staff has plenty to work with.

What the brace-faced teenager is currently lacking, his coach added, is an "edge."

"What I love about him is he's got all this stuff," Wicks said. "He shoots the ever-loving crap out of the basketball. He shoots the cover off it. He's one of our best guys coming off screens. But that's one part of the game. You got to use those God's gifts to defend, rebound, take care of the ball and then keep the flow.

"... The defending and rebounding is an attitude. And that's where young guys, a lot of times, coming in here, they're playing with older guys who have felt it a little bit, right? You got to go, kind of just, take it. That's where his growth part is going to come."

Cook averaged 10.2 points per game during his senior season at the Daytona Beach institution. He added nearly three assists to go along with 2.6 rebounds. Albany took notice. So did Villanova. Wyoming, and Linder, won out in the end.

During his one appearance last season, Cook netted six points on 2-of-5 shooting, one of those being a triple. He also pulled down two boards and drained a free throw.

He never saw the court again as the Cowboys eighth in a conference that sent a record six teams to the NCAA Tournament. Cook is just one of just five players who return this fall, joining Cort Roberson, Oleg Kojenets, Kobe Newton and Levi Brown.

Roberson, a fellow guard, has been with this program since 2021. That's by far the longest-tenured player on this roster. He admitted his teammates were a little skeptical when Linder left for Lubbock.

He helped sell the Wicks' experience. Cook bought in.

Roberson said the fans are going to love what they see, too.

"He's one of the most athletic players in our league, being 6-foot-6 with a 45-inch vertical or whatever," he said. "Not a lot of players in our league can say they can do that. in practice these first couple months. He's been our best shooter. He just seems like he can't miss. So, I'm hoping that will materialize and show itself in games this year."

Cook said he's patiently waited for his opportunity. Tonight in the Cowboys' exhibition opener against the College of Idaho, he will finally get a chance to prove himself.

"I'm very excited just to get on the floor and to show everybody who I am and do something different for Wyoming," he said. "I know we haven't had a winning season in a while, but I think this is a team that can go out there and have a winning season and do something special."

Plenty of that success could hinge on Cook.

"He's got all the ability in the world," Wicks said. "I don't know if there is a ceiling for him."

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