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Cook looks to build program community can stand behind
FORT SCOTT, Kan. -- Michael Cook was hoping to become a head coach somewhere, someday. But he didn't expect to be in charge of a program so soon.
When John Burns abruptly resigned in late August after four seasons, no one associated with Fort Scott Community College's men's basketball program saw it coming -- not the players and not even Cook himself.
But once things settled down, the players -- all of whom decided to stay at FSCC -- asked new athletic director Russell Beene and school president Clayton Tatro to allow Cook to be their head coach for at least this season.
Officially, Cook is an interim coach. But he has ties to the area -- he's lived in the are for 18 years, has been an assistant at FSCC before and also has been an assistant at Jayhawk-Linn. Cook wants to build a program the Fort Scott community can embrace as well as one that can be competitive in the Jayhawk Conference.
"We need to bring the community back to Fort Scott Community College," Cook said in his office Friday morning. "We want to get out and help the community. We're doing trick-or-treat (Friday) at Community Christian Church. We're coaching fourth and fifth graders at Buck Run. We're involved with biddy ball at Mound City. We want the community to embrace us as we want to embrace them. As they embrace us, we grow and as we grow, this town will grow. Being here 18 years, I know it's important we have the support of the community."
This will be Cook's first head coaching job. He was a player at Eastern Oklahoma State College from 1988-90, then played at Pittsburg State University after that. He'll be assisted by Jaunc Bradshaw, a graduate of St. Paul who played at Neosho County.
Cook sees his role as not only a basketball coach but as also a life coach. The odds of these players going on to the professional level are minute so he wants to help shape his players into young men who can be leaders an any area of life.
"The majority of their basketball has been played already," Cook said. "They only have four years left. Two percent go to the pros and I don't see any of us going to the pros. So we're going to concentrate on the little things -- class, teaching them how to be productive young men in society and not go down the wrong path. At the same time, being leaders because we want to develop leaders on the court and in society. It's tough for them to understand right now, when we go over life lessons in practice. But we want to be responsible young adults on and off the court."
Because of the abrupt coaching change, Jayhawk Conference coaches picked Fort Scott to finish last in the Eastern Division. There are only two returning sophomores -- another one will redshirt -- and they're both guards returning from a team that went 8-23 and finished tied for eighth in the division.
"The top teams will be Coffeyville, Independence and Cowley and you can throw in Johnson County and Neosho County," Cook says. "I believe we can play with Labette and KCK and Allen County and Highland. Those four and us were the 'bottom five.' On any given night, I think we can beat those guys. That's our goal. Would we like to win the conference? Yes, but we also realize we're in a transition year. We're going to give the players goals they can achieve and that's finishing fourth, fifth or sixth and that's a jump from last year and the pre-season. And it puts us in a good position to play teams that match up with us in the post-season tournament and anything can happen."
Brandon Dougherty (5' 9", Soph., Leavenworth) and Conrad Brown (5' 10", Soph., Kansas City, Kan.) are the returning players. They're both point guards. Dougherty played in 25 games and averaged 5.7 points and 3.5 assists per game. Brown played in 17 games, averaging 2.3 points a game.
"Brandon has the potential to be one of the best point guards in the conference once he understands the process of being a leader on the court," Cook says. "The game's not always going to be played at 150 miles an hour. Sometimes, we're going to have slow it down and see what we need to do and go from there. Conrad is a an aggressive point guard, a slasher who plays with a chip on his shoulder, which is what I love about him because he doesn't accept failure."
Kurklin Bohannon (6' 2", Fr., Cleveland, Ohio) is the third point guard. Cook says his natural position is shooting guard be he has good court vision.
One area where the point guards will have to work on is turnovers. Fort Scott averaged about 17 a game last season, according to Jayhawk Conference statistics. The better teams in the conference average about 11 or 12 a game.
Shooting guard is another area where Fort Scott needs improved play. The Greyhounds attempted fewer three-point shots than most teams made last season and shot only 23 percent from behind the arc -- which will be one foot farther out from the basket this season. Kolby Joens (6' 3", Fr., Leawood) -- pronounced kind of like "Gins" -- and Zack Wilson (5' 10", Fr., Baxter Springs) are expected to perform well in that role for the Greyhounds this season.
"They are natural shooters," Cook says, "They understand what we need from them and that if we hit the outside shot, it opens up the inside for our post players. Zack is probably shooting better than he's ever shot in his life the last two weeks. Kolby is a smart two guard. He can drive and dish and he understands our offense very well. He played point in high school, so he can move the ball out on the wing."
The small forward spot -- usually called the 3 nowadays -- will be handled by Bryce Kemp (6' 0", Fr., Oklahoma City, Okla., Eric Kellogg (6' 2", Fr., Kansas City, Kan.) and Justin Greene (6' 0", Fr., Mansfield, Ohio).
"Bruce is our catalyst on defense," Cook says. "He moves well and he gets position on bigger players. That's why we have him starting at the three. Eric, we call him 'The Rock' because he'll do whatever it takes. At one point, we had him playing the four and he got beat up but he didn't back down. He's undersized but he runs the floor well. Justin is quick and he anticipates. He has quick feet and sees the floor. His jump shot is coming around."
The power forward and center positions -- the four and the post -- are interchangeable in Cook's system. Ramell Taylor (6' 5", Fr., Detroit), Darrell Blanton (6' 2", Fr., Euclid, Ohio) and Matt Leal (6' 4", Fr., Spring Hill) will be playing those positions.
"Rumeal is learning the game but he has great potential to be All-Conference," Cook says. "He sees the floor well and he's also a great leaper and he challenges himself. He had a great scrimmage last night (in Joplin). Darrell, I think, is a sleeper in this conference. He didn't play in our scrimmages at Hutchinson because he had some classroom things to take care of -- and that's first and foremost -- so no one knows has seen him play yet. He's played the post his whole life and we're trying to incorporate the jump shot now. I think he will be All-Conference. Matt is getting stronger. He played the post in high school but now he's seeing he can get stronger and be better. His goal, from what he's told me, is to be a big rebounder for us and that's what we need. I don't know how much he'll play but I know when he comes in he can change the game with all the little things he'll do for us."
Fort Scott's season begins Monday night at Olathe against the MidAmerica Nazarene junior varsity. With some changes in the schedule as opportunities came up to play competition that would better prepare the Greyhounds for the conference season, there will not be a Greyhound home game until January 3.