By Antonis Stroggylakis/ info@eurohoops.net
ATHENS — 12 different teams in eight European countries over the last 15 years. It was one hell of a journey (quite literally) for 38-year-old playmaker Omar Cook before signing with San Pablo Burgos, his destination (lucky) no. 13, this summer and ultimately helping the team win the 2020 Basketball Champions League crown.
“I tried to talk it into existence. This is my first Final and I wanted to win it bad,” Cook said, putting an emphasis on the latter. “I wanted to win it bad. A lot of stuff happened in this offseason. I had a chance to come here. I got lucky to be with this team. Just wanted to talk it into existence.”
Cook was the game-changer, the one who turned the tide for Burgos in the championship game against tournament host, former champion and arguably the favorite to win this year’s title AEK Athens.
A part of AEK’s initial defensive strategy against Burgos was going under the screen and giving starting point guard Alex Renfroe one 3-pointer after the other. It worked… until the same plan was also implemented on Cook.
He made them regret their choice.
After missing a 3-pointer late in the first period, Cook hit two straight ones to launch the second-quarter counterattack. He made another pair for the 31-31, capping a Burgos comeback from down 14 – 24.
While Cook isn’t Burgos’ standard bucket-getter or offensive go-to-guy, he was more than prepared for taking – and ultimately making – those extra shots.
“Xavi [Rabaseda] told me… He said: ‘You are going to be open today. You didn’t shoot the whole tournament but you’re going to be open today,” Cook said. “So I was ready.”
When he wasn’t hitting triples, Cook, one of the most prolific passers in European basketball this century, did what has been his bread and butter over his career: Dishing out assists.
He dropped three out of his total of four dimes in the second period and overall either scored or assisted 18 out of Burgos’ 35 points in the quarter as his team went to the locker room with a 49 – 36 lead, never to look back for the remainder of the match.
“We are a big team, a strong team. We got a lot of players,” Cook, who finished with 15 points and four assists, said. “Each game somebody else steps up. We just wanted to stay there when they made their run, then we made our run and we kind of kept them away.”
Cook was used to being among the starting five for the many teams he played before joining Burgos. This time, he had no problem accepting a different kind of role with his new team and quickly getting accustomed to it.
“This is my first time starting off the bench maybe in my whole career. I love the role. We got Alex [Renfroe], big-time player, I respect him a lot. We make each other work in practice. We know we support each other in the game. I just want to star in my role and do what I can do to get us to win games.”
Burgos and Cook will be entering the 2020-21 Basketball Champions League aiming to finish the campaign exactly in the same manner they completed this one, but with a key difference: Doing it in a loud, packed arena.
“Hopefully, as the year goes on we get the fans back, we get the excitement back with them. Hopefully by the end of the next championship, hopefully we’ll have the fans in it,” Cook said.
Photo: Basketball Champions League