Panthers' Cook out for the season
PITTSBURGH — Senior small forward Mike Cook will miss the rest of the season for No. 11 Pittsburgh after injuring his left knee in overtime of the Panthers' 65-64 victory over No. 6 Duke.
Cook will have surgery in the next two weeks to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament and other injuries, the school said Friday.
Cook, a Philadelphia native from Friends Central High School, transferred to Pitt from East Carolina after the 2004-05 season. He has started 48 consecutive games for Pitt, during which time Pitt has gone 40-8.
"We are thoroughly heartbroken for Mike," Pitt head coach Jamie Dixon said. "When I asked Mike why he wanted to come to the University of Pittsburgh, he simply said he 'wanted to win.' And he has won."
Gilbert Brown, a 6-6 redshirt freshman from Harrisburg, is expected to play more with Cook out of the lineup. Brown has averaged 5.1 points and 2.1 rebounds playing about 17 minutes a game this season.
Cook was hurt as he drove the baseline about a minute into overtime of Thursday's game against Duke at Madison Square Garden. He remained down for several minutes and Pitt played the remainder of the overtime knowing he probably had suffered a significant injury.
Cook, in his second year as Pitt's starting small forward, has averaged 10.4 points and 2.8 rebounds per game this season, and scored in double figures seven times. He has 1,204 points, 362 rebounds and 293 assists in 103 career games, including 87 starts, at Pitt and East Carolina.
Cook will have the surgery at Pittsburgh's UPMC South Side hospital and his rehabilitation will take nine to 12 months. He is on track to graduate with a degree in communications this spring.
Cook "has become an outstanding example for the younger players in our program and we will continue to count on his leadership throughout the year," Dixon said.
