1) While fellow New Orleans two-way contract player Jalen Jones is now one year out of school, Cooke wrapped up his four-year college career this spring. He was a potential second-round NBA draft pick but was not selected; NBADraft.net had Cooke ranked No. 61 on its Big Board (the annual two-round draft consists of a total of 60 picks).
2) Cooke, 23, was a college senior at Dayton in 2016-17, averaging 15.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.8 assists. The native of Trenton, N.J., split his career between James Madison and Dayton, sitting out one season in '14-15 due to NCAA transfer rules.
3) Cooke opened his final collegiate season by scoring 31 points vs. Austin Peay, in a 96-68 win for Dayton. The 6-foot-5 guard tallied 15-plus points in 16 other games, topped by 24 against East Tennessee State. Cooke also connected on multiple three-pointers in a total of 16 games.
4) A wing who projects to be able to play at shooting guard and small forward, Cooke made major strides with his outside shot as a collegian. After shooting under 30 percent from three-point range as a sophomore at JMU, he shot 39.9 and 39.8 percent in his junior and senior years, respectively.
5) At the defensive end, the Pelicans like Cooke’s combination of length, lateral quickness and strength.