Posted: June 19, 2003

After impressing the Suns' staff during a private workout at the league’s pre-draft camp in Chicago earlier this month, University of Illinois power forward Brian Cook was invited to Phoenix for a more complete session at America West Arena on Thursday. Last year’s Big Ten Player of the Year spoke with the media after a very physical workout with just one week until NBA Draft 2003.

Question: How did your workout go today?

Brian Cook: It went real well. The second time getting looked at by the coaching staff. I’m just blessed I had the opportunity to come out here.

Question: What kind of a message does it send that they had you out a second time?

Cook: Hopefully, things go well. I know the head of the organization real well. With (Suns CEO Jerry) Colangelo, an Illini alum. Hopefully everything goes well, we’ll see.

Question: What did you want to show here today?

Cook: I just wanted to show all my skills, that I can handle the ball, shoot and bang down low. I just wanted to show everybody that I had an inside and outside game.

Question: How would you see your role on the Suns' roster should they draft you?

Cook: It would be an athletic roster. I think I could run the floor pretty well for a big guy, shoot and pass pretty well for a big guy.

Question: What are you hearing about your draft situation right now?

Cook: It changes every day. I’m not going to know until that day. I’ll just keep my fingers crossed and let it be in God’s hands.

Question: Do you follow the coverage and look at all the mock drafts out there?

Cook: No. You don’t know who’s doing that. I don’t pay attention to all that media stuff.

Question: What’s on your schedule from here?

Cook: I go to Orlando on Monday, back to Memphis on Tuesday and I think New Orleans on Wednesday.

Question: Do you think it benefited you to play all four years of college?

Cook: I think so. Each year I tried to improve and by my senior year, it all just paid off. I’ve still got a lot to learn. I know next year, it’s going to be a transition process. I have to learn and there’s going to be peaks and valleys, but I’m ready.

Question: Do you feel like you’re improving your position in the draft with these workouts?

Cook: Yeah, I think so. I think my stock’s going up. I think I’ve got a little buzz going around about me. Hopefully, everything goes well.

Question: Do you think that without the influx of European players that you would be projected much higher than you are?

Cook: The NBA is the best basketball players in the world. With the foreign players, they’ve got good fundamentals. They know how to play. It’s a combination of the world.

Question: You seemed to hit the floor a few times and came up bloody after one play. Have all your workouts been this physical?

Cook: That’s how I play. I’ve always played like that at Illinois, diving for loose balls. I think that’s helped me a lot.

Question: Was there a lot of pressure for you going to Illinois as the state’s Mr. Basketball from high school?

Cook: There was a lot of pressure. I got a lot of criticism earlier on in my career about not being tough, being soft. At first when I got there I didn’t produce like people expected me to, but I proved every year. By my senior year, I thought I led the team. We had a lot of young guys. A lot of freshman came in and I just started taking them under my wings and lead by example.

Question: Was there any validity to the soft label you were given early on at Illinois and what did you do to change that perception?

Cook: I came back my senior year just to show that I could lead, that I could carry a team on my back, I could be aggressive and take shots. I could hit game-winning shots, things like that. That’s what the knock was, that I wasn’t big in crunch time throughout my three years.

Question: Do you think you’ve put those questions to rest at this point?

Cook: That’s the thing with all these workouts. A lot of these guys haven’t seen me play personally. They’re worried about their own season. They haven’t seen me play in college. I wanted to come here and work hard, and show people that I am tough and that I can play. I love proving people wrong.