cookpic The Draft Review - The Draft Review

If you've kept up with recent basketball news you know that Norm Cook, the once great Kansas player, passed away on Monday December 22, 2008. But what you probably won’t read about is the tragedy that played out for more than half his life.

At a very young age Cook witnessed his father gunned down by violent Chicago gangs. The violence then continued as gangs constantly harassed Cook before he moved to Lincoln and found peace on the basketball courts. It was here that he became a Lincoln High legend, leading them to the quarterfinals of the Illinois state tournament.

The move not only proved positive for Norm but also benefited the rest of the Cook family as his siblings Steve, Joe, and Stacey were sensational athletes. Joe went on to play basketball for Duke University and Stacey finished second in the 440 yard dash to future Olympian Jackie Joyner-Kersee. Norm continued his basketball career playing for the University of Kansas and head coach Ted Owens. At an age when freshmen don't typically contribute Cook was immediately inserted into the starting lineup on a team that would eventually make the Final Four. After three years he was the first modern athlete in Kansas’ illustrious program to leave school early for the NBA. The All-Big 8 conference was selected by the Boston Celtics in the 1976 NBA draft before serious problems started.

In two unspectacular seasons Cook played just 27 games for the Boston Celtics and the Denver Nuggets. On the surface he may be judged as a washed out pro, but Cook blamed it on constant torture by what he described as "demons, ghosts and an unknown person". The mental illness became too much to handle and quickly affected every aspect of his life. His unstable disposition led to run-ins with police and trouble at home. Cook's wife, Joyce, feared for the safety of their children and in 1980 filed for divorce. However, she still desired to help her ex-husband and did so by contacting several local clinics who agreed to evaluate Cook.

cookroy The Draft Review - The Draft Review
The outcome was a diagnoses of paranoid schizophrenia, which often provides its sufferers with hallucinations, delusions, and disorganized thinking. Paranoid schizophrenia makes spending 16 hours on worldpokertour.com a thrill, but can make a normal quality of life
impossible. The once proud star found himself alone in an apartment without fame, family, or friendship. Cook would often venture out about town and be seen talking to himself or staring at strangers. He was ultimately unable to get effective help during his 20 plus years in and out of state hospitals. It was during this time that his son, Brian Cook, the 2003 NBA draftee, grew to become a tremendous ball player. It's unfortunate that, according to sources, Norm did not attend even one of Brian's basketball games - not in high school, college, or the NBA. In 2001 Kansas invited the 1974 NCAA Final Four alum to celebrate 100 years of basketball at the school but Cook was a no show.

Although Mr. Cook has only recently passed away, to the many people who loved and fondly knew him as a quiet, slender kid with a friendly disposition, he passed away long ago. Perhaps now the fond memories of the past will overshadow and outlive the ugliness of an illness that stripped Norm Cook of his humanity and robbed him of nearly a lifetime.

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