Born in Atlantic City, New Jersey,[1] he is known primarily for having been ranked higher than LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony in 2001.
[2] Cooke's parents struggled to find employment, and the family lived in poor conditions: they could not afford to pay for heating, so that they had to use boiled water and an open oven to warm their house during winter.
[6] That summer he also played in the Rucker League, played at the Rucker Park in New York City, and was the second leading scorer, averaging 23 points along with 12 rebounds per game; during the competition he faced professional players like Stephon Marbury, Ray Allen, Zach Randolph and Omar Cook.
[3] Around this time, Cooke was diagnosed with a learning disability in the language area, and tested in high levels in matrix reasoning, meaning that he had advanced capabilities in activities like puzzle solving.
At one point he was considered one of the top recruits in the country, along with rival contemporaries like LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, and Amar'e Stoudemire.
[7] ESPN ranked him as the second best senior in his class behind Anthony and before future NBA players like Stoudemire, Raymond Felton and Chris Bosh.
On March 8, 2002, he scored 21 points to help the Eastern Conference defeat the West 115–103, at the EA Sports Roundball Classic at the United Center in Chicago.
At the end of the 2001–02 school year, Cooke had multiple options for basketball: North Carolina, Seton Hall, St. John's, Miami and Ohio State.
[notes 1] Amid enticing agent promises that explicitly stated a dozen NBA teams were seriously considering him and at least three guaranteed they would take him in the 1st round if he were available,[12] Cooke chose to bypass college and declare himself eligible for the 2002 NBA draft, a decision that ended his eligibility to play college basketball.
[21] Cooke then had a stint with the Shanghai Dongfang Sharks,[8] where he averaged 28.3 points, 11.6 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game over 13 appearances in the 2003–04 Chinese Basketball Association season.
In 2006–07, Cooke played 13 games for the Minot Skyrockets, averaging 10.3 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.6 assists[23] before blowing out his other Achilles' tendon, ending his career.