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DURHAM — His knee healthy and his confidence high, Quinn Cook is providing the aspects Duke needs in a point guard.
Cook’s minutes have increased over the past three games and, entering tonight’s nonconference game against Temple in Philadelphia (7 p.m., ESPN2), he’s teaming with sophomore Tyler Thornton to make the Blue Devils go.
A freshman from Bowie, Md., Cook has averaged 21 minutes in No. 5 Duke’s lopsided wins over UNC Greensboro, Western Michigan and Pennsylvania beginning on Dec. 19.
Coming off the bench as part of a timeshare with Thornton at point guard, Cook has scored 12.0 points and dished out 6.3 assists per game. He has 19 assists and two turnovers, safely helping the Blue Devils run their up-tempo offense.
“He’s the best passer we have on the perimeter,” Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. “He’s a natural point guard. His ability to run the team, pass and defend the ball, that’s basically what a point guard’s supposed to do in a traditional sense.
“He’s gotten a lot better. He’s gotten stronger, he’s healthy and hopefully he’ll continue to show that improvement. “
While Duke got a head start on the season when it held 10 practices in July and August in advance of a four-game summer exhibition tour to China and Dubai, Cook’s progression was slowed. A knee injury suffered during his senior season at Oak Hill Academy lingered, and Duke’s medical staff decided he needed to rest the knee rather than participate overseas.
In Duke’s toughest early season tests, Cook hardly played. He played single-digit minutes against Michigan State, Tennessee, Michigan and Kansas.
But when Duke’s coaches reevaluated the team during December, they decided to speed up the offense and give Cook more opportunities to contribute.
He’s done just that.
Cook scored a season-high 16 points with eight assists against Western Michigan on Friday night. He scored six points but had nine assists against Penn on Sunday. And he didn’t turn the ball over in either game.
“I am more confident,” Cook said. “The biggest thing is the confidence in my teammates. When I have guys like (junior) Andre (Dawkins), he’s going to tell me things I’m doing good and things that are going to help me out there. That’s the biggest thing is having the confidence of my teammates.”
He and Thornton complement each other well. Thornton is more experienced from the playing time he received during the 2010-11 season, especially after starting point guard Kyrie Irving was sidelined in early December with a toe injury.
That experience means it’s a bit easier for Thornton to lead the team on the floor. He also is Duke’s best perimeter defender and has shown the ability to knock down open shots.
Cook is better at setting others up to score, as well as driving to get his own points.
The leadership stuff is evolving.
“That’s the biggest thing, especially for a point guard,” Cook said. “Coach K was a point guard, and he’s hardest on his point guards. He just wants me to communicate and get everyone on the same page.”
Like all freshmen, Cook had to adjust to the level of coaching he gets from Krzyzewski and his staff. But Cook is helped by his friendship with Nolan Smith, the 2011 ACC player of the year for Duke who also attended Oak Hill.
Smith, now with the Portland Trail Blazers, is quick with advice for Cook.
“He said just to stay hungry,” Cook said. “Don’t be satisfied. Stay in the gym and just listen because Coach knows what he’s talking about.”
