Chicago Fanatics Message Board :: View topic - Lenny Cooke

CHICAGO -- Back when Lenny Cooke was Lenny Cooke, Joakim Noah was his biggest fan.

Cooke was just a teenager, but to a young, gawky French kid who had just moved to New York City, he was Noah's Michael Jordan.

"This guy was my hero," Noah said.

As that skinny benchwarmer on Cooke's AAU team, Noah had the best seat in the house for a truly American story. He watched the story again Sunday night with more than 200 other people at a viewing of the long-delayed "Lenny Cooke" documentary at the Gene Siskel Film Center.

If you're a basketball fan of a certain age, you remember that back in the early 2000s, the wiry, 6-foot-6 Cooke was hyped to be something like the next Kobe Bryant.

After going undrafted in 2002, he wound up being New York City's successor to Chicago's Ronnie Fields, the fallen Farragut Academy star; a "Where Are They Now?" candidate with no happy ending.

Now that his movie is out, Cooke is a bleak update to Fly Williams in Rick Telander's "Heaven is a Playground" and Arthur Agee and William Gates in the immortal film "Hoop Dreams."

The movie is a sobering look at the life of Cooke, from his teens to his 30s. It is occasionally funny, often infuriating. Movie producer Adam Shopkorn and his camera followed Cooke early on as he became famous, and then after a long hiatus, caught back up with him as an unemployed adult full of ruminations.

The "Coulda,shoulda,woulda" Club. Biggest club in the world.

No NIU guys repping for Billy "The Kid" Harris? I guess they all must be tired from being on Jordan Lynch's jock.

Jamie Brandon never really came through on the potential.

Dr. Kenneth Noisewater wrote:

Jamie Brandon never really came through on the potential.

You mean the kid that ended the U of I city connections????

Had a long talk once with Tracy Dildy about city guys and Dildy gave me the Brandon story that basically U of I was going to help him with his grades for shit because of the Deion Thomas propation shit, so he didnt qualify, good luck kid.

Almost every program creates some NCAA eligibility program for athletes and Illinois used to do it as well, but when the eyes of the NCAA were upon them it was a see ya kid.

bigfan wrote:

Dr. Kenneth Noisewater wrote:

Jamie Brandon never really came through on the potential.

The thing about Brandon is, he was as good in eighth grade as he ever got. Still a good player though.

bigfan wrote:

he was no Everette

You think Stephens was better than Brandon? I guess he turned out to be a better college player. Kleinschmidt was a better high school player than both of them.

Everette was solo....Maybe a Francois jean Paul as a Soph?

bigfan wrote:

Everette was solo....Maybe a Francois jean Paul as a Soph?

Lou Wool- tough as nails, man. Big dopey Steve Kling at center. Is he the guy I see on real estate signs? I'm guessing yes.

Joe Orr Road Rod wrote:

bigfan wrote:

Everette was solo....Maybe a Francois jean Paul as a Soph?

Lou Wool- tough as nails, man. Big dopey Steve Kling at center. Is he the guy I see on real estate signs? I'm guessing yes.

Played against Everette in one pickup game he was wearing jeans, played against brandon 1 play ( 3 Mins stretch), played tons of pickup with Lou Wool, played 3 summer games v Veltra Dawson. Everette by far the best of the group in my personal view and I am not sure he was trying that hard.

The guy was an NBA first round pick, so someone agreed with me

bigfan wrote:

Joe Orr Road Rod wrote:

bigfan wrote:

Everette was solo....Maybe a Francois jean Paul as a Soph?

Lou Wool- tough as nails, man. Big dopey Steve Kling at center. Is he the guy I see on real estate signs? I'm guessing yes.

Veltra Dawson! That's a blast from the past. Zion, right? Went to Villanova.

Author:	NearWessSideHussra [ Mon Dec 02, 2013 7:18 pm ]
Post subject:	Lenny Cooke - the kid coulda been another Jordan
http://espn.go.com/chicago/nba/story/_/ ... ocumentary Quote: CHICAGO -- Back when Lenny Cooke was Lenny Cooke, Joakim Noah was his biggest fan. Cooke was just a teenager, but to a young, gawky French kid who had just moved to New York City, he was Noah's Michael Jordan. "This guy was my hero," Noah said. As that skinny benchwarmer on Cooke's AAU team, Noah had the best seat in the house for a truly American story. He watched the story again Sunday night with more than 200 other people at a viewing of the long-delayed "Lenny Cooke" documentary at the Gene Siskel Film Center. If you're a basketball fan of a certain age, you remember that back in the early 2000s, the wiry, 6-foot-6 Cooke was hyped to be something like the next Kobe Bryant. After going undrafted in 2002, he wound up being New York City's successor to Chicago's Ronnie Fields, the fallen Farragut Academy star; a "Where Are They Now?" candidate with no happy ending. Now that his movie is out, Cooke is a bleak update to Fly Williams in Rick Telander's "Heaven is a Playground" and Arthur Agee and William Gates in the immortal film "Hoop Dreams." The movie is a sobering look at the life of Cooke, from his teens to his 30s. It is occasionally funny, often infuriating. Movie producer Adam Shopkorn and his camera followed Cooke early on as he became famous, and then after a long hiatus, caught back up with him as an unemployed adult full of ruminations. http://youtu.be/24W5eGaqzoM

Author:	jimmypasta [ Mon Dec 02, 2013 7:34 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Lenny Cooke - the kid coulda been another Jordan
The "Coulda,shoulda,woulda" Club. Biggest club in the world.

Author:	NearWessSideHussra [ Mon Dec 02, 2013 7:44 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Lenny Cooke - the kid coulda been another Jordan
This guy was on the path to make it happen. Then some AAU-connected agent lured him from suburban New Jersey/New York to Flint, Michigan to finish high school/enter the NBA draft with a $350K cash payment and that was that. Some filmmaker followed Lenny Cooke around New York and wherever for 2 years in anticipation of Cooke being #1 overall in the NBA draft. So the film has a ton of footage of Cooke from back around 1999-2001? Including games involving Lebron et al at the ABCD camps. Cooke took off for Michigan and his agent shut down the film back then. The film then jumps a decade to Cooke in recent years.

Author:	jimmypasta [ Mon Dec 02, 2013 7:52 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Lenny Cooke - the kid coulda been another Jordan
Thanks,I'll try to catch it. It does sound interesting.

Author:	Peoria Matt [ Mon Dec 02, 2013 8:31 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Lenny Cooke - the kid coulda been another Jordan
jimmypasta wrote: The "Coulda,shoulda,woulda" Club. Biggest club in the world. Us Cubs fans should know.

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Author:	bigfan [ Tue Dec 03, 2013 1:38 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Lenny Cooke - the kid coulda been another Jordan
Of all the Woulda coulda Shoulda guys, the best was Loyd Daniels. His pure talent was as good , if not better than Pippen. The guy went through every single hardship you can write down! Sure, most self inflicted, but a hurdle is a hurdle. Kicked out of 5 schools? drug Rehab 7 times? Shot, arrested, suspended, etc etc. Greece, Turkey, NZ, GBA, CBA, USBL 7 Years after HS he played some meaningful Minutes with the SPurs for 3 or 4 years and the Kings and the guy then just played everywhere in the world! Venezuela, China, Italy, France. Technically his pro career was about 30 years of hoop! Picture a More refined Jabari Parker, better shot, better drive and more athletic. That was Daniels. His Junior Year in HS averaged 31.2 points, 12.3 rebounds and 10 assists before dropping out! Thus no Senior year in HS. But no question was the top recruit and I have seen pools that gave him awards as TOP HS NYC Player ever, ahead of Kenny Anderson, Malik, Mash, Marbury, Odom, etc. The fact his pure talent still got him to the NBA after every possible bad thing he could do, shows you how talented this guy was.

Author:	Bagels [ Tue Dec 03, 2013 1:45 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Lenny Cooke - the kid coulda been another Jordan
Harold Miner

Author:	rogers park bryan [ Tue Dec 03, 2013 3:12 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Lenny Cooke - the kid coulda been another Jordan
Lenny Bias

Author:	Dr. Kenneth Noisewater [ Tue Dec 03, 2013 4:01 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Lenny Cooke - the kid coulda been another Jordan
Jamie Brandon never really came through on the potential.

Author:	JORR [ Tue Dec 03, 2013 4:42 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Lenny Cooke - the kid coulda been another Jordan
No NIU guys repping for Billy "The Kid" Harris? I guess they all must be tired from being on Jordan Lynch's jock.

Author:	bigfan [ Tue Dec 03, 2013 5:15 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Lenny Cooke - the kid coulda been another Jordan
Dr. Kenneth Noisewater wrote: Jamie Brandon never really came through on the potential. You mean the kid that ended the U of I city connections???? Had a long talk once with Tracy Dildy about city guys and Dildy gave me the Brandon story that basically U of I was going to help him with his grades for shit because of the Deion Thomas propation shit, so he didnt qualify, good luck kid. Almost every program creates some NCAA eligibility program for athletes and Illinois used to do it as well, but when the eyes of the NCAA were upon them it was a see ya kid.

Author:	JORR [ Tue Dec 03, 2013 5:21 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Lenny Cooke - the kid coulda been another Jordan
bigfan wrote: Dr. Kenneth Noisewater wrote: Jamie Brandon never really came through on the potential. You mean the kid that ended the U of I city connections???? Had a long talk once with Tracy Dildy about city guys and Dildy gave me the Brandon story that basically U of I was going to help him with his grades for shit because of the Deion Thomas propation shit, so he didnt qualify, good luck kid. Almost every program creates some NCAA eligibility program for athletes and Illinois used to do it as well, but when the eyes of the NCAA were upon them it was a see ya kid. The thing about Brandon is, he was as good in eighth grade as he ever got. Still a good player though.

Author:	bigfan [ Tue Dec 03, 2013 5:25 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Lenny Cooke - the kid coulda been another Jordan
No, he got better, he filled out he grew a little. He was averaging double high double digits while at LSU, proved he could be a really good player at high levels. But, as a general rule of thumb when I see amazing 6- 6'4" guards as a freshman, I always assume they just peaked way before everyone else. Our PG fresh year was promoted to Varsity after Jan 1. Same guy started Sophomores years on Soph team Sat on bench as JV Cut as a senior I happen to attend 7th grade with this guy. He could make shots from the very corner all day in games and I had trouble getting the ball to the rim from the corner. I think he was 6'1" with a beard in 7th grade!

Author:	bigfan [ Tue Dec 03, 2013 5:26 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Lenny Cooke - the kid coulda been another Jordan
Joe Orr Road Rod wrote: bigfan wrote: Dr. Kenneth Noisewater wrote: Jamie Brandon never really came through on the potential. You mean the kid that ended the U of I city connections???? Had a long talk once with Tracy Dildy about city guys and Dildy gave me the Brandon story that basically U of I was going to help him with his grades for shit because of the Deion Thomas propation shit, so he didnt qualify, good luck kid. Almost every program creates some NCAA eligibility program for athletes and Illinois used to do it as well, but when the eyes of the NCAA were upon them it was a see ya kid. The thing about Brandon is, he was as good in eighth grade as he ever got. Still a good player though. he was no Everette

Author:	JORR [ Wed Dec 04, 2013 8:55 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Lenny Cooke - the kid coulda been another Jordan
My favorite is Lamar "Money" Mundane. Spike Lee mentioned him in a commercial and people thought he was fictional. Sports Illustrated even called him fictional. Dumbass Danny Ainge started calling himself Lamar Mundane. It's a real fucking guy.

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Author:	JORR [ Tue Dec 03, 2013 5:28 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Lenny Cooke - the kid coulda been another Jordan
bigfan wrote: he was no Everette You think Stephens was better than Brandon? I guess he turned out to be a better college player. Kleinschmidt was a better high school player than both of them.

Author:	bigfan [ Tue Dec 03, 2013 5:52 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Lenny Cooke - the kid coulda been another Jordan
Joe Orr Road Rod wrote: bigfan wrote: he was no Everette You think Stephens was better than Brandon? I guess he turned out to be a better college player. Kleinschmidt was a better high school player than both of them. Everette was solo....Maybe a Francois jean Paul as a Soph? Brandon had a front line of Crawford (6'9"), Robinson (7'0") and Liberty (6'9") in order Cinci, Chicago St and Illinois..side note Liberty dunked over me with these 4 on the floor in Waukegan Tourney! Then had as a Senior he has Griffith and Hamilton, the 2 7 footers, yes they happen to be freshman, but still 7 ft Everette was awesome and better than Brandon

Author:	JORR [ Tue Dec 03, 2013 5:56 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Lenny Cooke - the kid coulda been another Jordan
bigfan wrote: Everette was solo....Maybe a Francois jean Paul as a Soph? Lou Wool- tough as nails, man. Big dopey Steve Kling at center. Is he the guy I see on real estate signs? I'm guessing yes.

Author:	bigfan [ Wed Dec 04, 2013 5:13 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Lenny Cooke - the kid coulda been another Jordan
Joe Orr Road Rod wrote: bigfan wrote: Everette was solo....Maybe a Francois jean Paul as a Soph? Lou Wool- tough as nails, man. Big dopey Steve Kling at center. Is he the guy I see on real estate signs? I'm guessing yes. Played against Everette in one pickup game he was wearing jeans, played against brandon 1 play ( 3 Mins stretch), played tons of pickup with Lou Wool, played 3 summer games v Veltra Dawson. Everette by far the best of the group in my personal view and I am not sure he was trying that hard. The guy was an NBA first round pick, so someone agreed with me

Author:	JORR [ Wed Dec 04, 2013 8:38 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Lenny Cooke - the kid coulda been another Jordan
bigfan wrote: Joe Orr Road Rod wrote: bigfan wrote: Everette was solo....Maybe a Francois jean Paul as a Soph? Lou Wool- tough as nails, man. Big dopey Steve Kling at center. Is he the guy I see on real estate signs? I'm guessing yes. Played against Everette in one pickup game he was wearing jeans, played against brandon 1 play ( 3 Mins stretch), played tons of pickup with Lou Wool, played 3 summer games v Veltra Dawson. Everette by far the best of the group in my personal view and I am not sure he was trying that hard. The guy was an NBA first round pick, so someone agreed with me Veltra Dawson! That's a blast from the past. Zion, right? Went to Villanova.

Author:	Bagels [ Wed Dec 04, 2013 8:49 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Lenny Cooke - the kid coulda been another Jordan
Ronnie Fields...

Author:	bigfan [ Wed Dec 04, 2013 7:18 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Lenny Cooke - the kid coulda been another Jordan
Joe Orr Road Rod wrote: bigfan wrote: Joe Orr Road Rod wrote: bigfan wrote: Everette was solo....Maybe a Francois jean Paul as a Soph? Lou Wool- tough as nails, man. Big dopey Steve Kling at center. Is he the guy I see on real estate signs? I'm guessing yes. Played against Everette in one pickup game he was wearing jeans, played against brandon 1 play ( 3 Mins stretch), played tons of pickup with Lou Wool, played 3 summer games v Veltra Dawson. Everette by far the best of the group in my personal view and I am not sure he was trying that hard. The guy was an NBA first round pick, so someone agreed with me Veltra Dawson! That's a blast from the past. Zion, right? Went to Villanova. Highland Park, was on the team that won it at Nova. dont think he played a minute. Great Shooter, rollie never played him.