Jake Cook '20 Signs with LIU-Brooklyn Sharks Men’s Basketball

Vermont Academy boys’ basketball player Jake Cook signed his national letter of intent with Long Island University-Brooklyn. Cook is completing his senior year at Vermont Academy and is about to start his second season with the Wildcats.

Cook hails from Watervliet, New York. Last year he averaged 12 Points per game, 9.7 Rebounds per game, and 3.1 Blocks per game. He was recruited by UVM, University of Albany, Mount St. Mary's, George Mason, George Washington, University of Massachusetts, Georgia, UMBC, and many other Division 1 teams before choosing LIU-Brooklyn. The Sharks were able to land Jake Cook because of the relationship the coaches developed with him. They emphasized their location, education, program culture and style of play.

Over twenty Vermont Academy boys basketball players have signed with Division 1 schools since 2015. Two Vermont Academy players are now in the NBA: Bruce Brown plays for the Detroit Pistons, and Simisola Shittu just signed with the Chicago Bulls. Vermont Academy alumni currently play at VCU, Butler, Harvard University, Marquette, Xavier, and other NCAA powerhouse teams.

Throughout the late summer and early fall, Vermont Academy welcomes coaches from elite college programs to our gym in Saxtons River for recruiting exhibitions. Our September 9 exhibition brought coaches from Dartmouth, Yale, Bucknell, Boston University, Jacksonville, Siena, Holy Cross, Mount St. Mary's, and more, to Williams Gymnasium at 8 AM to watch and meet with players on the Wildcats.

The National Letter of Intent (NLI) is a binding agreement between a prospective student-athlete and an NLI member institution. By signing the NLI, a student-athlete agrees to attend the institution full-time for one academic year (two semesters or three quarters).The institution in turn agrees to provide athletic financial aid for one academic year (two semesters or three quarters). For a student, signing an NLI stops any other school from actively recruiting them, which allows the student to focus on their team and their studies.

Cook will start playing for LIU-Brooklyn next season.