Daniel Poneman
2008- January 29th

It just keeps getting better for Jack Cooley. The junior power forward has picked up his third high major scholarship offer in as many days, as head coach Bo Ryan and the Wisconsin Badgers have now offered him a scholarship. Cooley got offers from Illinois and Notre Dame in the past two days.

Cooley has great size and strength at 6-8 and has a nice feel for the game. He is a terrific rebounder and is a good post defender. Cooley also has some nice offensive moves and can knock down shots at the line. The aggressive big man always seems to be playing hard in games and he works hard in practice too, as demonstrated by his vast improvement of late. Cooley has been nothing short of dominant for the GBS this year, leading the Titans to an 8-12 record. In his last two games Cooley put up 30 points and 15 rebounds in a win over prospect with Notre Dame coach Mike Brey watching, and poured in 24 points in a loss to Evanston with Illinois coach Bruce Weber on hand.

This past summer Cooley teamed with Marcus Jordan, Jereme Richmond, Chris Colvin, Nik Garcia, Cortney Bell, Eric Dortch and other top players on Brian Davis’ 16u Rising Stars. He played very well at a number of national tournaments including the Nike Peach Jam and the Nike Maine Event. After a game against the Iowa Barnstormers at the Nike Maine Event, Rivals.com senior writer Justin Young had this to say about Cooley. “Jack Cooley was a monster against the Iowa Barnstormers. The 6-foot-8 strong-as-an-ox big man scored 26 points against a team that matched his size and natural strength. Cooley isn't flashy but he's good at what he does.” This upcoming AAU season Cooley will team with Illinois commit Jereme Richmond (Waukegan), Marcus Jordan (Whitney Young), Nik Garcia (Niles West), DePaul commit Cull Payne (Schaumburg) on the 17u Rising Stars.

To go with the offers from Wisconsin, Illinois and Notre Dame, Cooley also boasts scholarship offers from 7 mid major programs including Loyola, Southern Illinois, and Miami (OH). Cooley is also being recruited hard by Kentucky, Iowa, Northwestern and others.