Resistance is futile. The Johnathan Burroughs-Cook hype bandwagon is pulling out of the station and you have no choice but to hop on. The late-signing, under-recruited freshman has been granted more and more playing time as the season has gone on thanks to his so-tenacious-it's-almost-reckless style and propensity to make plays. In just a few short weeks he's moved so far up the rotation thats he's now the Cougars' go-to sixth man. He's proven his worth in extended minutes against Furman and Coker. He's must-see JBC. And he's your new favorite player - here's 10 reasons why. All aboard!
1) He started off his career like this
It didn't take long for Johnathan (yes, that's how you spell his first name) to find a warm place in our hearts. Entering an exhibition game in garbage time, he decided that coasting to a modest victory in his first collegiate game just wasn't his style. Not breaking 100 points against Newberry College doesn't sit too well with JBC's go hard 24/7/365 style so instead THIS IS WHAT YOU HEARING. Number 2 decided to take matters into his own hands and posterize some 6-7 kid from a 1,000 student Evangelical college to get CofC over the century mark and give us college basketball's first highlight dunk of the season. The #FreeJBC movement was born.
2) He has three names
Joining the storied ranks of three-named luminaries such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Daniel Day-Lewis and Billy Dee Williams, Johnathan Burroughs-Cook's name oozes excellence and cool. His last name, Cook, is reflective of his propensity to "cook" opponents in limited minutes. Not unlike a microwave.
3) He's from Memphis, TN
4) This attempted dunk against Miami
When you put JBC in the game, rest assured that no rim is safe. The hoop is the acquired target and it's go hard or go home. As you can see from the above picture, JBC's trajectory for finishing above the rim will come up a few inches short...he was definitely not still on his way up at the point this photo was taken. Jonathan would go on to miss this dunk but it's the aggressiveness that counts. JBC doesn't let a 1-on-4 fast break against the ACC Champs or his 6'1 frame stop him from trying to flush another jam in front of the TD Arena crowd. After getting stuffed by the iron and crashing to the floor, JBC dusted himself off and hustled back on defense.
5) He chose CofC over Northeastern
Can you imagine JBC ballin' up in Bah-ston? His southern drawl is as slow as the Mississippi, he belongs in Charleston.
6) He played AAU ball for Team Penny (as in Hardaway)
And his high school team was the Roadrunners
7) He was raised by wolves and interned with Somali pirates last summer*
*still factually unconfirmed
8) He's leads CofC in highlights per minute and a number of other small-sample statistics
Despite averaging just 8 minutes per game, JBC leads the team in both three-point percentage (41.7%) and free throw shooting (75%) - two huge weaknesses in the Cougar offense this year. He also ranks second on the team, between Barry and Baru, for points per minute played. He's also got the best motor on the team and I'm waiting for him to dive out of bounds and throw the ball of his opponents' leg so hard he tears some kid's ACL.
9) He loves the beach!
10) He's only just a freshman!
Terrance O'Donohue was the highest ranked player in last year's recruiting class, Canyon Barry leads the team in points and Joe Chealey has been nationally lauded for his outstanding play as a freshman. Lost in the mix up until now was JBC. He brings the playmaking of Chealey and the shooting of Barry along with an aggressive effort on defense. He's a perfect sixth man and will continue to grow over the next three and a half years. Team JBC for life!
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