ANDRE COOK – ST. EDWARD’S UNIVERSITY MEN’S BASKETBALL HEAD COACH – EPISODE 698
Website – https://gohilltoppers.com/sports/mens-basketball
Email – andrec@stedwards.edu
Twitter – @CoachAndreCook
Andre Cook is entering his 14th season as the Head Men’s Basketball Coach at St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas. He has led St. Edward’s to nine winning seasons in his tenure with an overall record of 221-152 including a program record 30 wins in 2018-19. That season The Hilltoppers snagged the Heartland Conference Regular Season title, Heartland Conference Tournament Championship and advanced to the NCAA Regional Final while being ranked as high as #2 nationally during the season. Cook was named the 2019 Clarance Gaines Award winner, given by CollegeInsider.com to the Division II National Coach of the Year and NABC District Coach of the Year.
Cook came to St. Edward’s from Hudson Valley Community College, where he compiled an overall record of 119-40 in five seasons. He previously served as an assistant at Union College from 1994-1996 while earning his master’s degree in teaching social studies. Cook also coached basketball at Hudson Falls High School from 1996-2004 where he also taught and served as assistant principal.
Cook played four years at Skidmore College and is in the top 10 in scoring at Skidmore with over 1,000 points. In 2012, Cook was inducted into the Capital District Basketball Hall of Fame in Albany, New York.
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Be prepared to take some notes as you listen to this episode with Andre Cook, Men’s Basketball Head Coach at St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas.
What We Discuss with Andre Cook
- The early influence of his youth basketball coach growing up in New York
- Playing baseball against Manny Ramirez
- What he learned from his high school coach, George Mardigan, that sticks with him today
- How he ended up playing his college basketball at Skidmore
- Using his experiences as a player to understand what his players are dealing with day to day
- Thinking and acting like a coach while he has still playing
- His first coaching job at Union College and learning the lesson that you can get fired
- “It’s hard to win one game.”
- The legacy of Gregg Popovich
- Being the head coach and eventually assistant principal at Hudson Falls (NY) High School and realizing how fast the time went
- Leaving High School to coach at JUCO Hudson Valley Community College
- The connections that got him to St. Edward’s in Austin, Texas
- Building the program at St. Edward’s and his keys to success
- The importance of relationships with his players and how his coaching has evolved
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THANKS, ANDRE COOK
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TRANSCRIPT FOR ANDRE COOK – ST. EDWARD’S UNIVERSITY MEN’S BASKETBALL HEAD COACH – EPISODE 697
[00:00:00] Mike Klinzing: Hello and welcome to the Hoop Heads Podcast. It’s Mike Klinzing here with my co-host Jason Sunkle tonight. And we are pleased to welcome to the podcast, the head men’s basketball coach at St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas, Andre Cook. Andre, welcome to the Hoop Heads Pod.
[00:00:15] Andre Cook: Thanks for having me.
[00:00:17] Mike Klinzing: Absolutely. We are excited to be able to have you on and looking forward to diving into all the things that you’ve been able to do in your coaching career.
Want to start by going back in time to when you were a kid. Tell us a little bit about some of your first experiences with the game of basketball, what you remember from early years.
[00:00:40] Andre Cook: Yeah, it’s really like I can actually pinpoint a day my local friends we were all baseball players and kind of football youth Catholic public school in fourth day as a basketball trials. Where you guys at? Oh, we’re at St. Basils. It’s five and show up for I’m, Can I go? Yeah. This is literally and raised my grandparents and for tryouts and I went and met a coach changed basketball athletic. I was nine years old.
[00:01:42] Mike Klinzing: It’s amazing how much of an impact a coach at a youth level can have. Yeah. And I think sometimes we forget that those people that get us off to such a really good start in whatever sport it might be, those people have such a huge impact on whether or not a kid sticks with and I think sometimes we forget. So when you think back to the adults that had that influence on you early on, what are some things you remember about just the way that they coached or the things that they did or how they built relationships with you that sort of stuck with you and made you want to stick with hoops?
[00:02:18] Andre Cook: Yeah. Orlando Jr. Currently the head coach at our, at our high school went to his dad. We had kids, you son’s daughters, played fun, said tremendous respect for us, was also involved league. And he coached us and Mr. Jim coached us all the way, fourth, sixth, seventh, New York. And you know that one of those friends, I was my best. We were together
to. We loved. Our childhood wasn’t, we don’t remember how much money we had. Know the youngest of Right. I didn’t know that. We didn’t for sure.A wonderful childhood and really I baseball as a kid, but first one really up that cause. Really didn’t.
[00:04:06] Mike Klinzing: So once you started getting into basketball a little bit more, what was your process for. Getting better. Did you have, Were you one of those kids that had a plan like, Hey, I’m going to do this, I’m going to get better, I’m working out on my own. Or was it more just, I just love to play and I’m finding pickup games.
Just what did you do, let’s say, as a high school player to really improve yourself as a player?
[00:04:26] Andre Cook: It was to school coach.
I kind of, my shift as a kid loving baseball and to now basketball was my love. And it was, I love being in the gym with, remember old school vest? Why can’t sleep right now? Old school running up, getting off. It was George,
I remember my baseball at 18. I played in the Regional Championship and we lost the. I walked, Oh, Manny Ramirez, right? Oh yeah, for sure.
[00:05:45] Mike Klinzing: Man. We love Manny.
[00:05:46] Andre Cook: Absolutely. Manny Ramirez. I thought regularly, and he really, it, George Morgan was my history teacher and a basketball coach, and my relationship with him cemented the, that’s.
[00:06:34] Mike Klinzing: What about him would you say, when you think about yourself as a coach today, what are some things that you’ve still got inside of you or that you incorporate into your coaching that you feel like are a result of his influence on you early on?
[00:06:50] Andre Cook: This this is story that I can remember when I was 10th grade and really changed my thought process. Coach always was, I’m, but don’t, you have moments in your life, these moments that day about, we play game and this is, we beat to, and the kind of, we played two weeks, something like that. And we practice and, and coach got out of there so fast, literally by 65, take a of that extra lap with that 40 pound fest. I, I can do those things. This guy is here. He’s the Albany. When I would get 95% of of coaches of people were just put that night off and I think we’re going to be ok. We just won by 65. Yeah.
[00:09:10] Mike Klinzing: Well, that speaks to right the amount of time as a coach that you have to put in, which I think said it a lot on the podcast, but I don’t think the average person, player, parent of a player really understands the amount of time that goes into it.
Whether you’re talking about on the high school level or the college level. There’s just so many things that go on behind the scenes that I just don’t think people realize. And I think that story does a really good job of illustrating where there’s a case. As you said, clearly, most coaches probably be like, eh we don’t, we don’t have to worry, we don’t have to worry about it, but I’ll have dinner with my wife.
Right, That’s right. Which, might not be a bad choice in and of itself, ,
[00:09:50] Andre Cook: Right.
[00:09:52] Mike Klinzing: But we know as coaches that we tend to put all that put our heart and soul into it, and, and the amount of time that it takes to, to be great at what you do it takes a lot of time. And I think that’s something that’s a theme that’s run through the pod and with conversations with lots of other people.
When you think back to that time as a player and, and playing for Coach Mardigan, what’s your favorite memory? Of just being a part of his teams. You know, it could be a moment in the game, could be a moment off the court. Just maybe a general feeling. Just what’s, what’s your memory when you think high school basketball?
What immediately comes to mind? What memory pops into your head?
[00:10:29] Andre Cook: In the Albany area. Bigshe in, they had a their best player was Scott Cherry who played for Dean Smith, who’s three. And that I hit the shot. You’re, if you went, people remember those those matchups?
[00:11:45] Mike Klinzing: Do you have that video on tape? You have that shot on tape?
[00:11:48] Andre Cook: I do.I have Scott Cherry’s and I have mine. You know, those short shorts are coming back
[00:12:03] Mike Klinzing: I know. Isn’t that hard to believe? It’s crazy to me, that’s a, that’s a trend I never thought I’d see again,
[00:12:14] Andre Cook: We had about 6,000 held about 6,000 a packed house. He just. You know, you don’t, you don’t lose those memories. You know? You now that I’m
did, right. Yeah. Years ago. And I guess you do what you love. It just goes by really fast.
[00:12:41] Mike Klinzing: So true. And yeah, time really goes beyond fast, especially once you have kids. I sent my first one to college, and when we dropped her off, you’re looking at it going, Wait, I was just holding her in the hospital.
How can, I don’t know, It goes goes fast, Let’s put it that way.
[00:12:58] Andre Cook: 15 years. I know
[00:13:01] Mike Klinzing: So, talk a little bit about your recruitment and your decision to play college basketball and going to Skidmore. Just talk a little bit about the whole process, what you remember about that.
[00:13:11] Andre Cook: Well, I was like everybody you guys talk to, they wan to go D one, right?
For sure. Yeah, absolutely. And I averaged 24 points a games Colgate you know, the late great Jack Bruen, and I visited the Holy Cross with George Lane and. That’s where I was going to go to one of those, Well, they didn’t the whatever it was, and I appreciated it. And then my grandfather, my grandparents raise raised, my grandfather was tough. And he didn’t Situation that you go to, right? Colgate didn’t work out, so he, he was like, You’re going to go RPI and become an engineer. There’s question . That was it. There’s literally, so, so Mike, you didn’t work, so now you homes so great. Legendary coach and grandfather’s folks come and like, No, no, he’s. So that’s how this, these visit have that feeling. And I went more and I, I told him I was going more, he’s. I mean, was just kind of like varsity for like.
Know, I thought, hey and dominant, that’s absolutely, that’s not goes.
[00:17:18] Mike Klinzing: Yeah. I think that’s a challenge, right? When you have your mindset on a particular level. And I think that’s a misconception that’s still out there today that I’m sure that you run into all the time when you’re having convers conversations with players and parents of players that I just don’t think people have any idea what the level of college basketball looks like.
Like how good you have to be to play. I don’t care what level of the game, you have to be a really, really, really good player. And I think there’s just, because everybody sees division one on TV all the time and that’s what people mostly aspire to, because that’s what they know. Yeah. And so then they tend to think, oh, division two, division three.
Juco, whatever that, those levels of basketball, I don’t think high school players and parents really have a good understanding. A lot of cases, high school coaches, unless they’ve had a lot of experience with players going to play college basketball, even I think high school coaches sometimes underestimate how good the basketball is at the college level.
And so I can completely understand you coming in and being like, Hey I was a guy that I think of myself as division one player and I’m going to go to division three and I’m coming in. I’m going to be the man. And so when you, So what, what was the biggest, what was the biggest adjustment? I mean, obviously there’s the standard answer of guys are just bigger and faster.
Yeah. Right. I mean, that’s the answer. And but beyond that, what do you remember about, just, even if you talk about specific guys or just, man, I had to match up against so and so and this guy just was kicking my tail, or whatever it was.
[00:18:51] Andre Cook: And at that point I could make, but it wasn’t really my game. And yeah, some adjustment. And then being local, I was from my high school and everybody was like, What’s wrong with Andre right?
It’s not bad. That’s pretty good. That’s pretty good. Yeah. Like it’s you, you look back at it now that I’ve been for a long time, like that’s bad, but you’re
[00:20:05] Mike Klinzing: absolutely,
[00:20:06] Andre Cook: absolutely. So that’s kind down there and that that wasn’t happening and I hadn’t come, I wasn’ consistent the shooter to be as success. You successful as to that was of. To change my game. And it’s a time About you’re the part, there’s. Right. And you know, Rochester, nyu, Chicago, Weeds, Middlebury going was really in mirror. How good I, Right. Right.
[00:21:53] Mike Klinzing: So have you used that experience when you’re talking to players that you’ve coached over the years in terms of helping them to adjust to, hey, everybody who comes. Comes and plays. College basketball was probably one of the best players on their high school team. They’ve kind of always been the big fish.
And now suddenly you’re coming in and you have to compete and maybe you’re not getting the minutes that you think you’re going to get. And we know that there’s this, obviously today more so than ever, there’s this transfer mentality of, Hey, things aren’t going well early and I’m going to get out and people at home are telling me I should be playing and I should be this and I should be that, or I should leave.
So I’m assuming that your own personal experience, you’ve been able to utilize that and in conversations with players. So maybe just talk a little bit about how you, how you use your own experiences to be able to relay to players, Hey, you have to, you have to stick with it.
[00:22:43] Andre Cook: Great question. And I, well, one thing that I say and, and you know, like if you, if you say, In my day, right?
Yeah. You never want to say that? I had been in every role, everything that you guys are going through, I been in every role have been, I have been freshman. That’s just trying to out to get some on I, that role where you’re,
that’s average 13 points, kind of the third or fourth option. And I had been the first. Right, All of that. So when, when, when the kid, that is the freshman’s that never play, didn’t play. So I’m not saying anything about that, but is part of being in exactly know one. And I also know that pressure of get team that dichotomy of won’t.
So I think all of those roles I can communicate with our guys that I’ve been there. I do understand and I’m like, I think can relate to that. And you know Every day coming in and you’re talking about your glory days guys shut down fast.
[00:25:25] Mike Klinzing: Yeah, Especially the further away you get from those glory days. Yes, yes, yes. It’s one thing if you’re 24 and those of your glory and your glory days are like two years ago, then it’s a little bit easier to sort of back it up when you’re 30 years removed from your glory days.
It’s not, it’s doesn’t quite the same, let’s put it that way.
[00:25:55] Andre Cook: I would play every day. Right, exactly. Coach is pretty good, you know? Now I find,
[00:26:08] Mike Klinzing: Yeah. My standard answer, whatever, there’s, somebody comes up and asks me something about. Oh, this or that or playing. I’m always like, That was a long, that was a long time ago. That’s my standard answer.
[00:26:19] Andre Cook: A long time ago in, Yep.
[00:26:25] Mike Klinzing: No question about that. All. So thinking back to college, while you’re playing, I know you said earlier that you kind of knew from your experience with high school basketball and your high school coach, that you knew you wanted to go the coaching route, but at the same time, I could feel your passion for being a player.
So while you were playing, were you looking at things also from a coaching perspective, trying to think about, okay, what are we doing and why are we doing it? And what am I learning about coaching? Or at that point, were you still strictly like. I’m a player and I’ll shift over to coaching once my playing career is over.
[00:27:07] Andre Cook: No, and was too much as a senior and I was where I was on the court and dictating traffic and you have to go here, who’s godfather since I was 14 years old and he high school junior, a senior and was focused to the. My own game. It ever just the know you’re coaching, you a coach, just play really, It really helped my senior, it really helped I was done. Cause I was a successful player.
[00:29:13] Mike Klinzing: What are you thinking at that point? I know you went on and you got a master’s in teaching from Union College, but just what was the thought process when you graduate? Were you thinking at that point high school coaching? Were you thinking college coaching? Cause I know you got an opportunity to work with the Union college team.
So just talk a little bit about where your mind was a.t
[00:29:37] Andre Cook: it was for sure to be a college coach. There was no, never a thought of being high school. I can remember the final four was inCharlotte. You know, I remember being in Charlotte talking to
people’s prevalent back to those days. And who I get, What assistant do I get? One of the schools that my grandfather said.
[00:30:40] Mike Klinzing: What do you remember about that piece of it in terms of being an assistant that has helped you as a head coach to maybe understand what your, what your assistants are going through, or what their mindset and thought process is as they’re working in your program.
[00:30:57] Andre Cook: Yeah it was a tough, it was a tough time.
The fulltime assistant, my second year now the fulltime assistant year off sabbatical was basically the time coach, full time assistant coach. And the, the program was sliding and unfortunately last year. I just remember, like, he was such his daughter was basketball, I wanted so bad for him. I wish could, something could put on was just slipping Little
wanted, do whatever I could to help. And I was teaching during the day. I was in class, I was working and she’s slept a day to,
I saw a side of. Get fired guy years. Right. You know, can get fired. That part.
Sunshine and rainbows it isn’t all just everybody puts their hand in the middle be seen. And so there is a part to it that is a business that you have to win and then otherwise get somebody else to do it.
[00:33:09] Mike Klinzing: That makes complete sense. And I think when you start thinking about sort of the, what makes, what makes any job, I mean, coaching obviously is something that we all talk about.
The, the other pieces of, of coaching and how important they are in terms of developing your student athletes and what they do in the classroom, what they do in the community. But I think a lot of times you see that. There still has to be winning attached to those things. Yeah. Obviously you want, you want all of them, but when you start talking about the college level, even at the high school level, ultimately most of the time you end up being judged by wins and losses.
Now you can maybe mitigate that some with some of the other things, but you definitely, you definitely get to see a side where if you’re winning, then everybody talks about how important those other things are. But if you’re, if you’re not winning, then those other things become a little less important when it becomes, comes time to your job security, unfortunately.
[00:34:09] Andre Cook: Right. You know, and that’s, and that’s what I now being a head coach for years, like, I used to, when I first started coaching I was, I was what my record was, Right. You saw me my first coaching high school. I took you when everybody looked at me, forget about like playing career points. I was seven 16 now. Well, even still super important, but I, that is a tough part of it. And I would say this, but we we all don’t get to ride out on our. At the end of our and like, it doesn’t, it doesn’t always work like that. And you see a lot of lot of stories of, and not, how don’t,
Everywhere you go Some people don’t get that. And in that part of it’s difficult. You right? Because, and your jokes aren’t funny anymore. People aren’t. It’s freshen.
As you guys know, it’s hard to win one game, a lot went into that game. And then father is the assistant. So tomorrow I get to see the great coach pop. Oh, that’s, Can’t wait. I mean, look at that guy. I mean, 73, I mean, what I can’t wait. I’m not sure I’ll sleep you. I’m think about going to, you, I’m going to probably, I going to be nervous just to shake the man’s hand.
[00:36:55] Mike Klinzing: Coach. Pop might not be sleeping.
His team it may be a rough, it may be a rough year for Pop the first.
[00:37:03] Andre Cook: I Think they know that? I think so. They’re, that,
that a great, some will say is basketball coach. That’s fact that he, knowing team wants to win. Right? Doesn’t, don’t win. They want to win. And, and, and the fact that he said, I heard him say he wants these guys, he wants find winning, in losing, to set up nba that that it really is.
[00:38:30] Mike Klinzing: When you think about what he’s done, what he’s accomplished in his career, and how good winning feels and. Having been to that mountaintop five different times with the Spurs. Yes. And then now you’re looking at it where you go into a season not hoping, Hey, we can compete. Not hoping that we can win a title, but instead understanding that it’s about development and being able to, I don’t know that any coach is ever going to be okay with losing, but understanding the fact that I have to be able to handle those emotions.
I have to be able to look past the result on the scoreboard and see if I can’t figure out another way to measure how I’m impacting the players that are on his team. And yeah, I think to, for somebody to do that at this point in his career and do it knowingly, it’s not like he’s going in where you got, where you got two guys.
Yeah. Like two guy, two guys get hurt and all of a sudden you’re, you’re down at the bottom. This is something that they’re going into the season as you said. Knowingly and they don’t, they don’t want to win games. I mean, hopefully.
[00:39:40] Andre Cook: Actually. Hopefully. Correct,
[00:39:42] Mike Klinzing: That would be a very weird and strange, I think it would be very odd as a coach to, to sort of go into that with the idea that there’s this bigger picture and obviously in college, in high school it, that’s just not, it’s not something that would ever happen.
But in the pros, it would just be interesting to pick his brain or to just talk to other coaches who have been in that situation. Think about like Brett Brown with the process, Sixers, and what’s that like where your franchise is actively trying not to win? Obviously not the players on the floor, not the coaching staff, but.
But you’re almost, if when you’re, you’re doing all these things to work hard to try to win games and you’re, you’re basically counteracting what everybody in the building wants to happen, except for maybe the 12 or 15 guys that are on the practice floor every day.
[00:40:38] Andre Cook: Brett Brown will be there tomorrow as well. these guys, But you could do what Gregg Popovich is doing. Pat Riley knowingly do that. I, I just don’t think so. No, I don’t think so.
[00:41:08] Mike Klinzing: I think Pop is one of those things where he. He has such, and obviously it’s been talked about before, but he has this persona of being that gruff and the his sideline interviews and all those kinds of things.
But then when you read the more in depth stories or you hear people talk about him and, and what he’s like and the team dinners and you think about how he rallied the team after they lose to LeBron and the Ray Allen shot and then they come back to next year and beat Miami. Like, there’s no way as a coach to be able to do that, To be able to have the, the strength of character and just to be able to rebound and come back from something like that with the same group of guys.
To me, that, that that ability, that resilience is just incredible. Again, there’s a reason why, There’s a reason why the guys are the great, There’s a reason why coaches are great. Coaches are great coaches, and there’s a reason why great players are great players. There’s just. Things that they have that just ordinary right, Ordinary, ordinary mortals just don’t have the same capability.
And so I think it’s a, it’s a testimony to him that he’s, he’s willing to step in there and do. That’s really, it really is incredible
[00:42:24] Andre Cook: at 73, right?
[00:42:26] Mike Klinzing: Right. Yeah, exactly.
[00:42:28] Andre Cook: He can just very easily tomorrow say, I don’t want to do it. for sure. People would say, I get it,
[00:42:38] Mike Klinzing: but you just get his court side seat and sit across, sit across the way and watch, right?
Yes. Be a lot less stress. Yes. Anyway,
[00:42:48] Andre Cook: so tomorrow we’re talking about great coaches and, and tomorrow I get, I get opportunity whether I get meet him or not maybe depends on how practice is going.
[00:43:02] Mike Klinzing: That’s awesome. That’s going to be a lot of fun. And one of those experiences that, when you think about, when you think about learning, right?
That’s one of the things that as a coach throughout your career, you’re always trying to listen and learn and, and figure things out. So when you were a young coach, where’d you go to learn? Who did you go to? Did you have mentors? Were you reading, watching film? All the above. Just what do you remember about trying to improve your craft as a young coach when you were coaching a high school team?
[00:43:27] Andre Cook: Wow.
You know, I had some opportunities those thousand live on campus meal assistance, right. You got these degrees. Don’t for a teaching job Amsterdam, that I got a social studies job and Hudson Falls had the varsity job open and Amsterdam was. Yeah, I don’t know where, why I had this kind of confidence or arrogance coaching. I didn’t, the players, these kids were wonderful and I obviously don’t need those kids all that no longer. They’re years old. Right. And then here comes a principal named, that was a former basketball coach coaching World history was coach like we’re bad and we’re trying to turn this thing around and how we going to do that all. I’m just going to work harder, watch more film, get the gym more. That’s all we didn’t getting, We might both seven wins to 10 wins to wins to 20 wins in four years. It was like, ok. I get out now
You start to figure out like, I can’t like that’s not who I, And you really start what works right and scroll right into the fire years.
Out and I’m, I made know, made back then. But you know, you the years and then as you knows it was more talking to the local college coaches and other high school coaches just trying to, trying to get it all figured out. And you tons of. But again, I change, I wouldn’t change my route in poetry. I wouldn’t change it.
[00:48:46] Mike Klinzing: Well it’s also something to be said for when you’re learning on the job and you have to figure things out.
That experience now, maybe for those kids that played for you in those early years, they might be like, Oh, coach man, I remember when you did this or that,
But the reality is, is that probably over the course of time, that ability to experiment and try and fail and do this and try that probably led you to a place where it made you a better coach in the long run for having gone through that experience and being able to do and, and be a head coach at such an early age gave you a, gave you a leg up as you move forward.
Because you just had so many more games of coaching and being able to run your own program and obviously you eventually. Left the high school level and and move on to the college level, which we can talk about here in a second. But yeah, I think just gaining that experience is, was a huge piece of it. By the end of that high school experience, did you feel like you had kind of got a hold of how you wanted to coach where you were no longer just kind of mimicking what you had seen from your high school and college coach?
When did you feel like you kind of came into your own? Was that while you were still coaching high school or did that not happen until you got to college.
[00:50:01] Andre Cook: I don’t how I can envision how should be played and how to articulate. I had thoughts and successful, that’s game. Right? That’s how can I that’s kind of how my coaching is developed. The is the college to be able to articulate. Who I am, what I envision, and who are my boss. And 10 years ago they say
[00:51:39] Mike Klinzing: That’s a different era, right?
[00:51:40] Andre Cook: Hudson Falls, I was an assistant principal, you know and they made me an interim principal. Our principal became a superintendent, and I offered the principal’s job and can’t. I was like, Whoa, whoa. How did this happen so fast, Mike? I kind of to get back on track? Boston University was an assistant football coach when I was the grad assistant at Union College. We were both at. And you know, the college
became college Hudson was part-time. And so while Drew was interviewing these, the candidates he was calling me on every candidate, Audrey, he’s a football. This guy, I’m interviewing this guy what do you’re, I’m bringing in this guy on Wednesday. What do you And so every candidate and so he says I go, Sounds like you’ve, how’s it goes? Interview one more candidate
I can’t do that. Parttime. What if I said I excuse? What if I said I could make it full time? I said, Oh, ok. That’s interesting. He’s like, Let’s, let’s talk.
He asked me what I made at the time. He can’t get you for that number to wife about what is doable you do to my wife. I do my wife a lot. I popped like, I think I, he did some work wed valley literally in high school and got the job and I was said, Life has changed, baby girl. We moved back basically back home and we took it.
[00:55:32] Mike Klinzing: What do you remember about walking in? That first day and thinking about what you needed to do, how familiar were you with the JUCO level of basketball that you were now going to be coaching?
Just where was the state of the program and then how prepared do you feel like you were to be able to do the things that needed to be done in order to get it where you wanted to go? ?
[00:55:56] Andre Cook: Well, I just mentioned Vince right time. My son, my son. He got all these connections, Vince,
and I would say like Vince was part-time, so Vince was teaching, he was driving in the Hudson Valley. I think he just got worn out after doing that for nine years. And, but he no success allow to get another job. I just did the job that college Stadium of these amenities, I just think needed some, some juice back into the game, and I was hoping to be able to do that and I also wanted to do it with. There’s no the time or where? Go there You want to go? Scholarship. Let’s start here first.wanted a country with all, all my kids. So we were getting great crowds, great energy, All these basketball area.I would’ve probably been with staying there forever. It a great spot back home. People were, were falls, literally living in.
[00:58:20] Mike Klinzing: What do you think was the key to your success there at Hudson Valley and then how did that lead you to the opportunity that you currently have at St. Edward’s
[00:58:30] Andre Cook: Yeah, and process, and then then became okay for some bounceback. You know, Tiki Maki as a freshman was the one player in the country.
[00:59:52] Mike Klinzing: So from there, you’ve been in the New York area your entire life. Now you’re nice to Texas. So that is quite a trip cross country. And obviously it’s not just you at that point. You have a family and you have other people that you have to factor into that decision. So what are those conversations like when the opportunity at St.
Edwards comes up? What do you remember about talking through the whole opportunity with your wife?
[01:00:19] Andre Cook: Well, it again You coach, coach seminal moment. Ryan went Southern Vermont and my guys at Southern Vermont, he goes to St. Edwards in Austin. And So when my guy, Justin Gall, he recruits and I’m liketo,I see with him, we saw Austin’s. So that was it. Like Justin didn’t,Ryan Marks gets the ut, and I was literally sitting my office, And So we just said we’re going to, we’re there’s really, and she’s. All, Let’s do it. Let’s do it. And I went a couple months before her. She packed up the whole, the, and she square foot bad decision.
[01:03:49] Mike Klinzing: What were the things that when you went through the interview process that you felt like were in place that made you feel like. You could have success, maybe not immediate success in your first year, but that long term you felt like it was a place that you could win. And then to go along with that, what were the things that you thought needed to be upgraded, improved?
Things that you thought you could bring to the table that could allow the program to get where you wanted to go?
[01:04:19] Andre Cook: I think first of all, it could be hard to get like scholarship cause we scholarships. Our location, many publications would say is the best city this country. Right? There is you can build a niche. We’re of, yes, it’s the road obviously, but build our niche. All we do now that didn’t,
but it was kind of like we were off on our own island in a sense. So that was that little disconcerting, you know. But full scholarship, the city, it felt, it, it fit my personal academic profile that I thought liberal arts schools just didn’t
all over say people flew, but I didn’t make any real connections and that’s probably where I move from, shook a lot of hands, but no real relationship.
[01:06:10] Mike Klinzing: Yeah, that’s really important. Obviously, when you get in and you start talking about coming in from an outside area where you had already built up all your contacts, relationships with high school coaches, and just from growing up there, you had people that you’d known forever and then you go to a completely new area and all of a sudden you’re like, Okay, if I’m going to recruit, I have to start building those relationships with high school coaches.
I have to start building relationships with AAU coaches. And you’re, you’re basically starting. Completely from scratch. How did you approach that from a staff standpoint?
[01:06:41] Andre Cook: You know, I, if I had to, you’ve
Texas is everywhere you go, you a flag. This state has a ton of pride and they don’t, Yankee coming in here and don’t, wasn’t like, yeah, let’s and other Texas that was not their mantra was pleasant and shook that. You know what? Life in Texas, what works, a kid that grew up in New York not necessarily think is a spot for, So I of out Niche, probably just let, just take this first, get the, take this first year and everything you guys don’t, don’t contract. You know, I think I contracts scholarships myself for the first was, it was man, and it was, it was art.
[01:09:12] Mike Klinzing: Once you get in there and you start to see all those things and you start to build those relationships, was there a moment where you felt like, okay, we’ve kind of. Was there one singular moment, maybe a game, maybe a just a recruit that you finally were able to get? Or was it more just a gradual build where it came, you’re like, Okay, now we’re here.
Was it one moment or was it gradual?
[01:09:41] Andre Cook: I think could be both, but I, moment juco guys, it’s new, great round hole, just wasn’t working. And of why you don’t think that? I can understand why if you’re high school, that was you for, So he was the guy there John Anderson School here in John. Was you a great. And I wife’s got somebody else who’s the board and we got John. It was, I remember right where I was in neighborhood and that was, yes, that credibility. Want a job? Remember regional semifinal, division one, and, and, yeah. That’s going.And now we’re here.
[01:12:39] Mike Klinzing: What do you think has been the key to your sustained success? So once you get the program to the point where you’re winning now, I think probably the hardest thing is to be able to maintain and keep that edge. So over the course of your 10 years there, what has been the key to your continued success?
[01:12:59] Andre Cook: I think it’s having the confidence going. You’ve got. This isn’t you. We’re campus Texas. It’s the downtown
Notre. We’ve got a to sell and it’s not, it’s not just something going to give away and, Oh man, 30 they, they didn’t get World Star Championship years in. Now there’s a little bit of. You know, I’m saying I you, that’s, that’s a great people or vision of, of, of how to coach I have now that say, organization
They’re were about the academic piece. So I think that is, we have this confidence now of, hey, over the last 10 years, Pretty good here in South and knowing where we stand and it’s we can get those, what we do of how here. Cause they’re the long foundational piece, but getting not, but it carved out our niche and and now you look back, have led us. I just really enjoy it. You know, I to Sophomore College you, she goes to Southwestern school. About son as an eighth grader. My wife and I, she’s got a great job now. She’s doing great. Everyone’s happy in the, and, and we took a shot. Wasn’t great, but in and love built. I just feel good about who we’re what we does that mean we still, we don’t, as you know, life in basketball. We can’t siting team. Right. I’m thrilled. had some bad workouts. You know,
[01:16:42] Mike Klinzing: Spoken like a true coach.
[01:16:55] Andre Cook: That’s we went back to you four years. I’ve enjoyed this so much. I got a great job. I’m not going to do this. I’m not going to do away.
[01:17:41] Mike Klinzing: That’s what it’s all about. I think when you start talking about being able to get up and be excited about to do every single day, there’s nothing better. Not a lot of people. Unfortunately get to experience that there’s a lot of people that their work is, is drudgery and they get up and they’re like, Yeah, and they’re they’re just, their outlook is not the one that you just described.
So the fact that you have that opportunity to be able to go and do something that you love and do it at a place that you love, there’s nothing better than that. I want to wrap up with a two part question, Andre. So first part is, when you look ahead over the next year or two, what do you see as being your biggest challenge?
And then second part, when you think about what you get to do every single day, what brings you the most joy about being the head coach at St. Edwards?
[01:18:30] Andre Cook: Challenges in over the next year or two is your, again, that thousand a year school that is coming out of challenge, right? That is trying to that from, in a very liberal. That took very conservatively. And that’s us with our, our total number of students. We have a new that’s trying to you a year of no actual in, in learning that couldn’t in, So that small arts are the, all those are hit we’re that’s, That challenge that’s bouncing back. There’s every day and great like you mentioned you have daughter, that’s college, right? A freshman that’s coaching. I have daughter, so, so now you know, back when I was like, that’s son, he’s 18. Future different coaching.
You know that 18 is such a transformative time of these young of cliché and then on other end Saturday, guys, That’s what it’s all about.
[01:21:42] Mike Klinzing: And being able to have that impact, and then not only seeing that impact in the moment, but getting a chance to go to a guy’s wedding. I think most coaches would tell you there’s, there’s nothing better than that. Before we get out, I want to give you a chance to share how people can find out more about you, find out more about your program, connect with you, so whether you want to share email, websites, social media, whatever you feel comfortable with, and then I’ll jump back in and wrap things up.
[01:22:08] Andre Cook: Awesome. @CoachAndreCook on Twitter Email is andrec@stedwards.edu
[01:22:21] Mike Klinzing: Thank you enough for taking the time out of your schedule to jump on with us tonight. It’s been fun getting to know a little bit more about you getting to know your program. And really appreciate your time and to everyone out there, thanks for listening and we will catch you on our next episode. Thanks.