Mookie Cook, one of the nation's top juniors, commits to Oregon Ducks basketball over Gonzaga, Kentucky

The 6-foot-7 forward cites family ties and relationship with Ducks coach Dana Altman for choosing to attend school in the state he grew up.

Consensus five-star junior Mookie Cook announced his commitment to Oregon, choosing the Ducks over Gonzaga and Kentucky.

The 6-foot-7, 200-pound forward and Oregon native announced his commitment live on ESPNU at halftime of the GEICO Nationals quarterfinal broadcast of Sunrise Christian Academy and Prolific Prep.

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Cook is ranked among the top five players in the class of 2023. He's the No. 4 player in the country according to 247 Sports and Rivals and No. 5 per ESPN.

He revealed his choice by unzipping a jacket and revealing an Oregon Ducks shirt as family members in the background behind him did the same. 

5 🌟 ESPN junior 60 Mookie Cook tells @PaulBiancardi and @tedemrich he’s staying HOME #goducks 🦆 @marquiscookk pic.twitter.com/Cl3KPpkoCJ

— SportsCenter NEXT (@SCNext) March 31, 2022

Cook isn't the first Duck in his family. He follows his older sister, Chaquinn Cook, who was a two-time All-American on Oregon's track & field team and the Pac-12 Triple Jump champion in 2017.

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"He's a great guy on and off the court, the conversations me and him were having, it's just the best fit," Cook told ESPN on the broadcast. "He'll actually listen to and he wants to hear feedback."

He played for Jefferson (Ore.) for two seasons before transferring to AZ Compass Prep, citing a desire to play at a nationally-competitive level, like he does for the Oakland Soldiers of the Nike EYBL, regarded as the country's top grassroots circuit. 

Talk of Cook reclassifying up to the class of 2022, joining Oregon five-star signees Kel'el Ware and Dior Johnson, appears to be speculation at this point, though Cook has discussed graduating early.

Though he moved out of state for his last two years of high school, Cook forms an elite in-state recruiting class, joining a 2023 Ducks class that already includes West Linn (Ore.) standout Jackson Shelstad, ESPN's No. 52 player in the country.

Cook, whose full first name is Marquis, played 22 minutes in AZ Compass Prep's season-ending GEICO Nationals quarterfinal loss to Montverde Academy, the No. 4 team in the SBLive/SI Power 25. He scored two points, grabbed four boards and dished out three assists.