Five-star small forward Mookie Cook lists Gonzaga in final nine

One of the top-ranked players in the 2023 recruiting class is considering Gonzaga as a potential college destination.

The Bulldogs still have a chance at reeling in five-star small forward Mookie Cook, who revealed a list of nine finalists to Joe Tipton of On3 Recruits on Tuesday. Gonzaga made the cut along with Texas Tech, Kansas, Oregon, Arizona, Kentucky, Memphis, Michigan and UCLA.

Cook reported Gonzaga had made him an offer on Oct. 5, 2021. A total of 21 Division I schools have offered the five-star player who’s considered the fourth-ranked overall prospect in the class of 2023 along with the second-ranked small forward.

Gonzaga may have a geographic advantage on most of the other schools in Cook’s final nine. The 6-foot-7, 200-pound recruit currently plays for Compass Prep in Chandler, Arizona, but he’s an Oregon native who opened up his high school career playing for Portland powerhouse Jefferson High.

Cook, whose given name is Marquis, has only taken visits to Oregon and Kentucky, but he told 247Sports.com he hopes to visit Gonzaga along with a few of his other final schools.

The Zags have offers out to four players in the class of 2023 according to 247Sports, but one of those, point guard Jeremy Fears, has already given a commitment to Michigan State. Five-star shooting guard Jared McCain has planned a visit to Gonzaga on Feb. 12-14 while five-star small forward JJ Taylor has indicated to multiple recruiting sites the Bulldogs have been in frequent contact.

Gonzaga is still putting the final touches on its 2022 recruiting class, which has just one signature, from Illinois four-star Braden Huff, at the moment. Texas five-star Anthony Black, who took a visit to Spokane during Kraziness at the Kennel, has yet to announce a commitment or release a list of finalists.