‘I know he would be so proud of us’: South Allegheny star Drew Cook celebrates school’s first WPIAL championship at the cemetery with his late brother Tony

Drew Cook and his teammates had gold medals placed around their necks after leading South Allegheny to its first WPIAL championship on March 1.

While that celebration, which came in front of a crowd of thousands at Petersen Events Center, was a memorable one for Cook, it was another medal ceremony, one that was more somber and accompanied by no fanfare, that was even more meaningful.

It came at Calvary Cemetery in Port Vue last Friday, and it consisted of Drew and brother Alijah placing their gold medals on the gravestone of older brother Tony, who passed away in 2021 at the age of 16.

“It was very emotional,” Cook said. “I had mixed feelings. I was happy but sad at the same time. I just wish he was here to see what we’re doing, making history for the school. I know he would be so proud of us.”

Cook, a standout junior guard and South Allegheny’s leading scorer, plays for Tony, who would have turned 20 years old in April. Tony was a huge basketball fan who dreamed of playing on the high school team but never got the opportunity after fighting a variety of illnesses, one being the malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor that ultimately took his life.

Drew Cook said in January that if the Gladiators were to win their first WPIAL championship, he would honor his late brother by taking his gold medal to the cemetery and putting it on Tony’s gravestone. And Drew did just that last Friday afternoon when he, along with father Bilal and brothers Alijah and Abel, stopped by the cemetery to celebrate with Tony. Alijah is a freshman reserve guard on the team. The Cooks then took the medals back home. Drew said his is hanging in his bedroom.

Coincidentally, Bilal Cook once did something similar three decades ago. After his brother Tony died at the age of 25 in January 1994, Cook, just 16 at the time, placed the 1993 WPIAL and PIAA football championship gold medals he won at old Duquesne High School in his brother’s casket. Bilal actually named his son Tony after his late brother.

Less than a week before the Cooks visited Calvary Cemetery, South Allegheny rallied from 4 points down in the final minute to beat No. 1 seed and two-time defending champion Aliquippa, 37-35, in the WPIAL Class 3A championship. Cook scored 10 points in the game, including three free throws with 34 seconds left that pulled the Gladiators within 35-34. Following a timeout, senior teammate Josh Jackowski stole a pass and converted a layup with 29 seconds left to put the Gladiators in front.

“In the huddle after I made those free throws, Josh said, ‘We’re doing this for Tony.’ And then he gets the steal and layup to put us up. It was a very special moment,” Drew said.

South Allegheny has since turned its focus to the PIAA tournament. The Gladiators had never even qualified for the PIAA playoffs until 2020, but they now find themselves four wins away from capturing their first title. Cook scored a team-high 22 points while leading the Gladiators (24-3) to a 75-37 home win against District 9 champ Cranberry in Saturday’s first round.

“This means the world to us,” Cook said. “Seeing the community come together … there were alumni that haven’t been to the school in years that were at our game [Saturday].”

South Allegheny will take the court again Wednesday when it faces District 6 runner-up Bishop Guilfoyle in a second-round game at Armstrong.

Cook knows his team still has a lot of work to do in order to earn a first PIAA title, but he also knows where he’ll be taking his gold medal if they do — Calvary Cemetery.

Said Cook, “Going right back.”