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John Cooksey starred at CHS, Webster U.
Even before he was a Centralia Orphan, John Cooksey was on the court at Trout Gym.
"I was one of the little kids who were always under the basket when the teams were shooting in warmups," he said. "Playing basketball in the backyard or the driveway, we’d talk about being an Orphan, and then to do it years later is something you look back on now as a really special time, and you feel fortunate to have been a part of it."
Cooksey’s part in it was a major one as a four-year starter in basketball and multi-sport athlete at CHS from where he graduated in 1989, after which he starred at Webster University as a player and became a coach, first at Kaskaskia College and for over a decade, at Harry S. Truman College in Chicago.
At Centralia High School, he earned nine varsity letters including three in football and two in track. But it was in basketball where he stepped on to the court and made an immediate impression after drawing attention at Trinity Lutheran School as a well-over six-foot eight grader.
"Basketball was one of those things I loved doing and it came easier, not just because of my size but but because I was lucky to have coaches to work with me to improve my game and not just on the 6-5, 6-6 side of things," he said. "Being able to go to the Community Center, playing in the summer, having my dad take me to Trinity’s gym to shoot around, and Fred Pearson took us all over the place to play older kids. All that helped me get prepared."
At CHS, Cooksey was a consistent performer on the hardwood, averaging 10.8 points and 4.1 rebounds as a freshman, 10.7 ppg and 4.1 rpg as a junior and 10.7 ppg and 6.5 rpg as a junior despite a broken wrist that sidelined him for nearly two-thirds of the season.
As a senior, he posted numbers of 15.2 points and 8.7 rebounds a game to finish with 1,138 points in his career which ranked seventh in CHS all-time annals at the time while also being named Co-South 7 Conference MVP, All-South, Salem Tournament MVP and All-Centralia Holiday Tournament.
"It’s weird to say, but the losses stick out," he said of his days with the Orphans which included three regional championships and a sectional title in 1988. "I remember playing East St. Louis (Lincoln) in the super-sectional and it was tough getting beat by Mount Vernon in the regional (his sophomore year).
"But there were a lot of good wins. The Holiday Tournament championship (in 1986) was something I’ll never forget. Whether it was a regular-season game on a Friday or Saturday night, or the Holiday Tournament or hosting a regional, the atmosphere in Trout Gym was electric. The fans were supportive and they came out in force."
From there, Cooksey went to Webster University and averaged 18.4 points and 9.3 rebounds a game while ending his career as a Gorlok in the school’s all-time top five in points, rebounds, blocked shots free throws, field goals and field goal percentage. Cooksey was also a three-time All-Conference selection and was twice chosen team captain.
Following a stint as an assistant coach at Webster during which time Webster reached the NCAA Division III Tournament for the first time in school history, he returned home for a nine-season stint as head men’s basketball coach at Kaskaskia College.
In 2008, he became the head men’s coach at Harry S. Truman Community College in Chicago, a position he held until this year. He still remains a faculty member at Truman and is an instructor in the school’s Business and Computer Information Systems Department.
But Centralia will always be special to him, he said.
"When I’m back in town and drive past the (former) high school, part of me goes back to that time when I was a kid, and then as a player walking into Trout Gym," he said. "I think about a lot of things I did as a coach that I can trace back to Bob Bogle, especially on the defensive side. I really appreciated his knowledge and wherever I played, I thought of all the coaches I’ve had, whether it was Fred (Pearson), Richard Crouse or Jeff Carling, although I never actually played for him. But all of them were smart about the game, they were good teachers and they took the time to help me get better."
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