David Cohn tops All-Area Boys Basketball North Team
Colorado State-bound Cohn finishes second on York's all-time scoring list
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ELMHURST — When York's season came to an end in the sectional semifinal, no one seemed more devastated than David Cohn.
After all the senior point guard put into the program over four years on varsity, he was understandably at a loss for words.
That's not a common thing for Cohn, who would probably make a high school all-interview team if there was such a thing. Vince Doran, Cohn's fourth high school coach in four seasons, was easily able to explain what Cohn meant to York basketball.
"I always had a smile on my face every night because that kid competed as hard as anyone I've ever coached," Doran said. "When your best player has an attitude like that kid has it changes programs.
"He showed why he's one of the best players in our state. He has a tremendous future ahead of him. It's been an honor to coach somebody like him."
Cohn's future will take place at Colorado State where he will play under coach Larry Eustachy. The Rams appear to be a lock for the NCAA Tournament and have even cracked the top 25 rankings this season.
However, Colorado State's top five scorers and regular starters are all seniors. This opens the door for Cohn to see action right away.
"I really don't care what my role is as long as I feel like I'm giving all I can to continue to help win games," Cohn said. "I would imagine I would be more of the classical point guard. Distribute the ball more to get my older teammates with more experience good looks at the rim."
Cohn compared his upcoming situation to when he made the York varsity team as a freshman. He came off the bench that year, but by his sophomore year solidified his place on the team and showed more glimpses of his talent.
He didn't waste any time sulking over the end of his high school career. Cohn is trying to bulk up on his 155-pound frame to prepare for the more physical college game. He also said he plans to spend a lot of time working on his spot-up shooting, something he admitted is not as strong as he would like.
"I haven't taken a day off since the end of the season," Cohn said. "I was in the gym today after school lifting making sure I can put on some pounds here before I leave."
That work ethic and passion for the game is part of what made the wiry point guard such a standout for the Dukes, but he still refuted the program changer label. Cohn preferred to give that to his former teammate, Will Sullivan. Sullivan is currently a sophomore guard at Miami University in Ohio and is the only player with more career points at York than Cohn, who finished with 1,616.
"He was the first player in like 30 years to play Division I (from York)," Cohn said. "I'm just following in his footsteps."
Regardless of who gets credit, Cohn has noticed a shift at York. In his four years, the Dukes averaged 21 wins per season. This season York won their own Jack Tosh Holiday Classic for the first time since 1980 and a regional title for the first time since 2006.
"I think that the culture is just changing a little bit," Cohn said. "York is becoming more of a basketball-oriented school. A lot more kids are playing AAU."
Meet the 2012-13 All-Area Boys Basketball East Team:
Demetrius Carr
School: IC Catholic
Year: Senior
Carr's superior speed, strength and leaping ability made him one of the most exciting players in the Suburban Christian Conference. The senior guard led IC to back-to-back conference titles for the first time in school history. Carr led the Knights in points (15.9 per game), rebounds (6.8) and assists (2.7).
Simmie Cobbs
School: Montini
Year: Junior
The Oak Park-River Forest transfer stepped right in to lead the Broncos this season. The football standout was an aggressive player inside and averaged a double-double. Cobbs averaged just over 15 points and 10 rebounds per game.
David Cohn
School: York
Year: Senior
Cohn finished his York career as the school's second all-time leading scorer and will continue his career at Colorado State. The quick guard was an elite player in transition. His strong ball-handling skills made it difficult to keep him under wraps. The Duke star averaged about 17 points, four rebounds and three assists per game.
Marvin Grant-Clark
School: Glenbard East
Year: Senior
With Grant-Clark's size, strength and jumping ability it's no surprise he was able to sign before the season to Division II University of Maryville in St. Louis. The physically imposing slasher averaged 11.3 points and 5.4 rebounds for the Rams.
Tiger Greene
School: Willowbrook
Year: Senior
The explosive senior guard showed a lot of improvement this season to become a key player for the Warriors. Greene played bigger than his 6-foot-1 frame thanks to his strong finishing around the basket and an impressive leaping ability.
Jaron Hall
School: Glenbard East
Year: Junior
Hall was the only junior to play significant minutes for the senior-heavy Rams this year and proved he belonged. The sharp-shooting guard was capable of taking over a game at any moment. Hall averaged 13.3 points per game while sinking 40 percent of his three-pointers.
Tahron Harvey
School: Glenbard East
Year: Senior
Whenever the Rams needed a big basket, Harvey was the go-to guy. Harvey led East with 16.1 points and 5.7 assists per game while shooting an efficient 51 percent from the field. The 6-foot-2 point guard also crashed the glass for just over five rebounds per game. Harvey was the level-headed, fearless leader the Rams needed to win the DuPage Valley Conference and a regional title this season.
Josh Joiner
School: Willowbrook
Year: Senior
Joiner led the Warriors in scoring this season and has been a key part of the Willowbrook program for the past four years. Since his sophomore year, Joiner has run point guard while captaining the team and being a top scoring threat for the Warriors.
Danny Leach
School: Timothy Christian
Year: Senior
The Trojans' 1,000-point scorer averaged 17 points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals this season. Leach was the go-to guy for the Trojans and averaged double-figure points for each of the last three seasons. He leaves the program as a two-time all-Metro Suburban Conference selection.
James Pupillo
School: Addison Trail
Year: Junior
Despite missing nine games with injury and not playing at 100 percent for a chunk of the games he did play, Pupillo still led the Blazers in scoring at 15.9 points per game. The junior point guard also dished out 3.2 assists per game. He will head into his fourth year on varsity next season with high expectations.
Frank Toohey
School: York
Year: Junior
Toohey emerged as a top interior threat for the Dukes and seemed to get stronger as the season went on. The 6-foot-8 junior averaged 8.3 points and was York's top rebounder with 6.8 per game. He led the team in charges with 13. Toohey has already received interest from Division I programs.
Honorable mention
Addison Trail: Jordan Garcia
Glenbard East: Brandon Havenga, Mike Kjeldsen
IC Catholic: Clark Brinkman, Rhashaun Epting
Montini: Matt Brachmann, Logan Goss
Timothy Christian: Connor VanderBrug
Willowbrook: Yashua Trent
York: Justin Kurash, Charlie Rose
