TOWSON, Md. - There are a maximum of 13 scholarships on a Division I men's basketball team. When practice started in mid-October, Towson had just 11 players on scholarship and two of them were transfers (Mike Burwell, Jerrelle Benimon), who had to sit out due to transfer rules.

So, Coach Pat Skerry needed to find new players to help the team in practice and to act as backups in case there were injuries. Senior Deyon Cook, along with sophomore Christian Collins and senior Bryan Blackstone, were chosen as the three walk-ons to earn a spot on the 2011-12 men's basketball team.

For Cook, it was his last chance considering it was his fourth attempt at trying to make the squad.

"My freshman year, I asked a manager of the team on Facebook whether the team was having tryouts and he wasn't sure," Cook said. "So, I just came to open gym. I was hoping that one of the coaches would talk to me. Persistence pays off."

Cook is a talented wing player (now 6-foot-5, 175) who had a few looks coming out of Atholton High School in Howard County. He earned second team All-Howard County honors for Coach Jim Albert as a senior and also helped the Raiders win the county championship in 2007. But, Cook decided to attend Towson instead of going the junior college route or Division III. His dream was to play for a Division I college basketball team.

"I was about 6-foot-3," said Cook. "And nobody really comes out of Howard County. It's not the premier spot for basketball."

But, in his fourth attempt, when he made the squad as a senior, Cook was elated but also relieved.

"This was a dream of mine since I was little," said the left-handed shooter. "I always wanted to play Division I basketball somewhere. I even based my college choices off of the opportunity to play and walk on somewhere. My parents were excited and proud of me."

Cook considers himself a three-point specialist. He recently drained a three-point shot late in a loss to Old Dominion at home. He's made five of 12 three-point attempts, which included a three-pointer against La Salle on December 7. Cook not only made the attempt but was fouled and completed a rare four-point play.

But, Cook is extremely appreciative of being able to play in buildings that most basketball players will never set foot in.

"Against Kansas, I got in at the very end," said Cook. "Playing in that atmosphere was crazy. Once the crowd (at Allen Field House) got rocking, the whole arena started shaking. That was like a dream to play in that historic place. And then I hit my first shot against Michigan."

While the season hasn't been a great success on the court, Cook has learned a great deal from the experience.

"It's not a matter of wins and losses," he said. "It's about being together and forming a group. I made great friends. Bonding is what it's all about for me. I've got my teammates back."

Cook's parents gave him the best advice about playing basketball as a walk-on for one season.

"They just tell me to enjoy the ride," said Cook. "It's an experience that not many people get to enjoy so it's a privilege. I'm blessed to be in this situation. This was the perfect year for it to happen with a new coach and new program basically. Just to be a part of something new."