NATCHITOCHES—New Northwestern State women's basketball coach Alan Frey is wasting little time rounding out his staff, as he adds the young, energetic Harley Cook as an assistant coach.

"Harley Cook is a rising star in the coaching world, and we are fortunate to bring his expertise to Natchitoches," Frey said. "His tenure at Jacksonville State was marked by a commitment to raising the standard of player development and contributing to a consistent, competitive program. Throughout this search, I received numerous calls from coaches and colleagues I trust deeply—including retired veteran Rick Pietri—all vouching for Harley's relentless work ethic and high character.

"It was the overwhelming consensus from so many in this profession that made it clear he was the right fit for our program. Harley is the final, vital piece to our staff, and his energy will be a massive asset to our student-athletes as we continue to build our own winning tradition here."

Prior to NSU, he was an assistant coach at Jacksonville State for one season, as the Gamecocks went 16-16, their best record since 2022-23 and a six-win improvement from the previous season.

With the Gamecocks, he handled both on-campus and off-campus recruiting responsibilities as well as opponent scouting. Cook contributed to on-court practices as well as individual skill development outside of practice time.

Prior to being an assistant coach, he was the director of basketball operations at Jacksonville State from 2023-25, where he assisted in practice, skill development, recruiting, scouting reports, gameday preparation and other duties as assigned.

Before that position, he started his journey up the coaching ladder as a graduate assistant with the Gamecocks, where he assisted the head coach as well as assistants with any tasks as requested. He also oversaw logistics for on-campus recruiting.

He is a two-time graduate of Jacksonville State, where he worked as a basketball manager to dip his foot in the world of college basketball.