Dr. Becky Cook was hired by Illinois women's basketball head coach Shauna Green in the summer of 2023 to join the Fighting Illini staff as a sport psychologist. Illinois is believed to be one of just a few women's basketball programs in NCAA Division I with a sport psychologist on staff working solely with one team.

Dr. Cook's first season on the Illinois bench was 2023-24, an unforgettable campaign that saw the Fighting Illini win the inaugural WBIT championship. Year 2 saw continued success as Illinois posted a 22-win season (22-10), another postseason appearance, and the program’s first NCAA Tournament win in 25 years. The Fighting Illini tied the program record with four wins over AP Top-25 ranked opponents.

She earned her bachelor's degree in nutrition from Purdue University. During her undergraduate studies, Cook completed a dietetics internship at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. From there, she earned a master's degree in counseling from Indiana University at South Bend. Prior to receiving her Ph.D., Cook worked in an eating disorder program at Memorial Hospital in South Bend, Ind., for 10 years. Cook went on to earn her doctorate in counseling psychology from the University of Memphis. She also completed a psychology internship at Purdue University. 

Cook worked at the University of Dayton Counseling Center for 17 years before her retirement on July 31, 2019. During her tenure, she served in various positions, including staff psychologist, assistant director, associate director, and director. In October 2019, Cook was hired back to Dayton by the athletic department in an embedded psychologist position. 

Her time in the Flyers' athletic department included working with student-athletes individually on mental health issues/concerns and sport psychology/performance-enhancement strategies. Cook worked with various teams on the mental aspects of their sports and served as a mental health consultant to the athletic administration, coaches, athletic training staff, and academic support staff. 

Cook ultimately worked with the Dayton women's basketball program for 13 seasons, spanning her time in the counseling center and on the athletic department staff. She helped develop and provide the team with sport psychology/performance-enhancing techniques, team-building activities, and a leadership skill-building seminar. Additionally, she provided individual sessions for the student-athletes to work on personal issues that affected their performance.

In May of 2023, Cook officially retired (again) from the University of Dayton. In June of 2023, she joined the Illinois women's basketball staff as a sport/performance psychologist.

Cook is a member of the American Psychological Association (APA), Ohio Psychological Association (OPA), and Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP).

Last updated: June 2025