Our fourth in a series honoring our 2019 Hall of Fame, today we would like to highlight San Francisco men's basketball's guard, John Cox. Formal induction ceremonies are scheduled for Friday, Feb. 22, at the Father Hubert "Hub" Flynn Hall of Fame Dinner in War Memorial at the Sobrato Center on the USF campus. The festivities will begin with a reception at 6:30 p.m., followed by the dinner program at 7:30 p.m. The inductees will also be honored at halftime of the USF-Gonzaga women's basketball game on Feb. 23.
John Cox had a unique path to the Hilltop. While following his father's footsteps to War Memorial Gym, Cox was a scorer – pure and simple. Oh, he had other elements to his game, but when comparing John and Chubby's game – Chubby was a distributer, John was a finisher.
Cox was born in Caracas, Venezuela, in 1981 when his father was playing there professionally. He attended Carver High School in Philadelphia, where he finished his prep career as the ninth-leading scorer in Philadelphia history with 1,798 points. As a senior, he averaged 29 points a game and shot 52 percent from the field.
When talking about Cox going into his senior campaign, then-head coach Phil Matthews had this to say: "He is someone capable of making the players around him better, and that's what you look for in a player of his caliber."
The 2004-05 First Team All-WCC honoree finished his career with 1,540 points, which ranks ninth all-time at USF. He scored 1,066 total points in his junior and senior years alone. His 530 made field goals ranks 15th all-time and he is fourth all-time with 185 made 3-point field goals.
After a rather pedestrian start to his career in the green and gold, Cox came on strong in the 2001-02 season. That year he played and started all 28 games and finished with 328 points in 924 minutes.
The following year, Cox's career took off. He finished with 445 points while shooting 47.4 percent from the field. He played in all 29 games making 23 starts and was the first-ever recipient of the USF Phil Smith "Most Improved" Award. The 445 points was fifth-most in the WCC that season.
After missing all but one game in 2003-04, Cox came back the following year and was even better than his junior season. Cox averaged 20.0 points per game and scored 621 points which led the WCC and is eighth-most in a single-season at USF, up there with names such as Russell, Cartwright, Boynes and Johnson. For his efforts he was awarded first team all-WCC honors and helped guide the Dons to their first post season appearance since 1998 with a trip to the NIT.
With his 1,540 points at USF, he and his father combined to score 2,653 points in their collegiate careers. Chubby Cox scored 1,113 points between Villanova and USF. The two are also just one of six father-son pairs who have reached the LPB finals, the top professional league in Venezuela.
His basketball career did not end when his playing days at USF were finished. Cox has represented Venezuela internationally on multiple occasions. Notably, he was part of Venezuela's team for the 2016 Summer Olympics and was the leading scorer in the 2017 FIBA AmeriCup.
Since 2005, Cox has played professionally abroad in both Europe and South America. This September he signed with Stade Lorrain Université Club Nancy Basketball, which is a professional team located in Nancy, France. The club currently competes in the LNB Pro B, the second tier of French basketball. In 316 career games at the LNB Pro A level he has scored 4,066 points.
"This a special moment for me and my family," said John Cox on the induction of him and his father in the 2019 USF Hall of Fame. "It's rare, one, to go to the same school as your father and another to accomplish a feat like this to be inducted together is a bit surreal. I'm really excited and anxious to get there and be there with him."
The rich and storied tradition of USF Athletics will come alive on Friday, February 22 with the induction of six new members and a team into the school's distinguished Athletic Hall of Fame.
USF's Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2019, the 45th group of inductees, includes: Teresa (Russell) Fowler '04 (volleyball), Chubby Cox '78 (men's basketball), John Cox '05 (men's basketball), Dominique Carter '08 (women's basketball), Coach Walt Bugler 1976-80 (women's basketball), and Felipe Magalháes '81 (men's soccer), as well as the 2009 women's cross country team.
With the inclusion of the new members, USF's Athletic Hall of Fame now includes 278 individuals and 23 teams.
Formal induction ceremonies are scheduled for Friday, Feb. 22 at the Father Hubert "Hub" Flynn Hall of Fame Dinner at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center. The festivities will begin with a reception at 6:30 p.m., followed by the dinner program at 7:30 p.m. The inductees will also be honored at the women's basketball game on Feb. 23 against Gonzaga..
Individual reservations for the Father Hubert "Hub" Flynn Hall of Fame Dinner are priced at $100 while a table of 10 may be purchased for $900.
The Athletic Department has announced the formation of an athletic alumni association whose mission will be to engage and connect former students across different sports, generations and geographical areas in an attempt to build and foster an on-going association with USF Athletics.
All former students who have competed for a minimum of one year in an intercollegiate sport are eligible, as are team managers and spirit squad members who compiled at least three years of service as an undergraduate
Join the Dons Honor Club
