Derek Cooke

Derek Cooke Jr. (born August 23, 1991) is an American professional basketball player for Tsmoki-Minsk of the VTB United League. He played three years of Division I college basketball for Wyoming.

Derek Cooke
Cooke in December 2017
No. 10 – Tsmoki-Minsk
PositionPower forward / Center
LeagueVTB United League
Personal information
Born (1991-08-23) August 23, 1991
Washington, D.C.
NationalityAmerican
Listed height2.06 m (6 ft 9 in)
Listed weight100 kg (220 lb)
Career information
High schoolFriendly (Fort Washington, Maryland)
College
NBA draft2015 / Undrafted
Playing career2015–present
Career history
2015Rethymno Cretan Kings
2015–2017Bakersfield Jam / Northern Arizona Suns
2017–2018Perth Wildcats
2018–2019Northern Arizona Suns
2019Raptors 905
2019Hamilton Honey Badgers
2019–2020Trieste
2020Hamilton Honey Badgers
2021–presentTsmoki-Minsk
Stats  at Basketball-Reference.com

High school career

Cooke attended Friendly High School in Fort Washington, Maryland, where he was a wide receiver on the football team and did not play basketball. An NCAA qualifier after graduating, he decided to take a year off from school and also hit a growth spurt, before enrolling at Cloud County Community College to play basketball.[1]

College career

Cooke spent one year at Cloud County CC. During his freshman season, he helped the Thunderbirds to a 25–8 overall record. Cloud County went 11–5 in the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference and advanced to the semifinals of the NJCAA Division I Region VI Tournament. Cooke notched team highs of 8.4 rebounds, 1.7 blocks and 55 percent from the floor to go with 6.0 points and nearly one steal per game.[1]

In 2012, Cooke transferred to Wyoming. During his senior season, Cooke averaged 8.1 points and 5.8 rebounds while helping the Cowboys reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2002.[1][2]

Professional career

Rethymno Cretan Kings (2015)

After going undrafted in the 2015 NBA Draft, on June 25, 2015, Cooke signed with the Rethymno Cretan Kings of the Greek Basket League.[2][3] However, he parted ways with the club in late October after appearing in just three games.

Northern Arizona Suns (2015–2017)

On November 2, 2015, he was acquired by the Bakersfield Jam of the NBA Development League.[4]

In July 2016, Cooke joined the Phoenix Suns for the 2016 NBA Summer League. On September 25, 2016, he signed with the Suns,[5] but was waived on October 10.[6] On October 31, 2016, he was acquired by the Northern Arizona Suns as an affiliate player of Phoenix.[7]

Perth Wildcats (2017–2018)

On July 27, 2017, Cooke signed with the Perth Wildcats for the 2017–18 NBL season.[8] He appeared in all 30 games for the Wildcats in 2017–18, averaging 5.7 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.

Second Stint with Northern Arizona Suns (2018–2019)

Cooke re-joined the Northern Arizona Suns in October 2018.[9]

Raptors 905 (2019)

On January 15, 2019, the Raptors 905 acquired Cooke from the Northern Arizona Suns for Khadeem Lattin and the returning rights to Yanick Moreira.[10]

Hamilton Honey Badgers (2019)

After the conclusion of the 2018–19 NBA G League season, Cooke was drafted into the startup Canadian Elite Basketball League's Hamilton Honey Badgers.,[11] where he would reunite with former Raptors 905 teammates, MiKyle McIntosh and Duane Notice.

Pallacanestro Trieste (2019–2020)

On July 14, 2019, he has signed with Pallacanestro Trieste of the Lega Basket Serie A (LBA).[12]

Canadian Elite Basketball League (2020)

In July 2020, Cooke joined the Hamilton Honey Badgers for the 2020 CEBL season.[13]

Tsmoki-Minsk (2021–present)

On January 2, 2021, he has signed with Tsmoki-Minsk of the VTB United League.[14]

References
  1. "Bio for Derek Cooke Jr". GoWyo.com. Archived from the original on September 27, 2016. Retrieved September 25, 2016.
  2. "Former Wyoming forward Derek Cooke Jr. signs with Greek professional team". Trib.com. June 24, 2015. Retrieved November 6, 2015.
  3. "Rethymno announces rookie Derek Cooke". Sportando.com. June 25, 2015. Retrieved November 2, 2015.
  4. "Jam Announce 2015-16 Training Camp Roster". NBA.com. November 2, 2015. Archived from the original on August 11, 2016. Retrieved November 2, 2015.
  5. "Phoenix Suns Sign Four Players ahead of Training Camp". NBA.com. September 25, 2016. Retrieved September 25, 2016.
  6. "Phoenix Suns Waive Three Players to Trim Preseason Roster". NBA.com. October 10, 2016. Retrieved October 10, 2016.
  7. "Northern Arizona Suns Set Training Camp Roster". NBA.com. October 31, 2016. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
  8. "WILDCATS SIGN DEREK COOKE JUNIOR TO COMPLETE ROSTER". Wildcats.com.au. July 27, 2017. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
  9. Withee, Jacob (October 21, 2018). "NAZ Suns Announce 2018-19 Training Camp Roster". NBA.com. Retrieved October 22, 2018.
  10. "Raptors 905 Acquire Derek Cooke Jr". NBA.com. January 15, 2019. Retrieved January 15, 2019.
  11. "Hamilton Honey Badger's head coach breaks down the CEBL draft". CHCH. March 25, 2019. Retrieved April 29, 2019.
  12. "Derek Cooke Jr. signs with Trieste". Sportando. July 14, 2019. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
  13. "Honey Badgers Turn to NBA, Top International Experience in Quest to Take Next Step to CEBL Championship". honeybadgers.ca. 24 July 2020.
  14. "Derek Cooke Jr. signs with Tsmoki-Minsk". Sportando. January 2, 2021. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
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