PERTH Wildcats have completed its 11-man playing roster with the signing of American forward Derek Cooke Junior out of the NBA Development League.
Cooke Jr is a 206cm, 100kg power forward or centre, who last represented Northern Arizona Suns in the NBA G-League (formerly NBA D-League).
A force around the basket with the speed and athleticism to run the floor, the 25-year-old said he was ready to fill an important position on the Wildcats’ roster.
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READ NOW“I can’t wait to get down to Australia and get to work,” Cooke Jr said.
“I hear Perth is a beautiful place and the Wildcats are one of the best organisations, very professional, with the best fans. I’m looking forward to showing them what I’m capable of and bringing the energy every night.”
Wildcats coach Trevor Gleeson said finding a player who best fit the team’s roster was crucial.
“In our search we were really looking for a guy who is athletic, can rebound the ball well and finish above the rim, and we came across Derek,” he said.
“We think he’s a really good fit for our team. We were fortunate to get him and I’m really excited for him to get here and gel with his new teammates.”
A high-school American footballer, Cooke Jr began his pursuit of basketball later in life at a community college in Kansas before being acquired by Division One school the University of Wyoming.
During his time with the Cowboys he helped them to the Mountain West Conference title and an NCAA tournament berth.
In his senior year he shot a team-high 63 per cent from the field, going at 6.1 points and 5.8 rebounds per game.
Following college, he spent time playing in Greece and in the G-League and was given the opportunity to represent Phoenix Suns at the NBA Summer League in 2016.
He was even signed to the Phoenix Suns pre-season roster last September before being waived without playing a game.
He was picked up by Northern Arizona and in 2016-17 averaged 7.5 points, 7.6 rebounds and 0.5 blocks per game.
“We have a great nucleus. We want to bring people in who compliment the roster, not necessarily those who will be dropping 30 (points) and 10 (rebounds). We want to add pieces that will take our team to another championship,” Gleeson said.
“We can’t stand still, we have to develop, and our team is probably more athletic and better from the perimeter this year, and we’ll change our structure to suit that.”
Cooke Jr will arrive in Perth early next month.
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