Derek Cooke
| No. 11 – Northern Arizona Suns | |
|---|---|
| Position | Power forward / Center |
| League | NBA Development League |
| Personal information | |
| Born |
August 23, 1991 Washington, D.C. |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) |
| Listed weight | 220 lb (100 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Friendly (Fort Washington, Maryland) |
| College |
|
| NBA draft | 2015 / Undrafted |
| Playing career | 2015–present |
| Career history | |
| 2015 | Rethymno Cretan Kings |
| 2015–present | Bakersfield Jam / Northern Arizona Suns |
Derek Cooke Jr. (born August 23, 1991) is an American professional basketball player for the Northern Arizona Suns of the NBA Development League. He played three years of Division I college basketball for Wyoming.
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 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
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. On November 2, 2015, he was acquired by the Bakersfield Jam of the NBA Development League.[4] On November 13, he made his debut for the Jam in a 104–87 loss to the Santa Cruz Warriors, recording four points, three rebounds and one steal in 29 minutes.[5]
In July 2016, Cooke joined the Phoenix Suns for the 2016 NBA Summer League. On September 25, 2016, he signed with the Suns,[6] but was waived on October 10.[7] On October 31, he was acquired by the Northern Arizona Suns as an affiliate player of Phoenix.[8]
Personal life
The son of Derek Sr. and stepson of Tyrone and Debbie Slade, Cooke majored in sociology.[1]
References
- 1 2 3 4 "Bio for Derek Cooke Jr.". GoWyo.com. Retrieved September 25, 2016.
- 1 2 "Former Wyoming forward Derek Cooke Jr. signs with Greek professional team". Trib.com. June 24, 2015. Retrieved November 6, 2015.
- ↑ "Rethymno announces rookie Derek Cooke". Sportando.com. June 25, 2015. Retrieved November 2, 2015.
- ↑ "Jam Announce 2015-16 Training Camp Roster". NBA.com. November 2, 2015. Retrieved November 2, 2015.
- ↑ "Warriors Collect Championship Rings, Take Down Jam on Opening Night". NBA.com. November 13, 2015. Retrieved June 17, 2016.
- ↑ "Phoenix Suns Sign Four Players ahead of Training Camp". NBA.com. September 25, 2016. Retrieved September 25, 2016.
- ↑ "Phoenix Suns Waive Three Players to Trim Preseason Roster". NBA.com. October 10, 2016. Retrieved October 10, 2016.
- ↑ "Northern Arizona Suns Set Training Camp Roster". NBA.com. October 31, 2016. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
External links
- Derek Cooke at nbadleague.com
- Derek Cooke at gowyo.com