A new center for Pistoia: he’s a former Trieste, Treviso and Trento player
A new center for the red and white
Through a note conveyed on the first day of the year, the Estra Pistoia Basket 2000 announced that it has finalized the agreement, until next June 30, with pivot Derek Cooke Jr. The player will wear the number 10 jersey.
Born in Washington D.C. on August 23, 1991, Derek Cooke è a 206-centimeter, 105-pound center who in recent years in Europe has shown great vertical and constant presence under the boards, both on offense and defense. After taking his first steps at Friendly High School in Fort Washington, the focus of his college career è with the Wyoming Cowboys jersey: in 2014-15, in his third and final season, he produced 8.1 points and 5.8 rebounds on average, helping the Cowboys reach the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2002.
In 2015 he landed in Europe with a brief stint in Greece with Rethymno and then played the next two years in the G-League first with the Bakersfield Jam and then with the Motor City Cruise (7.5 points and 7.5 rebounds average). Numbers and performances that allow him to begin a particularly dense path of jerseys worn a bit’ all over the world: first starring in Australia with the Perth Wildcats in 2017-18, then again in the G-League and in 2019-20 the first landing in Italy with the Trieste jersey where he ends the year, then interrupted for the pandemic, with 5.5 points and 6 rebounds average in 17’ of use. The following season he goes to Belarus (9.5 points average at Tsmoki-Minsk) while in 2021-22 he has a’very good year with the Israeli team Gilboa Galil where he produces 10 points and 8 rebounds per game between Israeli championship and FIBA Europe Cup. In 2022-23 he è split again between Italy with Treviso jersey (7.5 points and 7 rebounds) and Germany with Fraport Skyliners Frankfurt (9.3 points and 8.8 rebounds per game).
In the last championship è opponent also of Estra Pistoia with Dolomiti Energia Trentino where è starred in LBA (5.8 points and 5 rebounds in 16′ of use) and Eurocup (5.5 points with 60% from 2) before becoming a factor in the playoff series against Milan coming to produce 9.8 points average in 21′ of usage with 82% from 2. He started the’current season in Liga ACB in Spain with Lleida playing 10 games with 5 points and almost 6 rebounds average in 19′ of usage with 65% from 2.
“I chose to come to Pistoia becauseé after talking with the management, I believe we both had the same vision and enthusiasm for the future – says Derek Cooke – I love Italy and è the place where, so far, I have spent most of the seasons of my career. My goal è to bring great energy, become a point of reference on the court and do whatever it takes to help the team win. Pistoia è a special club and now with an important history in Italian basketball: I hope to honor the fans and the club in any way I can”.
The Tuscan company è is already working to obtain the necessary documentation for his arrival in Italy as soon as possible.
