Trento, Galbiati welcomes Derek Cooke Jr: “He was who we were looking for.”

Trento, Galbiati welcomes Derek Cooke Jr: “He was who we were looking for.”

Dolomiti Energia Trentino in a statement made official the arrival of Derek Cook Jr. “One-year contract for the American center already seen in Serie A with the Trieste and Treviso jerseys. Born in Washington D.C. on August 23, 1991, Derek Cooke is a 206-centimeter, 102-pound center who makes verticality, rebounding ability, and iron protection his best attributes.”

In 2014-15, his third and final season at the University of Wyoming, he traveled to average 8.1 points and 5.8 rebounds, helping the Cowboys reach the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2002. His “pro” debut came in 2015-16 with a brief stint in Greece, then for the next two years he played in the G-League first with the Bakersfield Jam and then with the Motor City Cruise (7.5 points and 7.5 rebounds average). It was the beginning of a long international journey in which Derek starred in Australia with the Perth Wildcats in 2017-18, then again in the G-League, then in Italy with Trieste where in the season ended prematurely by the pandemic he signed 5.5 points and 6.0 rebounds in 17′ average. The following season he plays in Belarus (9.5 points average at Tsmoki-Minsk), in 2021-22 instead he shines in the ranks of Israel’s Gilboa Galil team where he produces 10.0 points and 8.0 rebounds with over 1 stoppage per game between the Israeli league and FIBA Europe Cup. Last year, 17 official games with Treviso (7.5 points and 7.0 rebounds) and 13 with the Fraport Skyliners in Germany (9.3 points and 8.8 rebounds per game).

These are the words of coach Paolo Galbiati: “We were looking for energy, physicality, seriousness, rebounding presence and a great desire to accept challenges: qualities we found in Cooke. He is a player with an infectious personality and charge. We look forward to seeing him in Trent along with everyone else to begin our journey.”