Serving the Big Horn Basin for over 100 years
Serving the Big Horn Basin for over 100 years
Former Cowboy Derek Cooke Jr. (11) goes through two Boise State defenders for a bucket this past season at the Arena-Auditorium in Laramie. Cooke signed a two-year deal to play overseas Wednesday.
LARAMIE – Derek Cooke Jr. has gone outside the United States once in his life.
That was to Canada as part of a University of Wyoming men's basketball summer tour two years ago.
His second trip outside the country will be a much bigger step for the Washington, D.C., product.
Cooke signed a professional basketball contract with the Rethymno Aegean Basketball Club of Greece on Wednesday. Cooke will report to Crete, Greece, in late August, with the regular season beginning in October.
From Washington to Kansas to Wyoming, Cooke's journey to becoming a professional basketball player has the former Cowboys forward grateful for every chance he's been given. And grateful for the chance to continue his ultimate goal of playing in the NBA.
"It's definitely a great feeling," Cooke said from his home in Washington. "It's another stepping stone in my career, and I can't go to Greece and not have the same ambition and drive that I had at Wyoming.
"You take the opportunity and you embrace it, and hopefully it will get me to where I want to be."
Cooke came to Wyoming as an underdeveloped power forward after spending two years at Cloud County Community College in Kansas, including one season as a redshirt.
He came off the bench as a sophomore for the Cowboys, averaging 3.1 points and 3.8 rebounds.
Over his last two years, Cooke blossomed into a starter – increasing his scoring average each season – from 6.1 points per game as a junior to 8.1 ppg this past season.
Cooke also averaged 5.8 rebounds and shot 72 percent from the field in helping UW to the Mountain West tournament championship and the program's first NCAA tournament berth since 2002.
"I had a great time at Wyoming, and it really prepared me for what I'm about to do," Cooke said.
"Coach (Larry) Shyatt and the whole staff deserve so much credit for helping me get where I am."
Cooke worked out for several NBA teams this spring, but was told that he likely wouldn't be drafted Thursday.
That left the 6-foot-9 forward with two options – wait to see if an NBA team signs him as a free agent or sign with Rethymno.
"That was probably one of the hardest decisions I've made in my life," Cooke said. "I didn't have somebody saying that this was what I should do. It was all on me. I feel that as a player I'm growing, so if I'm not NBA-ready at the moment, within a summer or two, I'll be ready."
Cooke has been working out in Washington two and three times a day to prepare for playing professionally. He said he has added around 15 to 20 pounds of muscle and weighs nearly 235 pounds.
Cooke added that Rethymno has already talked to him about playing more of a wing position than his role with the Cowboys as an inside power forward.
"Their interest in me has always been athleticism and speed," Cooke said. "They want me to come in right away and be a key contributor with that. I think they want me at a wing, and that's what I've been working on. My shot has gotten so much better this summer."
Cooke added his two-year contract with Rethymno – which plays in one of the top European basketball leagues – has a buyout clause should an NBA team decide it wants him. And playing in a league full of former and potential NBA players, his chances of getting noticed are good.
"I asked my agency, 'If I go there, what are my chances of making it to the NBA?' They told me very likely if I do well," he said. "It's definitely an NBA-ready league."
