| Derek Cooke | |
| Position: | Power forward / center |
| Height M: | 2.06 |
| Weight Kg: | 100 |
| Team: | Free Agent |
| Birth Date: | 1991 8, mf=yes |
| Birth Place: | Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| High School: | Friendly (Fort Washington, Maryland) |
| College: |
|
| Draft Year: | 2015 |
| Career Start: | 2015 |
| Years1: | 2015 |
| Team1: | Rethymno Cretan Kings |
| Years2: | 2015–2017 |
| Team2: | Bakersfield Jam / Northern Arizona Suns |
| Years3: | 2017–2018 |
| Team3: | Perth Wildcats |
| Years4: | 2018–2019 |
| Team4: | Northern Arizona Suns |
| Years5: | 2019 |
| Team5: | Raptors 905 |
| Years6: | 2019 |
| Team6: | Hamilton Honey Badgers |
| Years7: | 2019–2020 |
| Team7: | Trieste |
| Years8: | 2020 |
| Team8: | Hamilton Honey Badgers |
| Years9: | 2021 |
| Team9: | Tsmoki-Minsk |
| Years10: | 2021 |
| Team10: | Brose Bamberg |
| Years11: | 2021–2022 |
| Team11: | Hapoel Gilboa Galil |
| Years12: | 2022–2023 |
| Team12: | Treviso Basket |
| Years13: | 2023 |
| Team13: | Skyliners Frankfurt |
| Years14: | 2023–2024 |
| Team14: | Dolomiti Energia Trento |
Derek Cooke Jr. (born August 23, 1991) is an American professional basketball player who last played for Dolomiti Energia Trento of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA). He played three years of Division I college basketball for Wyoming.
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 also hit a growth spurt, before enrolling at Cloud County Community College to play basketball.[1]
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.
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.[2]
After going undrafted in the 2015 NBA draft, on June 25, 2015, Cooke signed with the Rethymno Cretan Kings of the Greek Basket League.[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]
In July 2016, Cooke joined the Phoenix Suns for the 2016 NBA Summer League. On September 25, 2016, he signed with the Suns,[5] but was waived on October 10.[6] On October 31, 2016, he was acquired by the Northern Arizona Suns as an affiliate player of Phoenix.[7]
On July 27, 2017, Cooke signed with the Perth Wildcats for the 2017–18 NBL season.[8] He appeared in all 30 games for the Wildcats in 2017–18, averaging 5.7 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.
Cooke re-joined the Northern Arizona Suns in October 2018.[9]
On January 15, 2019, the Raptors 905 acquired Cooke from the Northern Arizona Suns for Khadeem Lattin and the returning rights to Yanick Moreira.[10]
After the conclusion of the 2018–19 NBA G League season, Cooke was drafted into the startup Canadian Elite Basketball League's Hamilton Honey Badgers,[11] where he would reunite with former Raptors 905 teammates, MiKyle McIntosh and Duane Notice.
On July 14, 2019, he has signed with Pallacanestro Trieste of the Lega Basket Serie A (LBA).[12]
In July 2020, Cooke joined the Hamilton Honey Badgers for the 2020 CEBL season.[13]
On January 2, 2021, he signed with Tsmoki-Minsk of the VTB United League.[14]
On July 30, 2021, he signed with Brose Bamberg of the Basketball Bundesliga (BBL).[15]
On October 25, 2021, he signed with Hapoel Gilboa Galil of the Israeli Premier League.[16]
On July 21, 2022, he has signed with Treviso Basket of the Lega Basket Serie A (LBA).[17]
On February 28, 2023, he signed with Skyliners Frankfurt of the Basketball Bundesliga.[18]
On August 5, 2023, he signed with Dolomiti Energia Trento of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA).[19]