Zachery Deshon Cooks (born March 4, 1999) is an American professional basketball player. He played collegiately for the Hofstra Pride of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA), and the NJIT Highlanders in college.
| No. 3 – Science City Jena | |
|---|---|
| Position | Point guard |
| League | ProA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | March 4, 1999 |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
| Listed weight | 170 lb (77 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | |
| College | |
| NBA draft | 2022: undrafted |
| Career history | |
| 2022–2024 | UBSC Graz |
| 2024–present | Science City Jena |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
High school career
editCooks began his high school career at Norcross High School. For his junior season, he transferred to Berkmar High School and led the team to the Georgia Sweet 16. Cooks averaged 11.4 points and 2.5 assists per game as a junior. He committed to playing college basketball for NJIT.[1]
College career
editCooks averaged 8.5 points, 2.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game as a freshman.[2] As a sophomore, he averaged 17.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game, earning Second Team All-ASUN honors.[3] On November 20, 2019, he scored a school-record 35 points in a 77–75 loss to Binghamton.[4] Cooks averaged 19.7 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game as a junior and repeated on the Second Team All-ASUN. He declared for the 2020 NBA draft after the season, but ultimately returned to NJIT.[3] As a senior, Cooks averaged 17.1 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game.[5] He was named to the Third Team All-America East.[6] Following the season, Cooks took advantage of the additional season of eligibility granted by the NCAA and transferred to Hofstra.[7] On January 22, 2022, he scored 19 points and passed the 2,000 career point mark in a 72–50 win over Northeastern.[8] Cooks was named Colonial Athletic Association Sixth Man of the Year.[9]
Professional career
editFollowing his collegiate career, he signed his first contract as a professional basketball player with UBSC Graz of the Austrian Basketball Superliga in September 2022.[10] In the 2022-23 regular season, he emerged as the league's leading scorer (23.2 points per game).[11]
Career statistics
edit| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
College
edit| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017–18 | NJIT | 30 | 1 | 22.1 | .455 | .432 | .732 | 2.2 | 2.1 | 1.6 | .2 | 8.5 |
| 2018–19 | NJIT | 35 | 35 | 37.3 | .451 | .349 | .732 | 4.8 | 2.1 | 2.5 | .1 | 17.6 |
| 2019–20 | NJIT | 30 | 30 | 37.6 | .405 | .305 | .778 | 5.2 | 2.2 | 1.8 | .1 | 19.7 |
| 2020–21 | NJIT | 19 | 19 | 37.7 | .411 | .337 | .718 | 4.9 | 1.5 | 2.2 | .1 | 17.1 |
| Career | 114 | 85 | 33.4 | .428 | .347 | .746 | 4.2 | 2.0 | 2.0 | .1 | 15.7 | |
References
edit- ^ "2019-20 Highlanders Basketball" (PDF). NJIT Highlanders. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
- ^ Hammock, Will (January 2, 2019). "GWINNETT GRADS: Berkmar alum Zach Cooks leads Atlantic Sun in scoring". Gwinnett Daily Post. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
- ^ a b "Berkmar grad Zach Cooks declares early for NBA Draft". Gwinnett Daily Post. April 19, 2020. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
- ^ "Sessoms hits late jumper, Binghamton beats NJIT 77–75". ESPN. Associated Press. November 20, 2019. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
- ^ "How to Watch NJIT vs. Northwestern: Live Stream, TV Channel, Start Time". Sports Illustrated. December 12, 2021. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
- ^ "Ryan Davis Chosen #AEHoops Player of Year Highlight 2020-21 Award Winners" (Press release). America East Conference. February 25, 2021. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
- ^ "New-look Hofstra team building towards return to winning ways". The Hofstra Chronicle. November 8, 2021. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
- ^ Gorchov, Stephen (January 22, 2022). "Cooks Reaches 2,000 Career Points In Hofstra Rout". Hofstra Pride. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
- ^ "Hofstra's Aaron Estrada voted CAA Player of the Year; Five programs recognized with major awards" (Press release). Colonial Athletic Association. March 4, 2022. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
- ^ "Neuzugänge: UBSC Graz rüstet sich für Superliga-Saisonstart". MeinBezirk.at (in German). 2022-09-22. Retrieved 2023-04-09.
- ^ "Spielerstats BSL". Österreichischer Basketball-Verband (in German). Retrieved 2023-05-26.