ROCK HILL, SC—Former Winthrop men's basketball standout and current professional
Xavier Cooks makes Australian National Team roster for the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup.
Cooks, who played in the NBA Summer League with the Phoenix Suns, was a late addition to the squad for training camp and made the most of it by landing a spot on the squad. Cooks was able to beat out numerous veterans at training camp to secure his spot on the 12-man roster.
The 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup will begin Saturday, Aug. 31 as China is the host country. The event will run from Aug. 31 to Sept. 15. The Boomers are in Group H along with Canada, Senegal and Lithuania and will open up on Sunday, Sept. 1 against Canada in Dongguan. The Boomers will then play Senegal on Tuesday, Sept. 3 and wrap-up group play against Lithuania on Thursday, Sept. 5.
The 2017-18 Big South Conference Player of the Year played this last season in Germany with s.Oliver Würzburg and following the World Cup he will join his new club SIG Strasbourg in France. For s.Oliver Würzburg last season Cooks averaged 11.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.2 assists while playing in 34 games.
In his time at Winthrop not only was Cooks the 2018 Big South Player of the Year, but also garnered First Team All-Big South honors twice and scored over 1,700 points and became the program's all-time leader in rebounds (971).
If you wish to watch Cooks and the Boomers in the World Cup you can do so using Kayo (kayosports.com.au), which is a subscription based streaming service.
