LARAMIE, Wyo. (August 2, 2018) – Former Cowboy Derek Cooke Jr. was one of the most popular residents of "Dunk Town USA" during his time with the Brown and Gold from 2012-15 and made arguably the biggest free throws in recent Cowboy history to seal a birth in the NCAA Tournament. Cooke Jr. is now making a name for himself at the professional level and looking to win The Basketball Tournament title this week.
 
Cooke Jr. is a member of Team Fredette in The Basketball Tournament with his team playing in the semifinals tonight at 7 p.m. MT on ESPN. If his team wins they will play for the title on Friday at 7 p.m. MT also on ESPN.
 
"It is a great opportunity to play basketball at a high level," Cooke Jr. said. "It is also great to showcase your skills on national television in front of family and friends."
 
The Basketball Tournament (TBT) is an open-application, single-elimination tournament played each summer in the United States, currently featuring 72 teams and offering $2 million in winner-take-all prize money, broadcast by ESPN. Cooke Jr. met Fredette a few years back and was asked to play on his team for the summer.
 
"I personally try to go out there and play my role every night," Cooke Jr. said. "Other than that you can't really scout the opponents. You just have to go into the game the best you can with the little scouting you have done."
A lot is on the line in the winner-take-all tournament and Cooke Jr. said it is a huge difference from any other game or tournament he has played.
 
"Knowing that it is win or go home you have to focus more on opposing players verses another teams playing style," Cooke Jr. stated. "It is so important that you force your opponents out of their trends early and as often as possible."

Cooke Jr. has played a lot of basketball since he left the Cowboys. He spent time in Greece and followed that up with a stint in the G-League playing for the Bakersfield Jam and Northern Arizona Suns. Last season, Cooke Jr. made an impact in the National Basketball League in Australia playing for the Perth Wildcats. He averaged 5.7 points per game to go along with 5.5 rebounds a night appearing in all 30 games.

Cooke Jr. had a great experience last season during his time in Australia.

"I thought Australia was one of the most beautiful places I have ever been," Cooke Jr. said. "I could see myself moving there later in life because it automatically feels like home."

He is still weighing offers to play professionally next season. But Cooke Jr. is in awe of where basketball has taken him over the years.

"I don't think there is any way to predict how things will work out," Cooke Jr. said. "With me starting late in the game of basketball it is a blessing to see how far I have come and been able to travel to so many great places thanks to the game of basketball."

One thing is for sure the journey is only started for Derek Cooke Jr. Follow his road to a title tonight with updates on Twitter @wyo_mbb.