CJ Bruton
February 2, 2021
Eric Cooks
- Nationality: USA
- Date of Birth: 8/07/62
- Place of Birth: Indiana (USA)
- Position: F/C
- Height (CM): 201
- Weight (KG): 100
- Junior Assoc:
- College: Saint Mary’s (CA) (1982–1985)
- NBL DEBUT: 12/04/97
- AGE AT DEBUT: 34
- LAST NBL GAME: 11/03/00
- AGE AT LAST GAME: 37
- NBL History: Illawarra 1997 | Wollongong 1998-00
- Championships: 0
- None
BIO: Eric Cooks was born in Indiana (USA) and went to on play college basketball for St. Mary’s College in California before relocating to Australia to pursue a professional career in the South East Australian Basketball League (CBA/SEABL). Cooks was known as the Leroy Loggins of the CBA in his time in the league due to his winning ways and slender build, similar to Leroy (who was only 100 kg at 201 cm in height).
FAMILY: Eric is the father of both Dom Cooks (14 NBL games) and Xavier Cooks (155 NBL games).
NBL EXPERIENCE
Eric Cooks made his NBL debut with the Illawarra Hawks at 34 years of age. He scored two points in his first game.
After another season missing out on the NBL playoffs in 1996, the Hawks were unable to retain their scoring and rebounding leader Marcus Timmons (to Melbourne), who would end up helping the Tigers win the championship, while Andre LaFleur (not re-signed), Greg Hubbard (retired) and long-time captain Chuck Harmison (retired) also left the playing roster. Harmison moved into the Hawks’ front office as general manager, while Matt Zauner, Terry Johnson, Glen Saville, Mat Campbell, Dene MacDonald and Marc Brandon returned under head coach Brendan Joyce, with Zauner named captain. The Hawks added Lachlan Armfield (via Newcastle), Jason Brettell, young imports Bryan Edwards and Clayton Ritter and SEABL stalwart Eric Cooks (via Ballarat), who had previously played under Joyce and alongside Saville and Campbell with the Ballarat Miners. Cooks had played more than 500 games for Ballarat, won SEABL MVP honours in 1989 and 1990 and been part of multiple championship teams before Joyce brought him into the NBL, with former Miners official Ron Foley later saying “we struck gold with Eric Cooks.”
Cooks made his NBL debut at Beaton Park on April 12, finishing with 2 points, 6 rebounds, and 1 assist as Illawarra opened the season with a 112-96 loss to Newcastle. Ritter (25 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks) and Johnson (23 points and 2 steals) led the Hawks, while David Simmons (22 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals) was Newcastle’s best.
Cooks (8.9 points and 6.5 rebounds across 29 games) would play primarily off the bench during his debut NBL season, averaging 28.7 minutes while shooting 49 percent from the field. He appeared in 29 of Illawarra’s 30 games, with his only absence coming through suspension rather than injury after an incident involving Townsville’s Shane Froling. Saville later described it as “Cookie delivering an elbow”, while Cooks recalled, “I’d known Shane for years; we’re friends … we were both surprised it resulted in a suspension.”
Cooks produced his first double-double of the season against Canberra at Beaton Park on April 26, finishing with 15 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 steals while shooting 5-of-8 from the field as the Hawks lost 117-98. Edwards (26 points, 4 rebounds, and 6 assists) and Ritter (20 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 steals) provided the other major contributions, while Robert Rose (29 points, 5 assists, and 2 steals) led Canberra.
Cooks’ best scoring game came at Beaton Park on May 23, where Cooks (24 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block) shot 10-of-17 from the field as Illawarra fell 119-107 to Adelaide. Ritter (23 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 steals) and Edwards (18 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists) added support, while Leon Trimmingham (24 points, 8 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1 block) led the 36ers.
Cooks (11 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, and 4 steals) produced one of his strongest defensive games against North Melbourne on June 5, playing more than 46 minutes as the Hawks lost 104-90. Edwards (27 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals) and Zauner (20 points, 14 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks) led Illawarra, while Mike Mitchell (20 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, and 4 steals) was North Melbourne’s best.
Edwards (18.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1.5 steals across 13 games) produced strong individual numbers but was not the fit Joyce needed at point guard and was replaced midway through the season by Dylan Rigdon (19.8 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 5.7 assists across 15 games).
Ritter (23.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.3 steals) led Illawarra in scoring, produced two games with more than 40 points and won the Hawks’ team MVP award, while Saville (13.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.6 steals) more than doubled his scoring from the previous season and earned selection for the NBL All-Star Game. Zauner (12.9 points and 7.5 rebounds), Johnson (9.4 points and 3.4 rebounds) and Campbell (8.7 points) provided the remaining support, although a contract dispute between Zauner and Joyce created further problems during the season.
Illawarra missed the playoffs for a third consecutive season and finished 11th with a 7-23 record, closing the year at Beaton Park on September 27 with a 115-90 win over Brisbane.
After another season missing out on the NBL playoffs in 1996, the Hawks were unable to retain their scoring and rebounding leader Marcus Timmons (who would end up leading the Melbourne Tigers to the championship that season) and were forced to move into a rebuilding phase for this season. The Hawks rebuilding would focus on the continued development of Hawks big man Matt Zauner, who was named team captain at the start of the season, and young stars Glen Saville and Mat Campbell. The Hawks chose not to re-sign 31-year-old Andre LaFleur and signed two young imports in guard Bryan Edwards and big man Clayton Ritter to replace the scoring and rebounding of Timmons. The team also added SEABL stawart Eric Cooks who had played under head coach Brendan Joyce during his time with the Ballarat Miners in state league competition, a team which had also included both Saville and Campbell.
Cooks would play primarily off the bench and averaged 8.9 points and 6.5 rebounds in his debut NBL season but with Edwards not being the fit needed at point guard and off-court issues between Zauner and Joyce stemming from a contract dispute the Hawks struggled. Edwards was replaced by Dylan Rigdon mid-season and the Hawks (7-23) failed to make the playoffs yet again.
1998
In 1998, the team was renamed the Wollongong Hawks and moved into WIN Entertainment Centre, known as the Sandpit. The Hawks re-signed star Clayton Ritter and paired him with defensive minded guard Elliot Hatcher. Alongside the talented import duo Cooks contributed 11.9 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.3 assists and helped the Hawks double their wins from the previous year, improving from seven wins to 14 wins and finishing in sixth place.
In the elimination finals the Hawks would go on to face the Perth Wildcats, losing back to back games before being eliminated from the playoffs in the first round.
1998/99
During the 1998/99 season the Hawks continued to improve for a third year in a row. The team recruited CJ Bruton from the Brisbane Bullets to become their starting point guard, alongside imports Clayton Ritter and Theron Wilson and a talented rookie by the name of David Andersen.
There, Bruton (20.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.5 assists) would be given the ‘green light’ on offence as he jumped from 15.4 points to 20.8 points per game while playing the most amount of game time (46 minutes per game) of his seventeen season career.
The Hawks finished the season winning two more games than the year prior, improving upon their previous record for the third year in a row and finished in third place with a record of 16-10.
Cooks contributed 4.2 points and 3.3 rebounds in a season where they won two more games than the year before and finished in third place with a record of 16-10.
During the post season the Hawks first lost to the Victoria Titans in two straight games in the Qualifying Finals but were the recipients of the ‘lucky loser’ rule where the highest placed loser of the top four team’s qualified for the semi finals. The Hawks faced the Adelaide 36ers next, who also defeated them in two straight games in the semifinals and delivered a end to their season.
1999/00
During the 1999/00 season Cooks averaged 2.4 points and 1.6 rebounds, and helped Hawks finish the year in eighth place finish with a record of 11-17.
Eric Cooks played four seasons in the NBL, playing for both the Illawarra Hawks and the Wollongong Hawks. He averaged 6.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 0.7 assists in 119 NBL games.
NBL TOTAL STATISTICS
| SEASON | AGE | TEAM | TEAM RECORD | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | TS% | EFG% | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999-00 | 37 | Wollongong | 11-17 (8) | 28 | 278 | 66 | 46 | 5 | 24 | 22 | 8 | 4 | 17 | 50 | 24 | 59 | 41% | 4 | 8 | 50% | 14 | 20 | 70% | 48% | 44% | 11 |
| 1998-99 | 36 | Wollongong | 16-10 (4) | 30 | 449 | 125 | 98 | 15 | 54 | 44 | 14 | 3 | 25 | 50 | 49 | 121 | 40% | 0 | 4 | 0% | 27 | 40 | 68% | 45% | 40% | 14 |
| 1998 | 36 | Wollongong | 14-16 (6) | 32 | 1,041 | 380 | 230 | 42 | 108 | 122 | 36 | 17 | 60 | 128 | 155 | 280 | 55% | 2 | 2 | 100% | 68 | 107 | 64% | 57% | 56% | 25 |
| 1997 | 35 | Illawarra | 7-23 (11) | 29 | 832 | 257 | 189 | 28 | 81 | 108 | 27 | 16 | 59 | 85 | 106 | 218 | 49% | 0 | 4 | 0% | 45 | 79 | 57% | 50% | 49% | 24 | Totals | 119 | 2600 | 828 | 563 | 90 | 267 | 296 | 85 | 40 | 161 | 313 | 334 | 678 | 49.3% | 6 | 18 | 33.3% | 154 | 246 | 62.6% | 53% | 50% | 25 |
NBL PER GAME STATISTICS
| SEASON | AGE | TEAM | TEAM RECORD | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | TS% | EFG% | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999-00 | 37 | Wollongong | 11-17 (8) | 28 | 9.9 | 2.4 | 1.6 | 0.2 | 0.9 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.6 | 1.8 | 0.9 | 2.1 | 41% | 0.1 | 0.3 | 50% | 0.5 | 0.7 | 70% | 48% | 44% | 11 |
| 1998-99 | 36 | Wollongong | 16-10 (4) | 30 | 15.0 | 4.2 | 3.3 | 0.5 | 1.8 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 0.8 | 1.7 | 1.6 | 4.0 | 40% | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0% | 0.9 | 1.3 | 68% | 45% | 40% | 14 |
| 1998 | 36 | Wollongong | 14-16 (6) | 32 | 32.5 | 11.9 | 7.2 | 1.3 | 3.4 | 3.8 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 1.9 | 4.0 | 4.8 | 8.8 | 55% | 0.1 | 0.1 | 100% | 2.1 | 3.3 | 64% | 57% | 56% | 25 |
| 1997 | 35 | Illawarra | 7-23 (11) | 29 | 28.7 | 8.9 | 6.5 | 1.0 | 2.8 | 3.7 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 2.0 | 2.9 | 3.7 | 7.5 | 49% | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0% | 1.6 | 2.7 | 57% | 50% | 49% | 24 | Total | 119 | 21.8 | 7.0 | 4.7 | 0.8 | 2.2 | 2.5 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 1.4 | 2.6 | 2.8 | 5.7 | 49.3% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 33.3% | 0.1 | 0.2 | 62.6% | 53% | 50% | 25 |
CAREER HIGHS
| POINTS | REBOUNDS | ASSISTS | STEALS | BLOCKS | TURNOVERS | TRIPLE DOUBLES | 25 | 15 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 0 |
|---|
STATE LEAGUE EXPERIENCE
- Ballarat 1986-96
State league MVP four times (1986, 1988-90)
COLLEGE
Cooks played college basketball at Saint Mary’s (CA) from the 1982-83 season through the 1984-85 season under head coach Bill Oates, spanning three straight WCAC campaigns in which the Gaels went 14-12 (7-5), 12-16 (7-5), and 15-12 (7-5).
In the 1982-83 season, Cooks appeared in 24 games and did not start, totaling 44 points (1.8 points per game) while shooting 21-for-39 from the field (53.8%), going 0-for-0 on three-pointers, and making 2-of-7 free throws (28.6%).
Across those 24 games as a 1982-83 reserve, he recorded 29 total rebounds (1.2 per game), with 0 offensive rebounds and 29 defensive rebounds, along with 2 assists, 2 steals, 6 blocks, 14 turnovers, and 13 personal fouls, as Saint Mary’s finished 14-12 overall and 7-5 in the WCAC.
Cooks’ role expanded in 1983-84 as he played 26 games with 5 starts, totaling 186 points (7.2 points per game) on 64-for-132 shooting from the field (48.5%), with 0-for-0 from three-point range, and 58-of-82 at the foul line (70.7%).
During that 1983-84 season, he added 106 total rebounds (4.1 per game), with 0 offensive rebounds and 106 defensive rebounds, plus 18 assists, 10 steals, 14 blocks, and 531 total minutes (20.4 minutes per game), as the Gaels went 12-16 overall and 7-5 in WCAC play.
As a senior in 1984-85, Cooks started 27 of 27 games and produced 355 points (13.1 points per game) while shooting 127-for-238 from the field (53.4%), with 0-for-0 on three-pointers, and 101-of-153 at the free throw line (66.0%).
In that 1984-85 season, he also posted 243 total rebounds (9.0 per game), with 0 offensive rebounds and 243 defensive rebounds, along with 36 assists, 20 steals, 35 blocks, 58 turnovers, and 978 total minutes (36.2 minutes per game), and his year included All-WCAC recognition as Saint Mary’s finished 15-12 overall and 7-5 in conference play.
Related
HAVE MORE INFORMATION ON THIS PLAYER?
Whilst we try to source as much information as we can for every player who has ever played in the NBL some information on a player profile may be missing. If you have additional information on a player you'd like us to add to a profile, please send it to us using the enquiry form below.
Submissions are then sent to info@aussiehoopla.com