Derek Cooke Jr
June 8, 2023
JP Tokoto
- Nationality: USA/CAM
- Date of Birth:
- Place of Birth: Rockford, Illinois (USA)
- Position: FRD
- Height (CM): 198
- Weight (KG): 91
- Junior Assoc:
- College: North Carolina (2012–2015)
- AGE AT DEBUT: 0
- NBL History: Perth 2018
- Championships: 0
- None
BIO: JP Tokoto was born in Rockford, Illinois (USA).
NBL EXPERIENCE
JP Tokoto made his NBL debut with the Perth Wildcats on 30/12/1899. He went scoreless in his first NBL game.
Following consecutive championship seasons, Perth lost two-time club MVP Casey Prather (to Melbourne), Jameel McKay (to Spain) and Shawn Redhage (retired), forcing Trevor Gleeson to reshape the roster around returning Bryce Cotton, Matthew Knight, Angus Brandt, Damian Martin, Jarrod Kenny and Greg Hire. Devondrick Walker (via Delaware) initially signed as Prather’s replacement, but fractured his left foot during the preseason and was ruled out before playing a regular-season game. The Wildcats replaced him with JP Tokoto (via Rio Grande Valley), while Derek Cooke Jr (via Northern Arizona) replaced McKay and Lucas Walker was elevated from training player to the full-time roster. Tokoto had most recently played with Rio Grande Valley in the NBA G League and represented Utah at NBA Summer League before signing with Perth on September 6, saying, “It’s a winning culture at the Wildcats and everybody wants to be a part of a winning culture.”
Perth opened the season against Brisbane at Perth Arena on October 7, where Tokoto (16 points and 4 rebounds) made an immediate impact in his NBL debut as the Wildcats defeated the Bullets 96-86 in front of an NBL opening-round record crowd of 13,403. Cotton (24 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists) and Wagstaff (18 points) led Perth, while Travis Trice (27 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists) was Brisbane’s best.
Tokoto (15.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.6 steals across 30 games) became Perth’s second-leading scorer and one of the league’s best defensive players, appearing in all 28 regular-season games and both semifinals without missing a game through injury or illness.
Tokoto’s best game of the season came against Illawarra at Perth Arena on October 26, where Tokoto (23 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 6 steals) shot 10-of-15 from the field as Perth defeated the Hawks 105-74. Cotton (24 points, 3 assists, and 3 steals) and Lucas Walker (16 points and 5 rebounds) provided support, while Demitrius Conger (25 points and 3 rebounds) led Illawarra. The Wildcats wore pink uniforms to raise funds and awareness for Breast Cancer Care WA in support of Gleeson’s wife Dawn, while the win provided an immediate response to a 21-point loss against Cairns four days earlier. Tokoto injured his right ankle after stepping on Conger’s foot during the third quarter and briefly left the court, but returned four minutes later and did not miss a game because of the injury.
Matthew Knight (retired) had planned to finish his career at the end of the season, but three head knocks during the opening weeks forced him to bring his retirement forward in early November after five games. Clint Steindl (via Greece) was signed as his replacement.
Tokoto recorded his highest-scoring game against New Zealand at Perth Arena on November 12, finishing with 30 points and 8 rebounds as Perth lost 82-88. Cotton (19 points and 3 steals) and Lucas Walker (9 points and 7 rebounds) provided support, while DJ Newbill (20 points and 2 steals) led New Zealand as the Breakers collected their eighth consecutive victory.
Perth travelled to New Zealand on December 1, where Tokoto (25 points, 5 rebounds, 9 assists, and 2 blocks) produced one of his best all-around performances of the season as the Wildcats defeated the Breakers 89-73. Wagstaff (21 points and 4 rebounds) hit four three-pointers during the fourth quarter and Lucas Walker (12 points and 11 rebounds) recorded a double-double, while Alex Pledger (15 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 blocks) was New Zealand’s best. The victory ended the Breakers’ nine-game winning streak and was Perth’s first win in New Zealand since 2013.
Tokoto continued his strong form against Illawarra on December 23, finishing with 27 points, 12 rebounds, and 2 steals as Perth lost 84-96 in Wollongong. Cotton (25 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals) and Lucas Walker (13 points and 8 rebounds) provided support, while Conger (21 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 3 blocks) led the Hawks as Perth entered Christmas on a two-game losing streak.
Tokoto suffered another ankle injury against Sydney at Perth Arena on January 19 but still finished with 20 points, 11 rebounds, and 2 steals as the Wildcats lost 77-84. Cotton (17 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals) and Kenny (12 points and 4 rebounds) provided support, while Jerome Randle (19 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists) led Sydney to its first win in Perth in more than a decade. The loss dropped the Wildcats to 13-9 and fourth place, but Tokoto returned to play against Sydney two days later and again avoided missing a game because of the injury.
Tokoto (10 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals) delivered another all-around performance against Adelaide at Perth Arena on February 2 as Perth defeated the 36ers 111-90. Wagstaff (25 points) and Cotton (25 points, 3 rebounds, and 4 assists) led the scoring, while Nathan Sobey (18 points and 4 rebounds) was Adelaide’s best as the Wildcats strengthened their position inside the top four.
Perth closed the regular season against Cairns at Perth Arena on February 18, where Tokoto (9 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals) helped the Wildcats defeat the Taipans 89-61. Cotton (24 points and 6 assists) and Wagstaff (16 points and 3 rebounds) led Perth, while Jerry Evans Jr (12 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals) was Cairns’ best as the Wildcats finished third with a 16-12 record and qualified for the postseason for a 32nd consecutive season.
Cotton (19.5 points, 3 rebounds, and 1.2 steals across 30 games) led Perth offensively, while Brandt (9.6 points and 4.3 rebounds across 30 games), Wagstaff (9 points and 3.1 rebounds across 29 games), Lucas Walker (8.4 points and 5.6 rebounds across 30 games) and Cooke Jr (5.6 points and 5.3 rebounds across 30 games) provided further support. Cotton won the Andrew Gaze Trophy as NBL MVP and was selected to the All-NBL First Team, while Martin (4.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.5 steals across 28 games) won the NBL Best Defensive Player Award for a record sixth time. Tokoto finished fifth in MVP voting with 74 votes, led the NBL in steals and was selected to the All-NBL Second Team.
Perth opened the semifinals in Adelaide, where Tokoto (5 points and 4 rebounds) struggled from the field as the 36ers defeated the Wildcats 109-74. Cotton (22 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 steals), Brandt (8 points, 6 rebounds, and 1 block) and Cooke Jr (8 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 steals) provided Perth’s main contributions, while Josh Childress (22 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 steals), Mitch Creek (20 points and 11 rebounds), Shannon Shorter (18 points and 7 assists), Daniel Johnson (16 points and 10 rebounds) and Sobey (15 points, 3 rebounds, and 4 assists) led Adelaide. The 35-point defeat was Perth’s second-biggest finals loss behind its 55-point defeat to North Melbourne in 1989.
Game two moved to Perth Arena, where Tokoto (14 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1 block) helped the Wildcats build an 18-point lead as Cotton (31 points and 3 assists) scored a Wildcats finals-record 19 points during the opening quarter. Brandt (14 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block) and Kenny (12 points) provided further support, while Childress (25 points, 11 rebounds, and 1 block) scored the go-ahead basket with 24 seconds remaining and Creek (22 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists) and Sobey (13 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists) helped Adelaide recover from five points down during the final minute. Adelaide defeated Perth 89-88 to complete the semifinal sweep.
JP Tokoto played one season in the NBL. He averaged 15.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 2.6 assists in 30 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-18 | 0 | Perth | 16-12 (3) | 30 | 841 | 456 | 174 | 79 | 52 | 122 | 48 | 15 | 73 | 82 | 166 | 357 | 46% | 10 | 38 | 26% | 156 | 319 | 49% | 45% | 48% | 30 | Totals | 30 | 841 | 456 | 174 | 79 | 52 | 122 | 48 | 15 | 73 | 82 | 166 | 357 | 46.5% | 10 | 38 | 26.3% | 156 | 319 | 48.9% | 30 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-18 | 0 | Perth | 16-12 (3) | 30 | 28.0 | 15.2 | 5.8 | 2.6 | 1.7 | 4.1 | 1.6 | 0.5 | 2.4 | 2.7 | 5.5 | 11.9 | 46% | 0.3 | 1.3 | 26% | 5.2 | 10.6 | 49% | 45% | 48% | 30 | Total | 30 | 28.0 | 15.2 | 5.8 | 2.6 | 1.7 | 4.1 | 1.6 | 0.5 | 2.4 | 2.7 | 46.5% | 26.3% | 48.9% | 30 |
CAREER HIGHS
| POINTS | REBOUNDS | ASSISTS | STEALS | BLOCKS | TURNOVERS | TRIPLE DOUBLES | 30 | 12 | 9 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 0 |
|---|
INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE
- Israel - Hapoel Eilat (2018–2019), Ironi Ness Ziona (2020–2021) | Czech Republic - ERA Nymburk (2019–2020) | Germany - Brose Bamberg (2021–2022) | Spain - Manresa (2022–2023)
Tokoto joined Hapoel Eilat for the 2018–19 Israeli Premier League season, playing his first season in Israel and appearing in 29 league games while averaging 8.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.2 steals per game in 23.4 minutes. During that season, he shot 50.6% from the field and helped Eilat reach the Israeli League semifinals alongside teammates Amit Simhon and Jordan Loyd.
He then signed with ERA Nymburk for the 2019–20 Czech National Basketball League season, where he averaged 9.3 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in domestic league play while also competing in the Basketball Champions League. Nymburk won the Czech League title that season, and Tokoto featured alongside Jaromír Bohačík and Vojtěch Hruban as the club completed an unbeaten domestic campaign.
For the 2020–21 season, Tokoto joined Ironi Ness Ziona in the Israeli Premier League, averaging 12.7 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.6 steals per game across 33 league appearances while shooting 53.4% from the field. During that campaign, Ness Ziona reached the FIBA Europe Cup semifinals, with Tokoto contributing in European competition alongside Braian Angola and Tal Dan.
In 2021–22, he signed with Brose Bamberg in the German Basketball Bundesliga, appearing in 32 league games and averaging 9.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per contest while also playing in the Basketball Champions League. He shared the roster with Christian Sengfelder and Omar Prewitt during the season.
Tokoto later joined Manresa for the 2022–23 Liga ACB season in Spain, averaging 6.4 points and 3.1 rebounds in domestic league play while competing in the Basketball Champions League, where Manresa reached the Final Four the previous year. He played alongside Jerrick Harding and Devin Robinson during his stint with the club.
COLLEGE
Tokoto played college basketball at North Carolina from 2012–2015, appearing for the Tar Heels as a freshman in 2012-13 and continuing through his junior season in 2014-15 under head coach Roy Williams.
Across 107 games at UNC, Tokoto totaled 722 points (6.7 per game), 469 rebounds (4.4 per game), 292 assists, and 128 steals, scoring in double figures 33 times and hitting 21 career three-pointers, including 12 threes in 2014-15 alone.
In the 2012-13 season, Tokoto appeared in 35 games and did not start, averaging 2.6 points and 1.7 rebounds per game, and he missed the March 3 game against Florida State due to a bruised right wrist.
As a freshman, he matched his season high with 10 points at NC State and set a season high with three assists in that same game, scored 10 points on 5-for-5 shooting against East Carolina, posted a season-high four steals in 12 minutes against Miami, played a season-high 19 minutes at Texas and pulled down a season-high six rebounds, and had five points and two steals at Indiana against a top-ranked opponent.
Tokoto’s role expanded sharply in 2013-14, when he became a regular starter and earned ACC All-Defensive Team honours as selected by both the media and the league’s head coaches, while also leading North Carolina with 55 steals and ranking second on the team with 103 assists.
In that 2013-14 season, he averaged 9.3 points and 5.8 rebounds per game with 3.1 assists per game, recorded 16 double-figure scoring games and three double-doubles (against Michigan State, Davidson, and NC State), and produced his season scoring high with 22 points in an overtime win over Davidson that also included 11 rebounds, four blocks, and five steals.
During the 2013-14 season’s key moments, Tokoto delivered his first career double-double at No. 1 Michigan State with 12 points and 10 rebounds, scored 16 points with 10 rebounds and five assists in a win at NC State, went 5-for-5 from the field in a 63–61 win over Notre Dame, and had nine rebounds, four steals, and a career-high six assists against Maryland.
In 2013-14, North Carolina finished 24–10 and reached the NCAA Tournament as a No. 6 seed, beating Providence 79–77 in the Second Round before falling 85–83 to Iowa State in the Third Round.
In the 2014-15 season, Tokoto ranked among the ACC leaders as a playmaking forward, finishing sixth in the conference in assists, eighth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.9), and ninth in steals, while also being the only forward to place in the ACC’s top 10 in assists and one of the league’s few players to rank top 10 in both assists and steals despite not being a point guard.
As a junior, he finished second on UNC with 163 assists and 56 steals, logged 29.1 minutes per game, had five or more assists 15 times, and posted 10 assists against Robert Morris, which was the first time a North Carolina forward recorded 10 assists in a game since 2000.
Tokoto’s 2014-15 game highs included 19 points and 10 rebounds against William & Mary (tying his season scoring high and setting his season rebounding high), 19 points with eight assists against East Carolina while going 5-for-5 at the free throw line, and a 15-point, eight-rebound, seven-assist performance with no turnovers at Duke that also included three steals and two blocks in 37 minutes.
Late in 2014-15, Tokoto produced key all-around stat lines in postseason play, including 13 points and eight assists with no turnovers against Arkansas, and seven assists, six rebounds, four steals, and only one turnover in the ACC championship game against Notre Dame, while North Carolina went 11–4 in games where he scored in double figures.
Tokoto improved his free-throw shooting as a junior, lifting his percentage after shooting .476 across his first two seasons to 61.5% in 2014-15, and he also connected on multiple three-pointers in a game for the first time against UCLA during the season, when he scored 10 points with four steals in that win.
AWARDS
- 1x All-NBL Second Team
- 1x NBL Steals Leader
Related
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