Dontae Russo-Nance
May 30, 2023
Tyler Cook
- Nationality: USA
- Date of Birth: 23/09/1997
- Place of Birth: St. Louis, Missouri (USA)
- Position: FRD
- Height (CM): 203
- Weight (KG): 116
- Junior Assoc:
- College: Iowa (2016-2019)
- NBL DEBUT: 28/09/23
- AGE AT DEBUT: 26
- LAST NBL GAME: 5/10/23
- AGE AT LAST GAME: 26
- NBL History: South East Melbourne 2024
- Championships: 0
- None
BIO: Tyler Cook was born in St. Louis, Missouri (USA).
NBL EXPERIENCE
Tyler Cook made his NBL debut with the South East Melbourne Phoenix at 26 years of age. He scored 12 points in his first game.
After finishing fifth with a 15-13 record and losing the Play-In Qualifier to Perth, South East Melbourne entered Mike Kelly’s first season as head coach with a reshaped roster. Kyle Adnam (to Sibiu), Trey Kell III (to Adelaide), Ryan Broekhoff (retired) and Dane Pineau (to New Zealand) departed, while Kelly added Gorjok Gak (via Brisbane), Matt Kenyon (via Tasmania), Ben Ayre (via Cairns), Rhys Vague (via Japan), Craig Moller (via Germany) and import Will Cummings (via China). Alan Williams re-signed on a two-year deal but suffered a knee injury during the preseason and was moved to the inactive roster.
Cook (via Salt Lake City Stars) was signed as Williams’ injury replacement in September after previously playing 65 NBA games across five franchises. “I’m coming in with the sole focus to get wins,” Cook said. He immediately impressed at the NBL Blitz, averaging 21 points, 8.7 rebounds and 1.7 blocks across three games to win the Ray Borner Trophy as tournament MVP.
South East Melbourne opened NBL24 against Melbourne United at John Cain Arena on September 28, where Cook (12 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 block) started in his NBL debut, but the Phoenix lost 82-67. Ayre (17 points) and Cummings (14 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals) led South East Melbourne, while Travers (20 points and 8 rebounds) was Melbourne’s best.
Cook (13.3 points and 7 rebounds across 3 games) started all three appearances while filling the void left by Williams.
Cook’s best game came three days later against Perth at John Cain Arena, where Cook (23 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 assists) made nine of 14 shots as South East Melbourne defeated the Wildcats 110-99. Creek (23 points and 9 rebounds) and Cummings (18 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals) provided support, while Henshall (24 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals) led Perth. Cook’s third-quarter dunk over Alexandre Sarr sparked the Phoenix as the pair went nose-to-nose afterwards, with South East Melbourne blowing the game open during a 38-point third quarter.
Cook’s final appearance came in Cairns on October 5, where Cook (5 points, 4 rebounds, and 1 steal) played only 12 minutes before an accidental poke to the eye from Sam Waardenburg ended his night before halftime. Creek (20 points and 8 rebounds) and Browne (13 points and 4 assists) led South East Melbourne after his departure, while Miller (23 points, 6 rebounds, and 8 assists) carried Cairns to an 87-80 win.
The eye injury kept Cook out of South East Melbourne’s next two games before Williams (16.7 points and 10.9 rebounds across 15 games) returned against Adelaide on October 19, ending Cook’s injury-replacement stint after three appearances. Cook (to Joventut Badalona) moved to Spain in November.
Tyler Cook played one season in the NBL. He averaged 13.3 points, 7 rebounds, and 1 assists in 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-24 | 26 | South East Melbourne | 10-18 (10) | 3 | 70 | 40 | 21 | 3 | 7 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 5 | 14 | 33 | 42% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 12 | 16 | 75% | 49% | 42% | 23 | Totals | 3 | 70 | 40 | 21 | 3 | 7 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 5 | 14 | 33 | 42.4% | 0 | 0 | 0.0% | 12 | 16 | 75.0% | 50% | 42% | 23 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-24 | 26 | South East Melbourne | 10-18 (10) | 3 | 23.4 | 13.3 | 7.0 | 1.0 | 2.3 | 4.7 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 2.3 | 1.7 | 4.7 | 11.0 | 42% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0% | 4.0 | 5.3 | 75% | 49% | 42% | 23 | Total | 3 | 23.4 | 13.3 | 7.0 | 1.0 | 2.3 | 4.7 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 2.3 | 1.7 | 4.7 | 11.0 | 42.4% | 0.1 | 0.0% | 75.0% | 50% | 42% | 23 |
CAREER HIGHS
| POINTS | REBOUNDS | ASSISTS | STEALS | BLOCKS | TURNOVERS | TRIPLE DOUBLES | 23 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
|---|
INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE
- Spain - Joventut Badalona (2023–2024) | Turkey - Merkezefendi Belediyesi Denizli (2024–2025) | Japan - Ibaraki Robots (2025–2026)
Cook joined Joventut Badalona for the 2023–24 Liga ACB and EuroCup season in Spain on November 16, 2023, and in EuroCup play he averaged 10.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists across 10 games.
His best EuroCup scoring game came on November 22, 2023, when he scored 15 points against Hapoel Tel Aviv, and he later posted a EuroCup career-high index rating of 21 on January 23, 2024 against Paris Basketball.
Cook then joined Merkezefendi Belediyesi Denizli for the 2024–25 Basketbol Süper Ligi season in Turkey on September 26, 2024, where he averaged 15.0 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.6 steals and 0.5 blocks over 24 league games.
During his season with Merkezefendi, he led the team in both scoring and rebounding, and on December 29, 2024 he recorded 25 points and eight rebounds against Fenerbahce.
He moved to Japan for the 2025–26 B.League season after signing with the Ibaraki Robots on June 17, 2025.
COLLEGE
Tyler Cook played three NCAA seasons at Iowa from 2016–17 to 2018–19, starting from day one and finishing as one of just nine players in program history with more than 1,300 points and 600 rebounds, ending his Hawkeye career with 1,315 points and a long list of all-conference recognition.
As a freshman in 2016–17, Cook started 26 of 27 games and averaged 12.3 points and 5.3 rebounds as Iowa’s second-leading scorer, earning Big Ten All-Freshman Team honours and Iowa’s co-Newcomer of the Year award while shooting 55.4 percent from the field, which Iowa lists as the fifth-best single-season field-goal percentage by a Hawkeye freshman in school history.
That first season was interrupted when Cook fractured his right index finger at the Emerald Coast Classic (Nov. 24), forcing him to miss seven games, but he still posted two double-doubles, scored 21 points in a win at No. 24 Maryland, and set an early signature mark with a personal-best 24 points against Seton Hall that included his first collegiate three-pointer.
Cook closed his freshman year on a heater, making 36 of 51 shots (.706) over Iowa’s final six games and finishing the season with a run of 18 straight made field-goal attempts dating back to the Big Ten Tournament, while also leading the team in rebounding 10 times despite being a first-year forward.
As a sophomore in 2017–18, Cook started all 33 games and jumped to team-leading averages of 15.3 points and 6.8 rebounds, earning honorable mention All-Big Ten from both coaches and media while also taking home Iowa’s Best Rebounder award and the Kenny Arnold Hawkeye Spirit award.
His 2017–18 season included seven double-doubles, 60 dunks, a career-best 29 points on 8-of-11 shooting with 13-of-16 free throws in a win over UAB, a 28-point, 10-rebound performance against Indiana, and a 26-point game against No. 4 Michigan State where he added four assists with zero turnovers, underlining how central he became to Iowa’s offense.
As a junior in 2018–19, Cook again started 33 games while missing two due to injury, led Iowa in both scoring (14.5) and rebounding (7.6), and was named second-team All-Big Ten by the media and third-team by the coaches, along with USBWA All-District and NABC Second Team All-District honours and a spot on the 2K Empire Classic All-Tournament Team.
Cook’s 2018–19 year featured six double-doubles (including against Wisconsin, Iowa State, Northern Iowa, Bryant, Northwestern, and Ohio State), plus a 10-game stretch where he averaged at least 15 points and five rebounds every game from Nov. 30 to Jan. 12, which Iowa notes was the first such 10-game run by a Hawkeye since James Winters in 1993–94.
He produced some of his biggest moments on the biggest stage, averaging 17.5 points and 9.0 rebounds in wins over No. 13 Oregon and Connecticut at Madison Square Garden, and Iowa lists a career-high 15 rebounds against Wisconsin on Nov. 30, 2018, plus a career-high 12 made field goals against Iowa State on Dec. 6, 2018.
By the end of his Iowa run, Cook’s résumé included scoring in double figures 69 times, 15 career 20-point games, and 15 double-doubles, and Iowa lists him as the program’s back-to-back team rebounding leader in 2018 and 2019 while also noting his 2018–19 rebound total of 252 as the eighth-most by an Iowa junior in program history.
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