Dayton Basketball: Charles Cooke signs deal with New Orleans’ Pelicans

Former Dayton Flyers’ guard Charles Cooke has signed a two-way contract with the New Orleans Pelicans for the 2017-18 season.

The Dayton Flyers have had a lot of repeated success over the past few seasons, partially due to the consistency of players like Charles Cooke. Cooke, whose time in college has ended, signed a two-way deal with the New Orleans Pelicans and will join them for the 2017-18 season.

Cooke was phenomenal in his time with the Flyers, averaging over 15 points, a block, a steal, and five rebounds over 31 minutes per game in both of his seasons with the team. If you remember, Cooke transferred to Dayton from James Madison University after a successful sophomore campaign that saw him average over 14 points per game.

Consistency is the name of Cooke’s game, and it showed during his time in college. The Pelicans, who will be led by Jrue Holiday, Anthony Davis, and DeMarcus Cousins, need a player like Cooke who is going to be able to contribute throughout his career. The two-way contract that he signed will allow him to be on the main roster when needed and train in the G-League when he is not.

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I would not be surprised to see Cooke on the main roster more often than not, as his defensive capabilities could make him a coveted bench option as a rookie. The Pelicans’ bench is a bit thin due to the strength (and cost) of their starting big men, and Cooke could shine on his new NBA team.