Big South Basketball: Ranking of 25 best players from last decade (2013-23)
By Joey Loose
7. Xavier Cooks
Winthrop has had some great teams over the last decade and Cooks certainly played a role in a few of those seasons. A major frontcourt weapon, he’s a 6’8 forward originally from Wollongong, Australia who played for Pat Kelsey and the Eagles between 2014 and 2018, contributing to quite a few victories in the process.
Cooks was solid as a freshman and started nearly every game of his four-year career. He was up to 14.7 points and 7.1 rebounds per game as a sophomore and would improve on those numbers as an upperclassman. As a junior, he had a 21-point, 20-rebound effort against Longwood a few weeks before leading the Eagles to the NCAA Tournament, with three straight double-doubles in the Big South Tournament. Cooks then averaged 17.2 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks per game in his final year.
Throughout his college days, Cooks was one of the best scorers, rebounders, and shot blockers in the Big South. He earned All-Big South honors for three straight years and was named the conference’s Player of the Year as a senior. His metrics across the board were impressive in that senior year and Winthrop averaged more than 21 wins a season with him in the lineup. He not only made that impact, but helped build Winthrop into the Big South’s best program of the decade.