Charles Cooke III (born July 1, 1994) is an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player who last played for the

Sioux Falls Skyforce The Sioux Falls Skyforce are an American professional basketball team of the NBA G League based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and are affiliated with the Miami Heat. The team plays their home games in the Sanford Pentagon, a place they have call ...

of the

NBA G League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development League (NBDL) from 2001 to 2005, and the NBA De ...

. He played college basketball for both

James Madison University James Madison University (JMU, Madison, or James Madison) is a public research university in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Founded in 1908 as the State Normal and Industrial School for Women at Harrisonburg, the institution was renamed Madison Coll ...

and the

University of Dayton The University of Dayton (UD) is a private, Catholic research university in Dayton, Ohio. Founded in 1850 by the Society of Mary, it is one of three Marianist universities in the nation and the second-largest private university in Ohio. The univ ...

High school career

Throughout his high school years, he played basketball at the

Trenton Catholic Academy Trenton Catholic Preparatory Academy (formerly Trenton Catholic Academy) is a Catholic school in Trenton, New Jersey. It serves students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grades and formerly operated under the auspices of the Diocese of Tr ...

in his home state. In his junior year, he averaged 6.8 points and 0.7 rebounds per game in 23 games played there. During his senior year, he increased his production to 14.1 points and 1.0 rebounds per game in 28 games played. After graduating from high school, he committed to playing for

at the Colonial Athletic Association.

College career

In his freshman season, he averaged 5.8 points and 2.8 rebounds per game in 32 games played for the Dukes. He improved his production in his sophomore year, averaging 14.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.4 steals per game in 30 games played for James Madison. After his sophomore season, he sat out what would have originally been his junior year to transfer to the

at the Atlantic 10 Conference. In his first season at Dayton, Cooke averaged 15.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game in 32 games played. Finally, in his senior year, he averaged 15.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game in 29 games played. During his time at Dayton, he became the only player to have two seasons with averages of 1 assist, 1 steal, and 1 block per game with 37.5% three-point shooting and 5 free-throw attempts per game.

Professional career

While he was originally projected to be a second round pick in the

2017 NBA draft The 2017 NBA draft was held on June 22, 2017, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players. ...

, he ultimately went undrafted. After the draft, he played with the

Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. Founded in 19 ...

for the

2017 NBA Summer League The 2017 NBA Summer League consisted of three pro basketball leagues organized by the National Basketball Association (NBA): the Orlando Pro Summer League, Utah Jazz Summer League, and Las Vegas Summer League. Eight teams participated in the wee ...

, with the intent on signing with them afterwards. In the five games he played for the Timberwolves, he recorded 10 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 steal per game in 20.8 minutes of action. Cooke ultimately wouldn't sign a deal with the Timberwolves. Instead, on August 2, 2017, Cooke signed a

two-way contract A two-way contract is a professional sports contract that stipulates that an athlete's salary is dependent upon the league in which the athlete is assigned to play. This is opposed to a one-way contract that would pay the same salary regardless of ...

with the New Orleans Pelicans. That meant for the majority of the season, Cooke would split his professional time between the New Orleans squad and a G-League affiliate that's going to be best designated to them by the league before the season begins, which turned out to be the

Greensboro Swarm The Greensboro Swarm are an American basketball team of the NBA G League based in Greensboro, North Carolina, and are affiliated with the Charlotte Hornets. The Swarm play their home games at the Greensboro Coliseum Fieldhouse. The team became ...

. He made his NBA debut on October 28, 2017, playing in two minutes and scoring two points in a blowout 123–101 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. On October 7, 2018, Cooke signed with the

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The club plays its home games at FT ...

. He was waived by the Heat on October 11 after appearing in one preseason game. Cooke was subsequently added to the roster of the

. On March 15, 2019, Cooke signed a 10-day contract with the

, and was immediately assigned back to the Skyforce. On August 31, 2019, De' Longhi Treviso of the Italian

Lega Basket Serie A The Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) is a professional men's club basketball league that has been organised in Italy since 1920. Serie A is organised by Lega Basket, which is regulated by the Italian Basketball Federation (FIP). It is the highest-tier ...

(LBA), but released at mid-season, replaced by

Ivan Almeida Ivan Almeida (born 10 May 1989) is a Cape Verdean professional basketball player for Benfica of the Liga Portuguesa de Basquetebol. Standing at 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m), he usually plays as small forward. Professional career In August 2017, Alme ...

. After the short Italian stint, Cooke signed in

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...

for the

Atléticos de San Germán Atléticos de San Germán is a basketball club of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN) based in San Germán, Puerto Rico. Founded in the 1930s after the amalgamation of the old San Germán team and the Farmacia Martín team, the team is one of ...

as first team's import player of the 2020 season. On June 1, 2021, Cooke signed with the Hamilton Honey Badgers of the Canadian Elite Basketball League. On February 15, 2022, Cooke was acquired and activated by the Maine Celtics, but was waived on March 2.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

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New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

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References

External links

James Madison Dukes bioDayton Flyers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cooke, Charles 1994 births Living people American expatriate basketball people in Italy American men's basketball players Basketball players from Trenton, New Jersey Dayton Flyers men's basketball players Greensboro Swarm players James Madison Dukes men's basketball players Lega Basket Serie A players New Orleans Pelicans players Pallacanestro Treviso players Salt Lake City Stars players Shooting guards Sioux Falls Skyforce players Trenton Catholic Academy alumni Undrafted NBA players Universo Treviso Basket players United States men's national basketball team players 21st-century African-American sportspeople American expatriate basketball people in Canada