Honey Badgers add NBA G League Guard Cooke to Roster

May 10, 2024

The Brampton Honey Badgers of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) announced Friday the addition of NBA G League experienced guard Javonte Cooke. 

 

A native of Columbia, South Carolina, Cooke previously wrapped up a second season with the Iowa Wolves, the NBA G League affiliate of the Minnesota Timberwolves. He signed with the Timberwolves on October 20 and was released the following day and assigned to Iowa where he averaged 16.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 33.1 minutes in 48 games. 

 

“Javonte (Cooke) has been very impressive in the early stages of his professional career with the Timberwolves G-League affiliate,” said Jermaine Anderson, general manager and vice president of basketball operations. “He’s a dynamic scorer that will be relied upon to help lead our team. We’re looking forward to welcoming Javonte to the family this summer.” 

 

Cooke’s recent campaign with the Iowa Wolves was highlighted by a career-best 41 points while shooting 8-for-11 (.723) from distance and adding six assists vs. Sioux Falls on February 3. He shot .364 (119-for-327) from beyond the arc on the season, achieving 20+ points in 11 contests. 

 

“The Honey Badgers organization has had amazing success helping players reach the next stage in their careers,” said Cooke. “I’m ready to meet the team and coaches and can’t wait for a great summer in Brampton.” 

 

Cooke attended NBA Summer League in 2023 with the Timberwolves, averaging 6.4 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 17.0 minutes in five games. Against the Charlotte Hornets on August 15, he scored 16 points on 7-for-9 (.778) shooting from the field. 

 

Following a five-year collegiate career, Cooke had a great start to his professional journey playing with the Iowa Wolves. In 41 games, the guard averaged 7.5 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 18.4 minutes, scoring double-figures in 14 contests. He reached the 20-point in two games, including a season-best 24 points with five rebounds and three assists January 6 against Salt Lake City. 

 

Cooke put a stamp on his 87-game collegiate career with Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina, averaging 16.6 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 30.6 minutes in 22 contests. He helped the Rams claim a Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Southern Division title as a senior, leading the team and finishing fifth in the conference in scoring. Cooke went 55-for-144 (.382) from three-point territory on the season, ranking first in the CIAA. 

 

Cooke spent the previous three seasons with Mars Hill University where he played in 65 games. 

 

The Honey Badgers round out their free agency signings with the addition of Cooke, joining a roster composed of proven veterans and players looking to make their mark. Cooke becomes the third import player to sign with the club, alongside Zane Waterman, LJ Thorpe, and Petros Melissaratos. 

 

Brampton opens up their 2024 training camp at Humber College on May 16, with the regular season opener taking place on Friday, May 24 at the CAA Centre. 

 

The Brampton Honey Badgers open the 2024 campaign at home against the Niagara River Lions as part of Home Opener Weekend at the CAA Centre. Season tickets, ultimate voucher packages, and single game tickets are available now to witness the best of Canadian professional basketball this summer. For more information contact a Honey Badgers representative at [email protected] or visit www.honeybadgers.ca/tickets

 

 

 

 

 

About the Brampton Honey Badgers 

One of the original franchises of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL), the 2022 CEBL Champion Brampton Honey Badgers proudly call the CAA Centre home. The Brampton front office and basketball operations department bring NBA, NBA G League, national team, NCAA and major international pro league experience to the franchise. With a vision of promoting Brampton grassroots basketball and local businesses through community and corporate engagement, the Honey Badgers will leverage the explosion of basketball as a vehicle for innovation and change. For more information visit honeybadgers.ca

 

About the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL)  

A league created by Canadians for Canadians with a mission to develop Canadian players, coaches, sports executives, and referees, the CEBL boasts the highest percentage of Canadian players of any pro league in the country with 71 percent of its 2023 rosters being Canadian. TSN, Canada's sports leader, is the official broadcast partner of the league. Players bring experience from the NBA, NBA G League, top international pro leagues, the Canadian National team program, and top NCAA programs as well as U SPORTS. Nine players have moved from the CEBL into the NBA following a CEBL season, and 28 CEBL players attended NBA G League training camps during October. The CEBL season runs from May through August. More information about the CEBL is available at CEBL.ca and @cebleague on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook & YouTube. 

May 6, 2025
A second-round pick by the Spurs in 2019, Weatherspoon has 42 games of NBA experience with Golden State and San Antonio 
May 6, 2025
Gum played his entire five-year university career with the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks
May 5, 2025
Djuricic has appeared in 42 games with the Shooting Stars since their inaugural season in 2022
May 5, 2025
The Winnipeg Sea Bears are bringing in one of basketball’s most innovative minds for the upcoming Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) season, announcing Monday that Dr. Nick Elam, creator of the Elam Ending (known as Target Score Time in the CEBL), will join the club as its Target Score Time strategist. Elam will work alongside Head Coach and General Manager Mike Taylor and the Sea Bears coaching staff to analyze trends and inform late-game strategy. Known for revolutionizing how basketball games end, Elam’s expertise is expected to provide a significant competitive advantage under the CEBL’s unique format. “Coach Taylor reached out to me during the off-season about the possibility of teaming up with the Sea Bears to refine late-game strategy,” said Elam. “As the originator of the Elam Ending format used in CEBL and many other leagues and events, it was a call I knew would come eventually, I just wasn’t sure who would be the first team to reach out. I’m grateful to Coach Taylor for bringing me on board.” Taylor first encountered Elam’s work in 2018 while coaching Team Fredette at The Basketball Tournament (TBT), which uses the Elam Ending. The team reached the tournament’s final four in Baltimore. “It was my first experience with the Elam Ending and I loved it,” said Taylor. “I was intrigued by the strategy, and over the past few years in the CEBL, we’ve stayed in touch. Nick would always make time to answer my questions and talk about target score time. We’re really happy to have him officially join us.” Elam, who has spent thousands of hours researching the late-game format since first devising it in 2007, says his work with the Sea Bears will go beyond what’s been done before. “To this point, that research has been used to make late-game play more authentic and exciting,” said Elam. “There has been an untapped element of that research that can be used to help a team win. I’m glad the Sea Bears are the first team to seek the benefits of that research directly from the source.” Although Elam will work primarily remotely, he is expected to join the team in person during the season. “I am absolutely thrilled for the opportunity to make at least one trip to Winnipeg this season to meet the team in person, experience a Sea Bears game live, and explore the city,” he said. “Dining and sightseeing recommendations are welcome.” Elam’s role will include evaluating every target score time across the CEBL, identifying strategic tendencies, and helping the Sea Bears make better decisions in late-game moments. “Ever since the Elam Ending was first implemented at TBT in 2017, I have closely monitored various late-game strategies and their effectiveness everywhere it’s been played, including the CEBL, NBA G League, NBA All-Star Game, NBA Summer League, and others,” said Elam. “I see sound strategies used, and I see unsound strategies used. While no strategy can guarantee success, I am excited to work with the Sea Bears to implement strategies that offer the best chance of winning.” For Taylor, adding Elam is about gaining every edge possible. “We’ve featured an excellent analytics programme the last two summers, and now we’re looking to the inventor himself to bring his expertise to our team,” he said. “Nick is creative and thinks outside the box. We aim to create an advantage in different areas of our organization, and I believe Nick will help us do that.” The Sea Bears open their 2025 campaign with a renewed focus on precision in late-game situations, aiming to turn one of the game’s most exciting formats into a season-long advantage. ### About the Winnipeg Sea Bears The Winnipeg Sea Bears joined the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) as an expansion franchise in 2023. The city's only professional basketball team plays out of Canada Life Centre from May to August in a 24-game regular season schedule. Winnipeg businessman and lawyer, David Asper, is the organization's owner and chairman. More information on the Sea Bears can be found at seabears.ca and @wpgseabears on Instagram, X, TikTok, LinkedIn & Facebook.
May 4, 2025
Hollis returns to Vancouver after appearing in six CEBL games last summer with the Bandits and Montréal Alliance
May 4, 2025
Les BlackJacks d'Ottawa de la Ligue élite canadienne de basketball (LECB), la plus grande ligue sportive professionnelle du Canada, ont annoncé aujourd'hui que l'équipe a signé l'ailier Miryne Thomas à un contrat pour la saison 2025. Le joueur de 6 pi 8 po, Thomas, effectue son retour chez les BlackJacks après une saison 2024 dans la LECB au cours de laquelle il a pris part à sept matchs de saison régulière et des séries éliminatoires avec le club, inscrivant des points à deux chiffres dans trois de ces rencontres, dont une performance notable de 15 points le 27 juillet à Niagara. « L’arrivée de Miryne en fin de saison dernière a joué un rôle déterminant dans l’élan de notre équipe et notre qualification en séries éliminatoires, » a déclaré James Derouin, directeur général des BlackJacks. « Sa polyvalence au poste d’ailier est un atout majeur, et son énergie débordante a été contagieuse au sein de l’effectif. Nous avons hâte de l’accueillir de nouveau à Ottawa et nous nous attendons à ce qu’il continue d’avoir un impact positif sur le succès de notre équipe. » Originaire de Cleveland, Ohio, il a passé la saison 2024-2025 avec les Bozic Estriche Knights Kirchheim dans la ligue Pro A allemande ainsi qu’avec les Nitra Blue Wings de l’Extraliga slovaque, affichant une moyenne de 12,1 points et 4,5 rebonds par match dans ces deux championnats. Il a amorcé sa carrière professionnelle en 2023-2024 avec les Leicester Riders (BBL britannique), où il a mené l’équipe au chapitre des points marqués (472) et a été nommé dans l’équipe de la semaine de la British Basketball League le 2 janvier 2024, après avoir cumulé 32 points et 18 rebonds en deux matchs la semaine précédente. Au niveau universitaire, Thomas a évolué au sein de programmes de la NCAA Division I, notamment à Maryland-Eastern Shore (MEAC), Ball State (MAC) et Kent State (MAC). Il a été nommé dans l’équipe des recrues de l’année du MEAC en 2018 après avoir mené Maryland-Eastern Shore au chapitre des rebonds par match (7,8) et s’être classé troisième meilleur marqueur de l’équipe (11,1 points). Lors de la saison 2022-2023, il a aidé Kent State à remporter son premier titre du tournoi du MAC depuis 2017, inscrivant 12 points et captant huit rebonds lors du match de championnat contre Toledo. Il est actuellement possible d'acheter des forfaits de billets flexibles en visitant le site theblackjacks.ca/fr-ca/tickets . Les abonnements de saison des BlackJacks 2025 sont disponibles dès maintenant. Pour plus de détails, les amateurs sont invités à envoyer un courriel à [email protected] ou à composer le 613-690-0519. ### À propos des BlackJacks d'Ottawa Première franchise d'expansion de la Ligue élite canadienne de basketball (LECB), les BlackJacks d'Ottawa présentent le meilleur du basket-ball et du divertissement dans la capitale nationale. Le bureau de direction d'Ottawa apporte à la franchise son expérience de la NBA, de la NBA G League, de l'équipe nationale, de la NCAA et des grandes ligues professionnelles internationales. Dirigée par le directeur général James Derouin et l'entraîneur-chef Dave DeAveiro, l'équipe d'Ottawa joue ses matchs à domicile dans l'aréna de classe mondiale de la Place TD, dans le parc Lansdowne. Pour plus d'informations, visitez le site theblackjacks.ca .
May 4, 2025
Thomas averaged 6.7 points in seven games last summer with Ottawa
May 3, 2025
McMaster University product has international experience in Austria, Columbia, and Germany
May 3, 2025
Ontario Tech product recently averaged 19.0 points in 34 games overseas in Poland
May 3, 2025
Panzo is a three-point specialist who attempted 644 triples in his NCAA career
More Posts