NBL Champion and MVP Xavier Cooks to bring back ‘winning habits’ upon return to Kings
NBL MVP Xavier Cooks is determined to bring back ‘winning habits’ to the Sydney Kings and reveals that his role will look a little different as he returns for NBL25.
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He may have been Sydney’s champion MVP player and defensive beast before he pursued international ball last season, but as Xavier Cooks prepares for his return to the Kings, he reveals that his role will look different for NBL25.
Falling short of the finals series last season after two consecutive NBL titles, the Kings have addressed their key issue across the offseason.
Bolstering their defensive stocks, they’ve brought back Cameron Oliver from his three-year basketball hiatus, recruited Bul Kuol after his Paris campaign with South Sudan, and welcomed the return of their former champion captain, Cooks.
And the NBL23 season MVP is confident that with these new additions to the roster, he won’t need to play the key defensive role that he’s used to, with a main focus to bring back that winning energy and unified approach that the Kings let slip last year.
“Bringing back some winning habits, winning culture, just the little things,” Cooks told Code Sports from the Sydney’s Newcastle roadshow.
“One thing about this team and the way it’s assembled now is that we have so many great defenders.”
“Bul Kuol is one of the best defenders in the league, we’ve got some new young guys coming through. Kelly has been an absolute beast on defence, Cam Oliver protects the ring really well.”
“So I’m not necessarily playing a massive role on that end like I used to, but just bringing back the transition pace of the game.
“We always had our success because we played fast when we played together and last year they kind of lost it a little bit, played a little bit of iso ball, so we’re bringing back that unity and togetherness.”
Cooks also returns to the league with a newfound physicality after his stint in the NBA and playing in Japan’s B-League, which he says he hopes to maintain and add to his game.
“It’s (B-League) a bigger league, a lot more physical,” Cooks said.
“They play an additional four and five man on the court, so having to deal with that physicality and having to rebound undersized over there was pretty cool.”
“And the adjustment to the game schedule, I had to get in such great shape over there and then I was able to carry that through to Boomers camp and now to pre-season which has been good.
“Hopefully I can maintain my size, maybe play an undersized five and be able to deal with the physicality of going against a Magnay (Will Magnay), one of the bigger bodies across the league. Getting that experience in Japan hopefully can help me carry that over this year.”
For Cooks, his return to Kings headquarters comes after the Boomers’ pre-Olympic camp and those controversial selection calls from the now former Boomers coach and new Kings coach Brian Goorjian that saw Cooks, Matisse Thybulle and Chris Goulding left out of the Olympic team.
Some would imagine a tension between Cooks and Goorjian come pre-season training, but Cooks says it’s all water under the bridge and it was “easy” reuniting with the coach.
“It wasn’t too bad at all, excited to have him back to be honest. By the time that he got back, the dust had settled, my emotions had settled down and I was all good,” Cooks said.
“It’s just good to be around him again, I’ve been around Goorj (Brian Goorjian) for a couple of years now, built a bit of a relationship with him so it’s been awesome.”
Yet, despite clearing the air with Goorjian post-Paris, he admits that watching the Boomers campaign play out “was pretty tough” but found comfort in another unlucky Aussie teammate.
“The first couple of games were the worst but during those times, it sounds a bit weird, but me and Matisse (Thybulle) were really talking, not as petty boys, but it was just the two of us in the same boat,” Cooks shared.
“I’ve been to three Boomers camps now and that was the most competitive one I’ve been to,” Cooks said about the depth of Boomers talent.
“All around the board, everyone had something to bring to the table and it was about which cards you wanted to play.
“I was really impressed with how Dyson (Daniels) played at the Olympics, all camp he was really good, his defensive ability, he can create his own shots and create for others. Obviously, (Josh) Giddey is unbelievable.
“The younger guys coming through, (Johnny) Furphy looks pretty good.
With the NBL preseason Blitz tipping off this weekend on the Gold Coast, Cooks backs what Goorjian is bringing to the Kings roster and is already seeing the impact the championship winning coach is having among his teammates.
HE'S BACK 👑
— NBL (@NBL) May 27, 2024
Xavier Cooks is returning to Sydney for NBL25 and beyond 🤯 pic.twitter.com/iyBnLpCrfs
“You can just tell over the first couple of weeks, he demands excellence in all the little things, from every single drill.
“He’s not afraid to call out the best players, the worst players, every single person and holds everyone to a high standard while maintaining attention to detail.
“There’s a reason why he’s had so much success, you can just tell. He knows basketball really well, he’s a great motivator, gives unbelievable speeches, he’s a people person, he’s got all the good coaching traits.”
Sydney’s first Blitz outing tips off on Monday night against Cairns Taipans.
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