Huge week as Cotchin and ‘Usain Bolt’ arrive at Phoenix

On a day when the Phoenix unveiled three-time Richmond AFL premiership captain Trent Cotchin as their No.1 ticketholder for NBL24, Creek said the club had never had a player quite like Tyler Cook, who he said gives the squad a different look to the wide-bodied Williams.

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The 203cm big man stepped off a 22-hour, three-flight trip from Chicago to Melbourne and straight into practice.

“He’s a little more athletic than Sauce,” Creek said of the 25-year-old, who has played 65 NBA games.

“He’s jet-lagged and, first day, he looked like Usain Bolt out there in the sprints. He was jumping head above the rim and making great spectacular plays.

“Cook’s ability to be athletic … (and) … his patience and size, it makes him very versatile for us.

“It’ll be exciting to see him with some fresh legs.”

If you’re looking for Cook in NBL Supercoach, cool your jets for now — he will be added and is likely to start around the same as other new imports ($277,000). The Phoenix have three doubles in the first four rounds, making them very fantasy friendly in the early going, and that means Cook could be a super early POD for coaches to lean into while Big Sauce is on the rack.

Get him in, hope he dominates and makes over $115k and then swap him straight out for Sauce when healthy.

It’s a gamble, given Williams, on Monday, underwent a successful arthroscope and was in good spirits at the State Basketball Centre on Wednesday as he began his rehab.

Cook will start at $277,000 (CTR/FWD) in SuperCoach NBL. The Phoenix have three doubles in the first four rounds, making them very fantasy friendly in the early going, and that means Cook could be a super early POD for coaches to lean into while Big Sauce is on the rack.

WHAT TIGERS’ AFL LEGEND CAN BRING TO PHOENIX

South East Melbourne has linked with Cotchin, given the club found a strong collaboration between Phoenix and Tiger supporters and a synergy between the Brownlow medallist’s mental health endeavours and the club’s work in the community.

He’ll take on an organic leadership role at the club, with the finer details to be worked out on the fly as he creates bonds among the Heartland squad.

“We haven’t quite established exactly what it looks like but I think leadership is purely based around building relationships,” Cotchin told Code Sports.

“So doing that in the beginning and then working through from my own journey and the insights that are provided from the players and the coaches. Staff will be able to work through some of the stuff that’s helped us.

“I’ll probably learned just as much from the guys as what they learn from me.

“I’m excited to be part of a group that is willing to lean in and wants to get better.”

Creek’s keen to pick Cotchin’s brain, hear an outside perspective on the club from someone who has achieved so much success in another elite sporting code and hopes more Tiger supporters will find the Phoenix through their former captain.

Interestingly, when Cotchin met with Tommy Greer, the pair quickly realised they grew up on the same street — Bodycoats Rd — an early icebreaker.

“In the first meeting it was established and that was pretty cool, totally small world,” Cotchin said.

“I don’t know if I’ve ever met someone else in the sporting world who grew up in Wollert but that was a nice connection to begin with.

“Then, just hearing about the direction of the club and their growth and their focuses and new coach (Mike Kelly) coming in, I was intrigued and the conversation happened from there.”

The Phoenix head to the Gold Coast on Friday and will tip off the first game of the NBL Blitz against Tasmania on Saturday at 5pm AEST.

Tough break: NZ’s Aussie star William McDowell-White sidelined

—Michael Randall and Matt Logue

Star Brisbane-born point guard William McDowell-White has been ruled out of the NBL Blitz and is no certainty to suit up in round one.

It’s understood the 25-year-old broke his hand in training with New Zealand Breakers, who he led to the NBL grand final last season.

Code Sports has been told the Paris Olympic hopeful will not require surgery but is wearing a cast on his left arm and is in doubt for the Breakers’ September 30 season opener against Cairns.

It’s unclear if the 196cm guard will be fit for the Breakers’ NBLxNBA clashes with Portland and Utah on October 11 and 17 — a chance for him to show his wares in front of big league scouts.

Owing to the Breakers’ absence for round three and four, McDowell-White is only at six per cent ownership in NBL Supercoach, but his all-round ability gives him the potential to be among the game’s topscorers and the injury will see his ownership dip even further in the interim.

The son of Brisbane Lions three-time AFL premiership-winning star Darryl White, McDowell-White produced a standout season in New Zealand, finishing among the top five assist men at 6.2 per game, to go with 10.5 points and 5.1 rebounds.

He led the Breakers to second on the ladder and helped stretch Sydney to five games in the grand final, falling 3-2. His masterpiece came in game one when he produced an almost faultless 19-point, nine-rebound, nine-assist near triple-double in a shock win on the Kings’ home floor.

One of the hottest free agents in the NBL this off-season, McDowell-White spurned big-money overseas offers and Australian-based teams to re-sign with the Breakers on a two-year deal.

He was part of Australia’s 18-man World Cup selection squad but was cut after the August training camp in Cairns.

The Breakers have a deep guard rotation and are not expected to sign a replacement for McDowell-White while he is out injured.

Basketball journalist

Michael Randall is a basketball reporter for the Herald Sun and CODE Sports, covering the NBL, WNBL, NBA and Australian senior and junior international and representative teams…. Read more

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