Geraldton Buccaneers import Carter Cook said Saturday night’s crowd was the biggest and best he’d played in front of.

The American arrived in Geraldton at 4.30pm Saturday and within three hours of being in town, was playing his first game for the Buccs against Stirling.

Cook played a part in the Buccs home victory over the Senators, scoring 21 points and grabbing seven rebounds.

He left Charlotte Thursday afternoon after stopovers in California, Sydney and Perth.

The tired and weary forward said his debut performance was just a small taste of what he could do.

“That is all I have right there, for tonight anyway,” he said.

“I missed five free throws, I do not miss free throws.

“That is what you can expect every night from me and some.”

Cook entered the game off the bench in the first quarter to a large ovation from the Activewest Stadium crowd.

He looked a little lost of offence when subbed into the game until hitting his first jump shot.

Cook showed he will be a valuable asset for the Buccs this season with strong drives to the basket being his bread and butter.

The solidly-built American continually sustained heavy contact on the way to the basket, but still scored.

Cook connected on 10 of his 16 field goal attempts.

He said he was looking forward to the rest of the season.

“The team is great, all the guys greeted me with open arms and I felt really welcomed,” he said.

“I just play hard every night no matter if I have 30 points or 10 I just want to play hard.”

Article by Taylor Courtland (Geraldton Guardian)
Photo from Geraldton Guardian