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Team Fredette adds former Utah Jazz player Jack Cooley

By Shaun Gordon

SOUTH BEND, IN - DECEMBER 21: Jack Cooley #45 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish looks to pass the ball off against the Niagara Purple Eagles at Purcel Pavilion on December 21, 2012 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
SOUTH BEND, IN - DECEMBER 21: Jack Cooley #45 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish looks to pass the ball off against the Niagara Purple Eagles at Purcel Pavilion on December 21, 2012 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /
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Team Fredette has struggled with rebounding so far in The Basketball Tournament, but they’re fixing that by bringing in former Utah Jazz big man Jack Cooley.

Team Fredette survived the first two rounds of The Basketball Tournament, but they did it while surviving one glaring weakness.

Rebounding.

Both of Team Fredette’s opponents outrebounded them, and it wasn’t particularly close. One major reason for this is that two big men who were supposed to play for the team, Dejan Kravic and Devin Williams, weren’t there for the first two rounds.

The team has found one way to remedy that. Team Fredette announced on Wednesday that they’ve added former NBA big man Jack Cooley to the roster:

Cooley should bring an instant rebounding boost that Jimmer’s team desperately needs. As a senior at Notre Dame, Cooley averaged a double-double in points and rebounds, and it’s his rebounding that earned him a shot in the NBA.

He’s had a winding professional journey. Cooley played for seven different NBA Summer League teams, most recently with the Los Angeles Lakers earlier this month. He’s become a fan favorite at the Las Vegas event.

The big man played overseas in Turkey, Spain, and Germany, and in the NBA G-League for the Idaho Stampede and Reno Bighorns.

Most importantly, he’s spent time with both the Utah Jazz and Sacramento Kings. Late in the 2014-15 season he played for the Jazz on two 10-day contracts, appearing in 16 games and averaging 1.7 points and 1.6 rebounds in 5.4 minutes.

After a couple of years overseas, he signed a two-way contract with Sacramento last season, spending most of his time with their G-League affiliate Reno. He saw seven games for the big club, though, scoring 5.7 points and grabbing 4.3 rebounds in a little more than 12 minutes per game.

For Team Fredette, Cooley and Brandon Davies will create one of the best post tandems in The Basketball Tournament, and it should fill a weakness that could have been exploited by the better teams that Jimmer’s squad will have to face in the rest of the tournament.

Team Fredette’s next matchup is Friday evening at 5:00pm MT in Atlanta. Fans can catch the game on ESPN2.

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