Boomers' Cooks ties World Cup record in important victory
OKINAWA (Japan) - Xavier Cooks tied a World Cup record that personified his hustle, helping Australia to lock up a spot in the Second Round of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023.
OKINAWA (Japan) - Xavier Cooks tied a FIBA Basketball World Cup record in helping Australia lock up a spot in the Second Round of the 2023 competitions.
Through his athleticism and grit, the 28-year-old collected 10 offensive rebounds as the Boomers ran away with a 109-89 victory over Japan in a virtual knockout at the Okinawa Arena.
He tied the total amount of offensive boards which Angola big man Yanick Moreira hauled down back in 2014 in Spain. They are the only two players to hold the record.
| Date | Player | Offensive Rebounds |
| 8/29/23 | Xavier Cooks | 10 |
| 9/4/14 | Yanick Moreira | 10 |
| 8/20/06 | Abdel Moussa | 9 |
| 9/4/14 | Hamed Ehaddadi | 9 |
| 8/2/98 | Obinna Ekezie | 8 |
| 8/23/06 | Jules Richard Aw | 8 |
| 8/24/06 | Luis Scola | 8 |
| 8/26/06 | Darko Milicic | 8 |
| 8/28/10 | Thomas Abercrombie | 8 |
| 9/2/14 | Omer Asik | 8 |
| 9/3/14 | Hamed Ehaddadi | 8 |
| 9/1/19 | Christiano Felicio | 8 |
*Offensive rebounds were first tracked in the World Cup from 1994 onwards
Those offensive boards served as the main source of points for Cooks, as he scored 24 to go with 16 rebounds. He finished with a game-high 36 EFF while also recording two monster blocks.
Xavier Cooks goes BEAST mode with the block and slam 💪 😤#FIBAWC x #WinForAustralia 🇦🇺 pic.twitter.com/fLQwkUBBco
— FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 🏆 (@FIBAWC) August 29, 2023
Teammate Josh Green tipped his hat to the 28-year-old.
"Somebody like Xavier, he rebounded everything tonight," lauded the young winger of his national team senior. "That just impacts the game and every single other guy on the court."
FIBA