TANGERANG (Indonesia) - DJ Cooper has already etched his name in Basketball Champions League Asia-East (BCL Asia-East) record books merely two games into the recently opened 2026 competitions.
The American playmaker tallied a total of 31 assists across that many outings to help Dewa United Banten roll past Hi-Tech Basketball Club and the Johor Southern Tigers to go 2-0 in Group A for a perfect Window 1.
Fans and observers have rained down praises on Cooper, most especially when he dropped 19 dimes to help the reigning Indonesia Basketball League champions blow out their Thai foes, 97-77, in the tournament opener.
That's because he easily set the record for most assists by a player in a BCL Asia qualifiers game. It was also just the second time ever that someone registered double digits in the said statistical department in one outing.
Per available records, the previous mark was at 10 courtesy of big man Dominic Gilbert, albeit in a losing effort as his Hong Kong Eastern bowed to Prawira Bandung, 83-80, in Round 1 of the 2024 BCL Asia Qualifiers.
No one would be able to hit twin figures in assists even during the highly competitive BCL Asia-East inaugurals last year, with eventual MVP Ian Miller and Batkhuyag Azzaya both coming close in separate games.
Here's a quick look at the top 5 assist performances from that tourney:
Player | Team | Game | Result | Assist total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Batkhuyag Azzaya | Bishrelt Metal (MGL) | vs. Pelita Jaya Basketball (INA) | L, 82-92 | 9 |
Ian Miller | XAC Broncos (MGL) | vs. Adroit (SGP) | W, 87-41 | 9 |
Ian Miller | XAC Broncos (MGL) | vs. Taoyuan Pauian Pilots (TPE) | W, 86-77 | 8 |
Ian Miller | XAC Broncos (MGL) | vs. Pelita Jaya Basketball (INA) | W, 85-79 | 8 |
Mike Singletary | Hi-Tech Basketball Club (THA) | vs, XAC Broncos (MGL) | L, 80-88 | 8 |
Then came Cooper, whose extraordinary playmaking ability also enabled Dewa United to finish with 31 assists as a collective against Hi-Tech - an output which made its way to the BCL Asia-East record logs as well.
It is now the second-most assists by a team in a single game behind the 31 set by, interestingly, the Basketball Thai League outfit in a 119-67 rout of Singaporean side Adroit during last season's Group Phase.
As if that performance of his wasn't enough, the 35-year-old followed it up with a near-triple-double showing to help Dewa United complete their sweep of Window 1 by way of a 91-79 victory over the Southern Tigers.
There, Cooper finished with 11 points, 8 rebounds, and 12 assists, playing a crucial role in their third-quarter turnaround to eventually complete another come-from-behind - similar to what they did against Hi-Tech.
"That's my job, to put guys in position, and try to get the win," said the one-time FIBA Europe Cup assists leader with Pau-Lacq-Orthez, who's averaging 7.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 15.5 assists after the first window.
Are we bound to witness another remarkable window from Cooper and Dewa United?
Dewa United, together with the rest of Group A teams, are set to return to action on April 14-17 when the BCL Asia-East 2026 caravan goes to Johor Bahru, Malaysia. To see the complete schedule, click here.
FIBA