Winthrop's Xavier Cooks (12) shoots against Campbell's Andrew Eudy (25) in the first half of the Big South Conference championship NCAA college basketball game in Rock Hill, S.C., Sunday, March 5, 2017. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

 Chuck Burton

Winthrop’s 6-foot-8 Aussie from New South Wales has leapt his way to one impressive year, boosting his line to 16.3 points and 9.2 rebounds per game. Cooks opened the year with 21 points and finished with at least 14 in 12 of his last 13 games, so don’t expect him to vanish now.Β 

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Contact reporter Jon Gold at jgold@tucson.com or at (520) 573-8013. On Twitter: @TheCoolSub