Broman Brothers and Xavier Cooks were awarded Big South Conference awards
Senior captain and Australian native Xavier Cooks has been voted the 2017-18 Big South Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Year. In addition to the player of the year recognition, Cooks was an All-Big South First Team selection. Junior Bjorn Broman earned himself an All-Big South honorable mention. Senior captain Anders Broman was named to the Big South All-Academic Team. This was announced at the Big South’s annual awards on Feb. 26.
This season, Cooks set career-highs in points per game with an average of 17.6, along with having 58 blocks and 30 steals. He ranks first place in the Big South for rebounds per game, blocks per game, field goal percentage and defensive rebounds. Cooks is ranked second in assists per game and third in scoring average.
“It is a great feeling. Although it is an individual award, it would not be possible without all my teammates and coaches,” Cooks said. “They put me in a position to be successful, and I can only hope I do the same for them.”
Cooks was the first ever Big South player to achieve 1,500 points, 800 rebounds, 200 assists, 175 blocks and 100 steals. This led him to move into third all-time in Winthrop history with 1,754 points. Cooks set a new records in his last season in two categories as he became the all-time leader in rebounds and blocked shots. The Winthrop rebound record stood for 36 years, passing Winthrop Hall of Famer Charles Brunson’s mark of 913.
This is the second season in a row that the league’s Player of the Year award was garnered by an Eagle. Last year, Keon Johnson earned the honor in the 2016-17 season. Cooks joins Johnson, Fred McKinnon and Greg Lewis as the only players in Winthrop athletic history to be named the Big South Player of the Year.
Minnesota native Bjorn Broman also had a record breaking year. He set career marks in points, points per game, rebounds, assists, steals, field goal percentage, field goals made, three-point field goals made and three-point field goal percentage. He led the Big South conference in assist/turnover ratio and finished the regular season fifth in assists per game. His 71 three-points put him at 159 in his career.
“It was a honor to be on the all conference honorable mention team,” said Bjorn Broman. “My team, coaches, and family have all pushed me to be my best, and I couldn’t have gotten it without them. I’m proud to be on this team and with this group of guys.”
Bjorn’s older brother, Anders Broman, was named to the Big South All-Academic Team for a second straight season. This captain is currently holding a 4.0 GPA and is working through his master’s degree in sport & fitness administration. He earned a degree from Winthrop in exercise science with a 3.76 GPA. Anders was second on the team in scoring at 12.5 ppg and second on the team with 67 made threes. He also set career-highs in points per game, rebounds, assists and steals in his last season.
“I am so grateful to have been given the opportunity to play basketball at Winthrop and have this experience alongside my brother,” said Anders Broman. “My mom has always reminded me the significance of having a good education while my dad is always pushing us to be the best player, teammate and student-athlete I can be. They both have helped me succeed in these two areas of my life, and I couldn’t be more thankful. I am honored to have received this award and represent the Winthrop community.”
