Eric 'Cookie' Cooks: Loyalty, legacy and the love of the game

Eric Cooks is not one who wants to stand out in a crowd.

Heck, the camouflage T-shirt he is rocking as he sips orange juice at a cafe just up from the WIN Entertainment Centre shouts volumes about his character.

Despite his tall, still-fit frame at age 62, Cooks remains as he has always been – quiet, humble, unassuming.

Yet this is a man who, while not having the glittering playing career, deserves the recognition and reverence of those with jerseys hanging from the rafters for what he has contributed to the Illawarra Hawks.

After starring in the then SEABL (now NBL1) with Ballarat under coach Brendan Joyce, it was Joyce who brought Cooks to the Hawks to make his NBL debut at the incredible age of 34.

In the four playing seasons that followed, Cooks would miss only one game, in the first season, courtesy of what teammate Glen Saville described as “Cookie delivering an elbow” to former NBL hardman Shane Froling, father of current Hawk Sam Froling.

“I’d known Shane for years; we’re friends … we were both surprised it resulted in a suspension,” he said, smiling.

What followed when Cooks finished his fourth playing season in 2000 was two decades of service as either head coach or a loyal assistant coach to four coaches – Brendan Joyce, Gordie McLeod, Rob Beveridge and Matt Flinn.

That loyalty and devotion, which included being assistant for the club’s only championship, is a testament to Cooks’ character. He is also the only person to be a part of the Hawks team for every one of their grand final series appearances.

Cooks’ stint at the Hawks only ended when the club fell into administration under the ownership of Simon Stratford after the LaMelo Ball season (2019) and Cooks’ son, Sydney championship player and MVP, Xavier Cooks was recruited by the Kings while recovering from a knee injury in Wollongong.

“Some people don’t know all that goes on and they read stuff that may or may not be totally accurate,” he said.

“Some people got the impression the Hawks had paid for a bunch of stuff for Xave (in his rehab) and he did them wrong by not signing with them, which was never the case.

“Xave had every reason to want to sign for the Hawks. His brother Dominique played for the Hawks, as did I … but the club was going through management issues at the time; we went into receivership.

“We didn’t need two people in the house not receiving a cheque.”

Cooks’ love for the Hawks, despite his allegiance to his son and Sydney, remains unbroken.

He is still a regular face at games. The Hawks and Kings square off in a blockbuster sold-out clash at the WIN Entertainment Centre on Friday night (7 February) and Cooks admits he holds both allegiances dear to his heart.

“I’ll never not support Wollongong after spending 25 years through the rough times and good times we had. It’s never been forgotten,” he said.

“Obviously blood’s thicker than water. I’m always going to support my kinfolk, but I’ll never not support Wollongong. Sydney and Wollongong are my two favourite teams every year going into it and if one don’t win, I definitely want the other one to.

“The reason the Hawks have been the only club to be in the league continuously since 1979 is because the community is so close behind us and the support has been outstanding. You end up knowing everybody. I appreciate the nature of the town and that’s probably why I’m still here today.”

Cooks likes what he sees in the current Hawks’ outfit, which is destined to host a home semi-final series, potentially against the Kings.

“I think (Tyler) Harvey is an outstanding player and (Trey) Kell is as well. Those two are Batman and Robin and the rest of the team is so dynamic.”

Cooks is immensely proud of his son both on and off the floor and recognises a trait in his son, which many would say he fostered.

“He’s got a love of the game and he’s very supportive of his teammates and coaches, so I like the way he goes about it,” Cooks said of Xavier.

Hawks great Saville played against Eric as a junior in the SEABL before they became Hawks teammates and he became a regular in the Cooks’ household, getting a home cooked meal from Eric’s wife Josie.

Saville recognises a few other traits of the man he calls “Cookie” and his son.

“You can see it when they run. Xave runs like Cookie; they both run on their toes,” Saville chuckles.

“Eric is a gentleman off the floor but he had a competitive streak to him who played above his size and you can see the same effort and enthusiasm.

“I remember playing against Cookie at Ballarat for the Institute of Sport. We had a centre named Zoran Pejcinovic and Cookie just dunked on him … it’s the type of stuff you see Xave doing every night.”

Saville agrees Cooks’ contribution to the Hawks needs greater appreciation and recognition, but naturally it’s not something the man himself even wants, needs or is seeking.

“I think part of being unassuming, as you say, is not needing that recognition. It’s not who I am,” he says.

One thing is for certain – Saville expects his great mate will be supporting the Kings first if the Hawks and Kings do meet in a Championship series.

“But then we’ll get together for a beer at the end and talk about how old and crusty we are … although even though I am younger, I look about 10 years older because he’s certainly looked after himself, that’s for sure.”

Whether he’s wearing a Kings jersey or not at the WEC, you can rest assured, despite being one of the Hawks’ greatest servants, Eric Cooks won’t be standing out in the crowd.

The Illawarra Hawks take on archrivals the Sydney Kings at the WIN Entertainment Centre on Friday, 7 February, at 7:30 pm, with the game already sold out. The Hawks will have home advantage for an NBL semi-finals expected to start in late February due to the mandatory FIBA break for international games.