| D2 HBCU product Javonte Cooke made the most of his first taste of the NBA on Oct. 8. He scored nine points in nine minutes for the Portland Trail Blazers in a preseason matchup against the Golden State Warriors. Golden State won 129–123, but it was a win for Cooke — a rare HBCU and Division II player now standing on basketball’s biggest stage.Cooke’s journey to the NBA was anything but traditional. The Columbia, South Carolina native began his career at USC Aiken, redshirting during the 2017–18 season before transferring to Mars Hill University, where he averaged 14 points and 5.7 rebounds per game over two seasons. But it was at Winston-Salem State University — a proud HBCU powerhouse in the CIAA — where Javonte Cooke found his stride. |
