6 days ago
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JAMAICA’S SENIOR men’s basketball coach Rick Turner described as ‘massive’ Kofi Cockburn’s game-high performance and buzzer-beater in their opening FIBA Americas World Cup qualifier against Puerto Rico in Puerto Rico on Friday.
Jamaica defeated hosts Puerto Rico 92-90, with Cockburn, who had a game-high 26 points and 15 rebounds, tipping home a rebound at the buzzer to give the Jamaicans a positive start to their campaign.
Cockburn also had good support from Tyran De Lattibeaudiere, who bagged 15 points, Andrew Thelwell, 12 points, seven rebounds, Chase Audige, who had a big all-round display with 11 points, six assists, four steals, four rebounds, Romaine Thomas, 11 points, and Kenton Facey, 11 points and six rebounds.
The 26-year-old former St Andrew Technical High School student, Cockburn, who was playing his first game for Jamaica, snatched the offensive rebound, after Audige’s three-point attempt hit the rim and rebounded, and sunk the winning basket at the sound of the buzzer.
Turner said, since joining the squad, the big man has proven his value both on and off the court.
“His performance (against Puerto Rico) was massive and he is a massive man. The great thing about Kofi is that he was not just dominant on the floor. He has been a dominant force off the floor with our team.
“He has a personality that fills a room. He has been vocal and positive. So he is like a magnet with his character.
“And, when you go on the floor and back it up, you are not just one of those guys that talk about it. When you are able to back it up, that is something entirely different,” Turner told The Sunday Gleaner.
Big-game player
He said the former University of Illinois centre is also a big-game player, accustomed to performing on the big stage, and is unfazed by the occasion.
“He has played big-time basketball and has had big-time moments. Certainly this is a big moment for Jamaican basketball but it wasn’t too big a moment for him. And that has made a difference.
“We are playing Puerto Rico that is very experienced and very experienced in big games. We have players with a lot of basketball experience. And, the more of these games that we can file away, the better off we are. But having a player like Kofi helps,” he said.
It was a game that went to and fro from the outset, with the lead changing hands a number of times over the course of the game.
Jamaica had a great start to the first quarter. But Puerto Rico rallied to tie the game 26-26 at the end of the period.
Puerto had the better start in the second quarter and, although Jamaica got back in front briefly, the home team led 57-52 at the half.
The Jamaican then came out and dropped 16 unanswered points, with the hosts taking more than five minutes to get a point on the board.
Jamaica held a 76-68 lead going into the fourth period, but Puerto Rico slowly cut that lead down to tie the scores at 90-90 with 20 seconds to play.
However, when Audige’s attempt to win the match with a three-pointer failed, Cockburn was on hand to pull down the rebound and secure a precious win.
“It was a resilient performance,” Turner added.
“I thought it was a game of runs. We went on a 16-0 run to start the second half, so, coming out at half-time, we were able to get our legs under us
“Coming down the stretch, we kind of weathered the storm on their run. And just the way the guys played and stuck together and kept their composure and believed.
“And, to come out of it with a win at the buzzer-beater made it super exciting and fun all the way around.
“We are feeling really good. We had a fun time in the locker room and a fun bus ride home. But now, that is behind us and we are locked in and prepared for Monday.”
English (US) ·