Bishop Connolly High School senior Cooper Creek of Tiverton, by way of Westport and Australia before that, has led the Cougars basketball team in the destruction of Division IV opponents.

The 6 foot 7 inch athletic forward who grew up in Australia has been averaging 29 points, 15.4 rebounds and 5.4 blocked shots a game through the Cougars 18 games this season.

The playoff bound Cougars have a season record of 14-4. The team is 8-1 in the Division IV Mayflower Comprehensive League.

Creek is a basketball physical specimen. His height and length give him a distinct advantage over the competition, but it is his athleticism and ability to learn quickly that has made him a Division IV star in just his second year of competitive basketball.

“It’s nice to have someone who can step out and make threes and also play inside,” said Bishop Connolly Head Coach Bill Shea. “We have a big guy that can do both those things. That’s something that no one else has in Division IV.”

Basketball is in his genes

Some might say he was born to play basketball. The senior grew up in the rural town of Merredin in Western Australia watching his dad Wayne play for a professional basketball team called the Goldfield Giants of the Australian State Basketball League.

Wayne Creek began playing for the Giants in 1991 according to the Giants’ website. He played for the Giants when they won their first SBL championship in 2007, has either played and coached 400 games for the team, and was named to the Giants’ All-Time team in 2009. He was named the head coach of the Giants for the 2019 season a position that he had also held in 2010 and 2011.

Son Cooper started playing basketball at around age 5, but didn’t really begin to devote his time and effort to the game he was 15 and came to America in January 2017, said coach Shea.

Since Australia only offers basketball as a club sport, Cooper Creek played Australian rules football in high school, a hard-hitting game that is a cross between rugby, football and basketball. It is the most popular sport Down Under, said coach Shea.

Cooper Creek credits his family for his move to the states.

“It was my mom, Peta’s idea,” said Creek. “She approached me when I was about 14, to have a crack at it. Playing basketball and trying something new,” he said.

“As a 15 year-old, I came over here,” Creek said. “I went to Durfee (High School) at first. That was all pretty cool and everything.”

But Creek didn’t take to Durfee — he was overwhelmed by the number of students.

“It was much larger than the school he attended back home,” said coach Shea.

Creek attended Bishop Connolly as a junior in 2018 and moved in with then senior Andrew Cabral and his family in Westport. In 2019 when Cabral graduated, Creek moved in with Colin Phillips and his family in Tiverton. The athletic Creek quickly took to coach Shea.

“In my junior year, I ran into coach Shea,” Creek said. “He’s a great coach. I really like him. And it’s worked out pretty well since then.”

In 2018, coach Shea knew that Creek was a great kid with a lot of basketball potential. What he didn’t fully realize was the drive within Creek to work hard and get better at the game.

“Cooper was very good defensively in 2018, but somewhat limited offensively,” said coach Shea. We were letting him do shooting drills with the guards,” he said. “I noticed that he was making a lot of shots from the outside. Late in the season we moved him outside a little more. And this year, he’s our best shooter.”

“Coach Shea helped me out a lot with my jump shot,” Creek said. “When I first got here, I couldn’t shoot at all. We’ve been working on it for two years now. The key has been a lot of repetition.”

“You can have a certain amount of talent, but it’s how much work that you put in,” he said.

Creek puts in a lot of work, but he thinks that there is still room for improvement with his game.

“Cooper has really worked on his offensive game,” said coach Shea. “He has developed a really good outside shot and also has improved closer to the hoop as well. He is an extremely hard worker and very diligent when it comes to his game.”

Creek scored 29 points in a recent game against Westport. He hit six three-pointers and has developed a nasty habit (from the opponents’ perspective) of following up his missed threes and dunking the rebounds. He had two dunks against Westport. 

“We are fortunate to have him,” said coach Shea. “He makes everything easier for everyone else. Offensively he creates double teams and kicks it out for open shots. Defensively he’s the backline of our defense.”

Family, friends, school and down time

Because Creek’s family members live back home in Australia, he only gets to see family members once or twice a year.

“I usually get to see them over the summer break. My mum and brother came over here during December last year and that was the last time any of my family saw me play. My nan (grandmother) and my three younger brothers haven’t seen me play in about 3 years,” Creek said.

Basketball is Creek’s main concern when here, though he does have a few hobbies and likes hanging out with his friends.

“I like to play video games sometimes, not too many things I do that aren’t basketball related,” he said. “I like to hangout with my mates and go watch a movie or something with them. I do the same things back home pretty much, but every one is closer in respects to where they live here, aaso it’s easier to hangout,” Creek said.

Creek said that school is very different in the states than in Australia.

At my school back home, there is no cafeteria and we have a recess and lunch. The school courses are a bit more challenging in Australia, but American courses are still pretty tough,” said Creek.

Creek is a big fan of U.S history. It’s his favorite class at Bishop Connolly.

“I am kind off a history buff,” he said.

His favorite course back home is gym.

“Back home I like Gym class the most as most kids do,” said Creek.

He likes the fact that there are school sports in America.

“Australian schools don’t really have sports. They are mostly played outside of school,” he said.

As for professional sports, The Patriots have not rubbed off on the Australian.

“Steelers all the way,” Creek said. “No pats.”

He hasn’t become a Celtics fan either, though he likes baseball.

“The Red Sox have grown on me a bit though,” said Creek.

Colleges and Universities will come knocking on Creek’s door.

The senior said that there were more colleges interested in him in America than in Australia. He has a couple in mind, but he wants to concentrate on the Cougars season for now as they prep for the playoffs and make a run for the Division IV state title.

“He’s got a lot of good basketball in front of him,” coach Shea said.

Both at the high school and collegiate level.