Cocks returns as young stars impress in Opal challenge
A YEAR away from the court could not deter Micaela Cocks from coming out swinging against Mackay. Like all champions, she appeared to have never missed a beat.
Returning to the Townsville Flames after time off to have her first child, the 34-year-old showcased her tenacity in churning through 33 minutes of action.
Her stint featured 14 points, seven rebounds and a pair of assists as the Shannon Seebohmcoached outfit came away with a 57-54 victory.
Cocks admitted fitness was her main focus when she decided to make her comeback, and scrimmage sessions with a New Zealand training camp clearly proved its worth.
While she said offensively the Townsville side still had plenty of improvement in them in the NBL1 North, the exploits of some emerging stars gave her confidence it would not take long to click.
“I get a little bit nervous for any game, I didn’t feel any more nervous just really excited to be back on court and playing here in Townsville,” Cocks said.
“I worked on my fitness since having Hazel and feel in pretty good shape. The first few months I joined Townsville Road Runners and I started doing a few little races.
“Offensively it’s just getting more comfortable with our opposition and reading the game and moving a bit more.”
Coming up against an Opal in Cayla George was always going to be a daunting task, however Cocks said youngsters Bree Stephens and Lauren Andrews embraced the challenge head on.
Stephens in particular was impressive, finishing with nine rebounds and a steal.
“They did a really good job, they followed her and made it tough for her. Cayla is going to score her points, but for two under 20s to step up and take that challenge on they really helped us,” Cocks said.
“I think they were eager to accept the challenge. Shannon is a very smart coach and has a good game plan, they just had to trust in the process and do the little things and it helped them rather than worrying about coming up against Cayla.”