From the basketball courts of Holy Spirit College in Bellambi to the euphoria of winning an NBL championship together.
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Xavier Cooks and Angus Glover shared a quiet moment in the dressing sheds on Wednesday night to reflect on their "unbelievable journey", moments after helping the Sydney Kings win their first NBL title in 17 years.
The duo missed large parts of last season because of injuries but the self-described 'Gong boys" were integral as Sydney recovered from a shaky season start to become kings of the jungle in 2021-22.
The much-maligned Glover was a rock throughout the finals' series which included a 2-0 semi-finals' sweep over former side the Illawarra Hawks.
But there was no one better than skipper Cooks, who was named Finals MVP following the Kings 3-0 Grand Final win over Tasmania JackJumpers.
The 26-year-old was especially good in Game 3 in Sydney, bagging 23 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists.
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But while Cooks appreciated the personal accolades, winning was all that mattered to him.
"I can't describe how good it feels, especially after being down with injuries last season," he told the Mercury.
"To help this great organisation get back to the top after 17 long years is reward in itself. I'm just thankful to have played my part in bringing the title back to Sydney."
Cooks also took great delight in winning the championship with his good mate Glover.
"We refer to each other as the Gong boys, going to school together, growing up in Wollongong and even last year we were both injured and commuted up to Sydney every day to do our rehab.
"We spent some quality time together. Some of them days were dark days. From them days to being on top now makes the whole journey worth it," he said.
We spent some quality time together. Some of them days were dark days. From them days to being on top now makes the whole journey worth it,
- Xavier Cooks
Glover also "cherished" the experience of winning a championship alongside Cooks.
"It was pretty cool to be able to play together at Holy Spirit and I said to him last night, 'who would have thought back then that we would be playing together and winning a championship together'. We just smiled and soaked it all in. It was a pretty cool moment," he said.
"Because of the rivalry between Sydney and the Hawks it's not everyday two guys from Wollongong play for the Kings.
"I'm just thankful to the Kings for giving me this opportunity to win a championship."
Glover copped a lot of flak from Hawks fans after he left the club to join Sydney. He also endured a lot of online hate after a series of injuries kept him out of the game for more than a season.
"People kept messaging me saying I should retire and there was a lot of stuff online with people putting bets on when I would next get injured - that pissed me off to be honest and I just wanted to go out and prove people wrong," he said.
"I think winning the championship has vindicated my decision.
"I'm looking forward to enjoying this win with my team-mates and then heading back home to Wollongong to see mum and dad.
"I've got some good friends there and I'm sure I'll be able to walk in the streets and it will be like nothing has happened with me leaving."
Glover reiterated the remarks of Kings' owner Paul Smith that the organisation was determined to win the title for a second straight year.
The 24-year-old was hopeful Cooks would return to help the Kings defend the title should he fail to secure a move to play in the NBA.
"In all seriousness he should be in the NBA," Glover said.
"With what he has done this year and how he performed in this finals series - he was just shy of two triple doubles in a grand final series for God's sake.
"He should be in the NBA. If he is not, I bloody hope he is here with us."
Cooks admitted his dream was to play in the NBA but at the moment he was just concentrating on celebrating the "sweetest" championship win.
"I'm enjoying this championship win," he said.
"As far as the NBA is concerned, hopefully it all takes care of itself.
"I've had a great time in Sydney and I've really loved being here. I would love to come back but obviously the NBA is a dream of mine and we will just see what happens."
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Agron Latifi
Wollongong born and bred. I love reporting about the Illawarra region and have been doing it for more than 20 years. I've moved into sport recently after covering the education round for the last five plus years for the Illawarra Mercury. It's been a great pleasure.
Wollongong born and bred. I love reporting about the Illawarra region and have been doing it for more than 20 years. I've moved into sport recently after covering the education round for the last five plus years for the Illawarra Mercury. It's been a great pleasure.
