After 145 appearances in the black jersey – the most ever for a Tall Fern – veteran guard Micaela Cocks has today announced her retirement from international basketball.
In a celebrated Tall Ferns career which has spanned 17 years and countless major tournaments, from the 2008 Beijing Olympics and Commonwealth Games to the 3×3 Asia Cup, Cocks has been earned a reputation as a hard-nosed player and a leader on and off the court.
She says the decision to retire from the Tall Ferns came after a long period of reflection, as she prepares for the birth of her second child.
“It wasn’t a sudden decision for me, it just kind of happened over time as I was starting a family. I might still decide to play domestically (in NBL1) after my next baby, or I might not; it’s still open for me,” says Cocks.
“The main reason for my retirement is to concentrate on family. My daughter Hazel is three now, and although I’ve been to a couple of Tall Ferns camps I haven’t been in a competition since 2019 thanks to Covid. I’ve just found that I wanted to put Hazel first and I didn’t want to take her out of her routine all the time to drag her off to an overseas competition.
“Also with my age [turning 38 in May], there’s a really good group of younger players coming through the ranks so now just feels like a good time to step away. I don’t want to be the old slow person on the squad, and if I’m in something then I want to be 100% committed to it – and I couldn’t do that with this group.”
Cocks says that she will always treasure the comradery and family atmosphere that came with playing for the Tall Ferns.
“It’s always been my favourite team to play for; I’ve lived in Australia for so long now, so whenever I got to go back with the Tall Ferns it felt like family. It didn’t matter how long you hadn’t seen your Kiwi teammates for, it felt easy and it was always such a great family feel.”
Career Highlights
At 145 games, Cocks has played more games for the Tall Ferns than any other athlete; Rebecca Cotton and Leanne Walker both second on the table with 118.
Cocks grew up in Auckland, attending Takapuna Grammar and representing North Harbour as a teenager. She first debuted for the Tall Ferns as an 18-year-old, suiting up for the 2005 William Jones Cup in Taiwan; the following year she was part of a New Zealand squad that won silver at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.
When she also appeared at the 2018 Gold Coast Games – claiming bronze – she became the first Tall Fern to appear in multiple Commonwealth Games.
Arguably her pinnacle achievement came in 2008, when she played for the Tall Ferns at the 2008 Beijing Olympics – all while juggling a college playing career for the University of Oregon Ducks in the United States. She subsequently participated in Olympic qualifying tournaments in 2012 and 2016, with the Tall Ferns falling short on Olympic qualification both times.
In 2018, Cocks helped the 3×3 Tall Ferns to win gold at the FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup, where she was named the tournament MVP. The following year she was named to the All-Star Five at the 2019 William Jones Cup, averaging 17.2ppg as New Zealand finished second. That same year she was the Tall Ferns leading scorer at the 2019 FIBA Asia Cup, averaging 10.8ppg.
She last suited up for the Tall Ferns in 2022, joining the squad in Melbourne for a four-game friendly series versus a trio of WNBL teams.
On Representing New Zealand
“It’s the easiest jersey to put on, it’s never been a question for me. You feel immense pride when you wear the Tall Ferns jersey, and it’s all because of the people and the family atmosphere of the team – I’m playing for New Zealand, but also for my teammates who are like my family. I don’t feel that way when I put on a jersey for other teams, so it’s special.
“To have played the most games ever, I’m honoured and it’s very special – but I’m also excited to see a player like Charlisse [Leger-Walker] get up there one day and break that number. I just love the people, so the honour comes from the being part of the team.
“When you play for the Tall Ferns, there’s a passion and a ‘never give up’ attitude that you feel when you’ve got the jersey on. We’ve been in a few tough games over the years, obviously we’re not happy with taking a loss but at the same time we can jump on the team bus and hold our heads high – sing a song together and enjoy each other’s company – because we know we gave it our all.
“We always play our asses off out there, and the results will come as long as we stay together.”
On Her Olympic Memories
“My biggest highlight was going to the 2008 Olympics in Beijing; I was really young then and although I didn’t play much, it was just a very memorable experience. In a fairytale ending, I would’ve loved to have been able to qualify for the Olympics again, but it didn’t happen like that – and that’s ok for me.
“Making that team at 21 years old was intense and surreal. There was a huge build-up campaign that saw us going on tour to Europe before the Olympics – I was in college in the US at the time, so I had to take a semester off to play for New Zealand.
“I can look back on it now and think ‘I had no idea what I was doing’, I was raw as a player back then but I tried really hard; I was just so happy to be there and I couldn’t really imagine myself ever being in the starting five for this team. I remember looking at the other players like Angela [Marino] and Aneka [Kerr] and thinking ‘wow they are amazing’.
“I can’t really remember the details of the games as much as I remember the moments I had with the people on that trip. And the atmosphere, that eerie feeling when you were walking around the Olympic village – you almost felt like a tourist, but then you had to remind yourself that you’re here as an athlete on the world stage.
“One memory that stands out for me was the Olympic food hall; we’d go and get our dinners as a team, and you’d see like Usain Bolt all these eating chicken McNuggets, or you’d walk past Michael Phelps and he’s eating like eight plates of dinner as he needed a huge calorie intake. You’d be eating next to these big superstars that you only ever read about, so being amongst them was amazing.”
On The Young Athletes Coming Through
“I’m definitely proud of the young Tall Ferns coming through, I was watching the Olympic Qualifier games and it was emotional at times, but also rewarding – just watching that young team playing defence and even in timeouts seeing the way they were listening to Guy, all those little things.
“Unfortunately the results didn’t go their way, they had some bad luck with injuries. But they’re in a great position for the future as they’re growing and getting better all the time.
“I just think it’s an amazing young group coming through, like Tera Reed – she’s a vital member of the Tall Ferns – and when Charlisse is healthy again it’s going to be exciting to see what this team can achieve. These Tall Ferns will definitely make an Olympics in the near future.”
On Balancing Being An Athlete And A Mother
“Out of all the teams I’ve ever played for, the Tall Ferns were always the most accommodating; I never felt like a burden to the team because I had a child. The other players would bend over backwards to help and to make me – and Hazel when she was with me – part of the team.
“It’s been difficult at times. To balance being both a mum and a professional athlete is one thing, but it’s also bringing in an income for my family. You need to be financially stable to raise a family, that’s been one of the big personal challenges for me really.
“Coming back after having my daughter Hazel was enjoyable, I enjoyed the challenge of getting back into game shape. But the other challenge was wanting Hazel to have a routine; my partner is pursuing their career as well, so it’s a balancing act and lots of sacrifices.
“It’s getting better for female athletes that want to have children – the WNBA now have a maternity clause in player contracts for example – but they’re still got a long way to go.”
