 He later joined French team Hyères-Toulon for the 2017–18 season.In 34 games for Hyères-Toulon, he averaged 15.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.3 steals per game.In July 2018, Cowels signed with the Canterbury Rams as a short-term replacement for Xavier Thames, thus returning to New Zealand for a second stint.