“My teammates put me in a great position to make plays. And my coaches are trusting me to make plays off the bounce (dribble). Just being a freshman, it feels good,” he said.
Fellow guard TJ Burch added: “I’ve been telling him, ‘I’m so proud of you.’ He’s put in the work. Countless nights, countless hours, always in the gym. And him only being a freshman? C’mon.”
But not everybody was ready to toss bouquets his way.
Coach Clint Sargent began his assessment of Cooper’s play by saying: “I thought he could have been better defensively. They picked on him a little bit. That’s where we need Michael to grow.”
For a moment, it sounded as if Sargent were channeling his inner-Scott Nagy, who felt the need to keep players humble with harsh critiques because everyone else was likely fawning over them.
But optimism is abounding among the Raiders, even at 5-5, mostly because they’ve landed an under-recruited point guard who not only has filled a gaping need, but looks to be a star in the making.
“I think everybody can see he’s far beyond his years in his maturity, his body, his physicality, his ability to score,” Sargent said.
Cooper has a college-ready frame (6-foot-3, 190) and is sturdy enough to hold his ground with the ball in traffic.
“He’s got great moxie, and he’s one of my favorite players just in terms of his personality. He’s constantly bringing that,” Sargent said. “Freshmen can have off days where it’s hard. They can be reserved or quiet. And he just hasn’t missed a beat. The consistency, him starting all 10 games, is in large part to him and how he was raised.”
He’s first among the Raiders and 11th in the Horizon League in scoring with a 14.6 average.
He’s shooting 47% from the field and a nifty 40.4% on 3’s.
His best attribute, though, may be in taking care of the ball. He has just 15 turnovers through 10 starts.
“He’s really a connected young man. And it’s a credit to the rest of the roster in helping him feel affirmed as a freshman, to not feel like anything’s territorial. They’re letting him be Coop,” Sargent said.
Cooper is the early clubhouse leader to be named league freshman of the year, having won two of the five freshman-of-the-week awards.
Sargent, though, is monitoring how the Jeffersonville, Ind., product is handling the rave reviews.
“I just want him to be steady. I want to see his personality. I want to see his joy — because these guys who get early success, sometimes it can turn into a burden,” he said.
“Him handling that — I have no doubt he can. We need him to just be a steady decision-maker for us.”
That’s just fine with Cooper, who doesn’t seem interested in padding his stats.
“I’m really just trying to win games. If it’s not my night, it’s not my night. But I feel like (the Green Bay game) was my night for sure.”
About the Author