Cooper waits to have an impact
FAIRFAX — In his first trip back to Northern Virginia as a college basketball player, Chris Cooper hung around the rear corner of Old Dominion’s pre-game huddle. As Monarchs coach Blaine Taylor talked to the starters sitting opposite of him, Cooper peered in.That’s how it’s been most of the season. With only 25 minutes in eight games entering Saturday’s game at George Mason, the Forest Park grad has been merely a role player. But in the 61-53 loss, Cooper earned more than double the playing time of any other game this season.
The reasons weren’t simply Cooper’s play. Starting forward Gerald Lee, the Monarchs’ leading scorer, was in foul trouble most of the afternoon. Redshirt sophomore Frank Hassell has struggled lately, even in practice, Taylor said. Reserve Jonathan Adams might usually play in the post, but Taylor opted to play him on the perimeter, opening up a spot for Cooper.
His stat line wasn’t anything of note — 0-for-1 shooting, 0 for 2 on free throws, an offensive and a defensive rebound, a block, two steals and two fouls — but his minutes were more than double that of any other game this season.
And Cooper is still shaking off the rust. He didn’t play at all during his senior year at Forest Park while re-covering from major knee surgery; he now must acclimate himself to college basketball and college life all while fully recovering his basketball skills.
“Chris didn’t play last year, and it’s still very evident when we watch his rhythm and [there’s] a little bit of rust and an adjustment to Division I basketball,” Taylor said. “He’s got a really bright future. We gave him a shot [against Mason] and we were more productive defensively and on the glass physically when he was out there.”
Cooper’s contributions so far have been limited mostly to defense. On Saturday, he managed to box out well, keeping Mason’s players from getting near the ball on shots — even if the rebounds didn’t always bounce in his direction. Defense, he said, is his focus for the moment; getting better integrated on offense is a goal for the rest of the season.
“I focus more on defense now, and rebounding and trying to help out. More on defense,” Cooper said. “I have to learn my offensive game as I come along. Right now, I just really focus on defense.”
The other, more tangential, transitions have gone smoothly. Taylor said that Cooper’s schoolwork hasn’t been a problem at all. Cooper said that it hasn’t been easy going from a key player in high school back to the bottom rung in college, but he’s dealing with it.
That will come, he believes.
“You gotta learn [that] you’ve gotta take your turn,” he said.
With only one senior in the frontcourt — Adams — and a starting lineup with a junior, three sophomores and a redshirt freshman, it may be some time before Cooper’s turn comes.
Eventually, though, it may. Then he’ll be the one sitting in the pre-game huddle, eyes focused on him.
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