Prospect Intro: Conner Cooper (2021)
Conner Cooper only saw the floor in 6 varsity games as a freshman but is looking forward to a much larger role in his sophomore campaign. Cooper is an athletic combo guard whose best basketball is ahead of him. Conner describes himself, “I am a combo guard who likes to get my teammates involved while still being a threat so opposing teams can’t stop us. I love winning and will do anything to make that happen! I am a driver, slasher, rebounder and great defender. I will take multiple charges every game and bring that high intensity factor that every team needs.” Conner is working now to improve his perimter shooting and overall athleticism, “I would like to improve on the consistency of my jump shot. I want to become stronger, faster, and quicker… that only puts you on another level!”
Despite the limited varsity action Cooper saw last season, he had a lot of positives to say about his Freshman campaign, “Bowling Green High has a rich tradition and we had just won a State Championship the year before. With that being said, last year was definitely a rebuilding year, including the introduction of a new head coach. We fell short in the Region Championship game so we’re hungry as ever this year! I did dress Varsity last year but had to play behind several senior guards; however, I was named the JV MVP of the program, averaging 18 points per game on the JV level.
Conner is enjoying a tremendous AAU season as part of the Louisville Magic 15u team. As a team, they have gone 8-0 against teams in the Gold Adidas and will compete for the Gauntlet Summer Championship in New York next month. Cooper told me, “We will travel to New York and L.A. in July for Nationals. I have been playing well with a very talented group of guys.” Conner thinks that his experience with the Magic will set him up for a big sophomore season for the Purples, “Playing against the country’s top ranked teams gives me more of an advantage. I have seen the game at all speeds and it is so much more physical during the AAU season. Playing against quicker players in AAU makes scoring in high school Varsity games easier.”
Conner isn’t hearing from any schools yet but expects his abilities on the court and on the football field to combine with his 4.0 GPA and open plenty of college doors for him by the end of his high school career. In the short term, Cooper wants to help lead Bowling Green back to the Sweet Sixteen after falling a game short in the 2018 season, ” I hope to lead my team to Rupp as a starting sophomore guard. We want nothing but positive, high intensity vibes on our team. I want my teammates to also feel like I am their floor general for the next 3 years. I believe we have a sophomore class that could be something special!” One thing that is clear from watching Cooper is that he has an enthusiasm for the game of basketball and a desire to lead others. Those qualities are going to carry Conner Cooper a long way in life long after the ball stops bouncing.