IMG Academy's Eric Cooper ready to help bring title to University of Nevada

A native of Ontario, Calif., Eric Cooper, Jr. enrolled in IMG Academy's post-graduate basketball program looking to physically develop and further prepare for college. Cooper, a dynamic combo-guard standing 6-foot-3, made an instant impact on the court for IMG. The hoopster is a pure shooter that averaged 16 ppg with 54% accuracy from two-point range and 43% from three. In the final four games of the season, with the pressure on and facing some of the nation's highest ranked prep teams including Hargrave (Va.) and St. Thomas More (Conn.), Cooper averaged just over 24 points per game and shot an incredible 54% from beyond the arc. Playing alongside the likes of Syracuse signee Chris McCullough and Kerem Kanter, the younger brother of the Utah Jazz' Enes Kanter, Cooper helped lead his team achieve to a 29-3 overall record, two national tournament titles and a berth in the annual National Prep Championship in New Haven, Conn.

Shortly after enrolling at IMG, Cooper committed to, and then later signed with, the University of Nevada Wolfpack. Nevada head coach David Carter lauded Cooper as a shooter and a playmaker following the graduation of two seniors from the back-court, so Cooper stands to get on the court for early playing time.

With the 2013-14 season and his college decision behind him, Cooper spends the remainder of his days at IMG Academy completing college coursework, sharpening his basketball skills and getting stronger in the weight room.
 
Cooper first heard about IMG Academy through an old AAU teammate and IMG Academy graduate, DeAndre Daniels, who recently led the UConn Huskies to the 2014 NCAA Men's Basketball National Championship. Cooper was only a high school sophomore when he and Daniels played together for Belmont Shores AAU, and now he is following in his old teammate's footsteps:

"I'd definitely like to experience what DeAndre is experiencing now. It's crazy that you could be playing with somebody and next thing you know they're on TV winning a national championship."

Cooper added, "I definitely want to be in the position [Daniels] is in, and help build up Nevada and win as many championships as we can."

Following Daniels' example and choosing to attend IMG Academy was an easy one for Cooper:

"I decided to come here [IMG] to get more prepared for college - physically, mentally - and to go through college-like practices instead of taking a year to sit around and red-shirt on the bench. Being here has really improved my leadership skills, my confidence, my jump shot, my ability to take over games. I've also had the ability to compete against high-level players."

Cooper's average day since the end of the season begins at 6:30 a.m. with breakfast. After a quick bite, Cooper gets to the gym early for an early morning shoot-around before class. Cooper likes to get as many reps throughout the day whenever time allows.

After the shoot-around, Cooper joins his friends and teammates Japhet Kadji , the younger brother of IMG Academy alumnus and former Miami Hurricane Kenny Kadji, and Micah Glenn to head to school for American History II. Cooper is not only taking college coursework to better prepare for college, but also to put himself on track to graduate early:

"Going to school here is great, because there aren't too many students to each teacher, so you really get to talk to the teachers and they can really help you with any problems that you have. And getting college credit is another big plus."

After class, Cooper heads to lunch to dine with his friends and teammates. Typically, all the basketball student-athletes tend to sit together for bonding, regardless of class status. After lunch, Cooper gets in another round of practice. On this particular day, and needing an additional guard, trainees in the IMG Academy NBA Combine/Pre-Draft program invited Cooper to take some reps with them:

"Working with the pros sometimes is cool, because you get to see where you're at competition-wise. You learn what you need to work on, and what the pros are doing to not only get where they are, but to stay there, so it's an awesome learning experience."

All the extra training and getting to learn from the college and professional players that also train at IMG Academy have helped Cooper towards another major goal –to help build Nevada into a championship program. Much of that preparation has been spent with IMG Academy post-grad head coach John Mahoney, who carries more than a decade of Division I collegiate coaching experience.

"Practices with Coach Mahoney are intense," remarked Cooper. "He always has a really structured practice, and we know exactly what we're going to do. He's also really specific with his plays and what he wants from us."

Apart from his improvements on the court, Cooper also gained an edge in the strength and conditioning program. Since enrolling at IMG Academy, Cooper has added nearly 15 pounds of lean muscle while maintaining his explosiveness.

"My arms and legs have gotten much stronger, and I'm finishing through contact much better because I've gotten bigger," said Cooper on his gains in the weight room. "Coach Steffan [Visk] and Coach Elliot [Walters] help us out on a daily basis and teach us all the techniques we need to learn so we get stronger and stay injury-free."

Cooper was definitely ‘injury-free' through the season as one of the only members of his team not to miss a single game. He credits the experienced athletic training staff for his durability:

"The training staff was great, always getting me taped up just right and even if I did have a little injury, helping me work through it so I wouldn't miss time."

During the season, the team earned national recognition as a top-10 program by Next Up Recruits and was invited to compete in the National Prep Championship in Connecticut. The event would be the team's biggest of the season, where all the training and preparation would come together for Cooper:

"The high point of the year for me was in Connecticut at the National Prep Championship. We were down big to Hargrave, and scored 11 points in the final minute to force overtime. We ended up winning after three OT periods - it was unreal."

Having finished his coursework for the semester, Cooper plans on spending several more weeks at IMG Academy before reporting to Nevada for summer session. For Cooper, every second is one more opportunity to improve his stock and ready himself for immediate impact.