Sharife Cooper

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Sharife Cooper
Sharife Cooper (cropped).jpg
Cooper with McEachern High School in 2019
No. 2 – Atlanta Hawks
PositionPoint guard
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (2001-06-11) June 11, 2001 (age 20)
Newark, New Jersey
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Listed weight176 lb (80 kg)
Career information
High schoolMcEachern
(Powder Springs, Georgia)
CollegeAuburn (2020–2021)
NBA draft2021 / Round: 2 / Pick: 48th overall
Selected by the Atlanta Hawks
Playing career2021–present
Career history
2021–presentAtlanta Hawks
2021–present→College Park Skyhawks
Career highlights and awards
Stats Edit this at Wikidata at Basketball-Reference.com

Sharife Omar Cooper (born June 11, 2001) is an American professional basketball player for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract with the College Park Skyhawks of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Auburn Tigers.

High school career[]

In his freshman season in 2016–17, Cooper averaged 16 points and 4.4 assists per game, leading McEachern High School in Powder Springs, Georgia to a 29–1 record and an appearance in the Georgia High School Association (GHSA) Class 7A state semifinals. The following year, he led the Indians to a state quarterfinals appearance while posting a 26–3 record.[1] He received considerable media attention in December 2017 for his 42-point performance against Jahvon Quinerly and nationally ranked Hudson Catholic Regional High School in the quarterfinals of the City of Palms Classic. He scored the game-winning buzzer-beater in an 83–81 overtime victory.[1][2][3]

As a junior in 2018–19, Cooper led McEachern to a perfect 32–0 record and the first state title in school history while averaging 27.2 points, 8.1 assists, 5.6 rebounds and 4.3 steals per game. In the title-game win over Meadowcreek, he scored 20 points and dished four assists as McEachern finished ranked No. 1 in three national polls.[4] He picked up most valuable player (MVP) honors at several tournaments, including the City of Palms Classic and Tournament of Champions.[5] After the season, he was named USA Today All-USA Player of the Year, MaxPreps National Player of the Year, Mr. Georgia Basketball, and Georgia's Gatorade Player of the Year.[6][7][8][9] He also earned USA Today All-USA first team and Naismith All-American second team honors.[10] Cooper was selected to play in the 2020 McDonald's All-American Boys Game on January 23, 2020.[11] On May 6, 2021, Cooper's #2 high school jersey number was retired at McEachern where he was honored as the most decorated male basketball player in school history.[12]

Recruiting[]

On September 27, 2019, Cooper committed to play college basketball for Auburn. He became the highest-ranked recruit and the second five-star recruit in program history.[13]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Sharife Cooper
PG 		Powder Springs, GA McEachern (GA) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 160 lb (73 kg) Sep 27, 2019 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:5/5 stars   ESPN grade: 94
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 22  247Sports: 27  ESPN: 20
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Auburn 2020 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 14, 2020.
  • "2020 Auburn Tigers Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 14, 2020.
  • "2020 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 14, 2020.

College career[]

Cooper missed the first 12 games of his freshman season due to a National Collegiate Athletic Association investigation into his eligibility. During that time, he explored professional options.[14] On January 9, 2021, he made his Auburn debut, recording 26 points, nine assists and four rebounds in a 94–90 loss to Alabama.[15] Four days later, Cooper posted a season-high 28 points, 12 assists and five rebounds in a 95–77 win over Georgia.[16] As a freshman, he averaged 20.2 points, 8.1 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game through 12 appearances, earning Southeastern Conference All-Freshman Team honors. On April 2, 2021, Cooper declared for the 2021 NBA draft, forgoing his remaining college eligibility.[17]

Professional career[]

Atlanta Hawks (2021–present)[]

Cooper was selected in the second round of the 2021 NBA draft with the 48th pick by the Atlanta Hawks.[18] On August 5, 2021, he signed a two-way contract with the Hawks, splitting time with their G League affiliate, the College Park Skyhawks.[19] He played for the Hawks in the 2021 NBA summer league, recording 11 points on 5-11 shooting, 6 assists and a team-high 6 turnovers in 28 minutes at his debut in a 85-83 loss against the Boston Celtics.[20]

Career statistics[]

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

College[]

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2020–21 Auburn 12 12 33.1 .391 .228 .825 4.3 8.1 1.0 .3 20.2

Personal life[]

Cooper was born in Newark, New Jersey to Omar and Kindall Cooper, although the family moved to the Atlanta area around the age of six.[21] He has two sisters, Te'a and Mia, who both won state titles at McEachern, while Te'a continued on to play at Tennessee, South Carolina and Baylor before being drafted by the Phoenix Mercury in the 2020 WNBA draft.[22] He also has a twin brother, Omar, who is a standout player at The Walker School in Marietta, Georgia.[23]

References[]

  1. ^ a b Cordova, David (June 6, 2018). "Hoop With Coop: A Point Guard from Georgia Gives The World An Introduction". Dave's Joint. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
  2. ^ Ostrander, Lynden (December 21, 2017). "Sharife Cooper's 42-point performance highlights early going at City of Palms Classic". MaxPreps. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
  3. ^ Young, Justin (December 20, 2017). "Cooper Has Epic Outing in OT McEachern Win". HoopSeen. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
  4. ^ Holcomb, Todd (March 12, 2019). "AAAAAAA basketball blog: McEachern, Westlake finish unbeaten, nationally ranked". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved July 28, 2019.
  5. ^ Divens, Jordan (January 31, 2019). "Sharife Cooper leads race for high school basketball player of the year honors". MaxPreps. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
  6. ^ Jordan, Jason (April 2, 2019). "2018-19 ALL-USA Boys Basketball Player of the Year: Sharife Cooper, McEachern". USA Today. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
  7. ^ Divens, Jordan (April 11, 2019). "MaxPreps 2018-19 Boys Basketball Player of the Year: Sharife Cooper". MaxPreps. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  8. ^ Bednarowski, John (March 28, 2019). "Sharife Cooper named Mr. Georgia Basketball by Atlanta Tipoff Club". Marietta Daily Journal. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
  9. ^ Holcomb, Todd (March 15, 2019). "McEachern's Cooper wins Gatorade boys player of year award". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
  10. ^ Carrington, Adam (March 8, 2019). "McEachern's Sharife Cooper named second-team All-American". Marietta Daily Journal. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
  11. ^ "Four UNC signees dot All-American Game rosters". ESPN.com. January 23, 2020. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
  12. ^ "Look Sharife Cooper has high school number retired". auburnwire.usatoday.com. May 9, 2021. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
  13. ^ Green, Tom (September 27, 2019). "5-star point guard Sharife Cooper commits to Auburn". AL.com. Retrieved September 27, 2019.
  14. ^ Borzello, Jeff (January 9, 2021). "Auburn Tigers freshman Sharife Cooper cleared by NCAA, to make debut Saturday". ESPN. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  15. ^ Han, Giana (January 9, 2021). "Sharife Cooper's debut encouraging for Auburn despite loss". AL.com. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  16. ^ "Cooper dominant again as Auburn beats Georgia 95-77". ESPN. Associated Press. January 13, 2021. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  17. ^ "Auburn's Sharife Cooper to enter NBA draft, hire agent". NBA.com. Associated Press. April 2, 2021. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  18. ^ Vivlamore, Chris (August 1, 2021). "Driveway competition just the way for Sharife Cooper to start NBA career". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved August 2, 2021.
  19. ^ "Hawks Sign 2021 Draft Picks Jalen Johnson and Sharife Cooper". NBA.com. August 5, 2021. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
  20. ^ "Boston Celtics vs Atlanta Hawks Aug 8, 2021 Box Scores | NBA.com". NBA.com. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
  21. ^ Zagoria, Adam (January 21, 2019). "Sharife Cooper Helps Keep McEachern Undefeated, To Visit Duke & Kentucky". FloHoops. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
  22. ^ Te'a Cooper WNBA profile
  23. ^ Conley, Tyhi (April 27, 2019). "Boys Basketball Player of the Year: McEachern's Sharife Cooper shines the brightest". Marietta Daily Journal. Retrieved July 26, 2019.

External links[]

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