Four years ago, Tom Izzo landed an unranked recruit late in the process named Carson Cooper who people didn’t know much about, but who was pegged as a “project” by most recruiting experts.
Izzo had a spot open on his roster, and he needed another big to potentially mold and craft into a future starter. Cooper was on the IMG Academy B team, which is essentially one step below the actual varsity team, and he was one of those late-bloomers that you always hear about.
Cooper wasn’t getting pursued by major programs, and some believed he should even be limited to a walk-on role with Michigan State, but he earned a scholarship and paid his dues early.
As a true freshman, he still saw the floor, averaging 6.6 minutes per game but he averaged just 1.6 points and 0.9 rebounds. He wasn’t the most polished player, but you could see the potential in him early on. It was buried in his game, but it was there.
As a sophomore, Cooper saw his playing time triple. He averaged over 17 minutes per game and scored 3.4 points with 4.4 rebounds per game.
Cooper’s junior year numbers were slightly better with about the same playing time. He averaged 5.0 points and 5.2 rebounds but he went from 1.1 stocks (steals + blocks) from the previous season to just 0.8 as a junior. He was still a plus defender, but wasn’t quite as effective.
However, he’s made a massive senior year leap.
Carson Cooper is this year’s unlikely hero
Every great Michigan State basketball team under Izzo has had an unlikely hero, and this year, it’s Cooper. The senior big man from IMG Academy has trusted in Izzo and believed in his vision, along with Saddi Washington, and now he’s one of the more complete bigs in the Big Ten.
After averaging just 5.0 points and 5.2 rebounds (and 0.8 stocks) as a junior, Cooper has doubled his production to 10.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.8 stocks while also recording a career-best 1.5 assists.
Cooper is an athletic 7-footer who can run, space the floor, and do a little of everything really well from passing, to scoring in the post, to catching lobs, to playing defense, to rebounding, to rim protecting. He’s also quick enough to defend perimeter to basket, and he doesn’t often get blown by because his lateral quickness keeps him in front of ball-handlers.
While I don’t see Cooper becoming an NBA draft pick, I do think he’s improved his stock to a point where he’s going to find himself on an NBA Summer League roster, and eventually in the G-League.
Cooper has a couple of things you can’t teach that NBA teams salivate over: elite size, toughness, and athleticism. While he doesn’t have an outside shot, he is able to hit from the mid-range to keep defenses honest, and that’s something that has been taught by Izzo and Co.
The 7-foot former IMG B-teamer might just be playing himself into NBA consideration.
This is what Izzo’s development gets you. Who says he can’t develop players?