Cooper, Auburn’s star freshman, responds to the hype
AUBURN, Ala. (BVM) — Sharife Cooper turned heads all over the country by announcing his commitment to Auburn University over blue blood programs like Kentucky and UCLA. His decision made him Auburn’s highest ranked recruit in program history at the time and had fans clamoring to see what he could do in Bruce Pearl’s up-tempo system.
Cooper racked up awards and recognition in high school including USA Today’s Player of the Year award in 2019 as a junior. That same year, he led McEachern High School in Powder Springs, Ga. to a 32-0 record and captured a state title in the process. He was selected as a McDonald’s All-American a year later.
Cooper was a talented but undersized point guard as an underclassmen but burst onto the scene in Nike’s EYBL. Similar to former Georgia high school guard Collin Sexton, Cooper took complete advantage of the Peach Jam summer circuit, leading the league in scoring and rocketing up recruiting boards everywhere.
Cooper’s father, Omar, coached his AAU team and instilled the humble, hardworking values that led the guard into becoming one of the most decorated high school players in Georgia history. In an interview with SLAM, Cooper’s coach at McEachern noted that he would commonly find Cooper in the gym at eleven and twelve o’clock at night, a testament to his work ethic.
As his recruiting process moved into full swing, Cooper had the attention of just about every major program in the country, and Auburn’s Bruce Pearl was a common face in the superstar’s process. Pearl has found success recruiting out of the Georgia basketball powerhouse McEachern with players like Dylan Cardwell, Babtunde Akingbola, and most notably Isaac Okoro, the fifth overall selection in the 2020 NBA draft.
Last September, Cooper took his official visit to Auburn University and shocked the country by announcing his intent to play his college career for Bruce Pearl’s Tigers. The significance of his commitment cannot be understated. His path is now paving the way for Auburn basketball, a former bottom dweller in the SEC which is now consistently in play for several highly-touted recruits.
When he arrived on campus, the Auburn community was buzzing and could not wait for him to finally make his debut on The Plains. That excitement came to an abrupt halt when the NCAA decided to investigate Cooper’s eligibility. Cooper was forced to miss several weeks of practice and even began to explore his options overseas. Auburn had also self-imposed a postseason ban in the wake of a previous investigation that landed former assistant Chuck Person in trouble with the FBI.
What started as a season of hope and promise for a young Auburn team began to look very grim. Fans around the country took to social media to back the young star with the #freesharife movement.
Cooper remained positive and stayed in the gym to work on his game. After weeks of uncertainty about his future, he was finally cleared to play.
He made his highly-anticipated debut against rival Alabama on January 9 and proved why he was one of the most sought after talents in the country. In 32 minutes, Cooper had a game high 26 points with nine assists and four rebounds in a 94-90 loss. He has made a massive difference to a struggling lineup helping deliver three SEC wins over Georgia, powerhouse Kentucky and South Carolina, averaging a team high 21 points and nine assists.
Cooper is living up to every expectation placed on him so far and he is now flying up NBA mock draft boards.
