Tim Floyd is here to help. Nothing can take the pain away from yesterdays horrific football effort at UAB than some good basketball news. And, today the Miners received some when La Verne, California, point guard C.J. Cooper committed to the UTEP Miners today after visiting UTEP this weekend. Cooper confirmed his commitment via his twitter account. A California recruiting website, Full Court Press, ranks Cooper as the 3rd best point guard in the state in this years class.
Verbally committed to UTEP
CJ Cooper
CjCooper_11
The site had this to say about Cooper's game:
Mr. "Clutch" is a quick point with a dependable handle and a fine passer, but his consistent ability to take and make big shots (including several game-winning shots this past HS season) is a main reason we have him ranked so high on this list. All-State selection averaged 15.6 points and 6.1 assists per game for the California State Division V state champs last season.
Isn't "Mr. Clutch" exactly the kind of name you want your point guard to have? According to Rivals.com, Cooper chose UTEP over offers from SMU and San Diego State. He's listed at 6'0, 155 lbs. Rivals has not yet rated Cooper. So, what did UTEP have that SMU and San Diego State didn't? Cooper may have gives us a hint on his twitter stream during his visit:
Beautiful latinas ;)CJ Cooper
CjCooper_11
I hear ya, C.J.
ESPN.com has scouted C.J. and ranks him as the 80th best point guard in the nation in the 2011 class. ESPN considers Cooper a 2 Star Prospect and their scouting report had this to say on his game:
Strengths:
Cooper has a very potent pull-up jump shot in transition and has a knack for scoring, especially in transition. He has a nice burst with the ball in his hands and he is equally good going left or right. In addition, he pushes the ball hard in transition and he always competes at a high level at both ends.
Weaknesses:
Cooper has ideal point guard size, but he is more of a scorer rather than facilitator at this stage. He hunts shots far too often and needs to do a better job of setting up his teammates, especially in the half court set.
So, ESPN might see Cooper as a 2 guard trapped in a point guards body. Surely, Tim Floyd will find the best way to utilize his skill set.
Here are some highlights of Cooper. The company that made the highlight reel may have used too many effects (slow motion, etc) for us to get a real sense of his quickness, but you can definitely see a fluid athlete with solid ball handling skills.
Cooper becomes the 5th member of Tim Floyd's first full recruiting class. He is the first guard to commit which is important because we all know that the Miners will lose veteran point guard Julyan Stone after this season. UTEP's 2010 depth chart hasn't been released, but it's possible that true freshman Mike Perez will be Stone's primary backup this season. Perez, of course, received Myron Strong's scholarship after Myron was dismissed from the team. UTEP has added walk-on guards Tony Baker and Deshun Watkins but we don't know where they project to fit in on the roster and DeShun will likely be a two guard. So, Cooper will provide some immediate depth at guard next season.
For more on the other commits, check the following links:
One Down: Ohio's Jalen Ragland Commits to the UTEP Miners
Paydirt: UTEP's Tim Floyd Nabs 4 Star Forward Darius Nelson
No. 3: Arlington Bowie's Star Point Guard D'Von Campbell Commits to the UTEP Miners
No. 4: Sioux Falls PF/C Cedric Lang Has Committed to the UTEP Miners
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