Physically, D.J. Cooper has been an underdog his entire life.
Despite rewriting the record books the past four years for Ohio, as well as leading the Bobcats to a pair of Mid-American Conference Tournament Championships, a tie for the 2012-13 MAC regular season title and three NCAA Tournament wins, Cooper remains an underdog.
After finishing his illustrious collegiate career in March, he will look to take the next step to the NBA by being one of 60 players selected in the NBA Draft on Thursday evening.
“I feel like I can help any team,” Cooper said. “My passion and ability and my leadership skills will be an asset to any team.”
Cooper is looking to become the 26th Ohio player to be drafted and the first since Brandon Hunter was selected 56th overall in 2003.
The point guard is the only player in NCAA Division I history to record at least 2,000 points, 900 assists, 600 rebounds and 300 steals in a career. He also ranks No. 12 in NCAA history in career assists, as well as No. 18 all-time in career steals.
Though Cooper’s résumé should speak for itself, NBA pundits, such as ESPN NBA Draft Insider Chad Ford, listed Cooper outside his top-100 NBA Draft prospects, which were first released in April.
But after participating in workouts with five NBA teams, the Chicago native’s stock has risen, as Ford now has Cooper listed at No. 49 and a potential late second-round pick.
“I went into every workout with a chip on my shoulder, because I felt like I should be up a little higher in people’s minds, you know, but it is what it is,” Cooper said.
“I’ve just worked every day on my strengths and tried to improve on my weaknesses to get stronger and faster and work on the consistency on my shot,” Cooper said. “I’m in the best shape of my life right now.”
He participated in workouts with the Portland Trail Blazers, Golden State Warriors, Washington Wizards, Orlando Magic and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Each focused on different aspects of his game, though were formatted the same, according to Cooper.
“We are about where we thought we would be (with five workouts),” Cooper’s agent Mike Naiditch said. “D.J. has been scouted for four years and was in Portsmouth for an all-star game, so I’m pretty sure teams know enough about him they will draft him without working him out.”
Portland was “pleasantly surprised” with Cooper’s hand speed, while Washington was impressed with his shooting, as well as competitiveness, according to Naiditch.
“It’s quality over quantity,” Naiditch said. “Some of the young guys look at (their preparation) as a race to get more workouts, but our goal from the beginning was to identify the teams we thought D.J. had the best chance to make, based on roster and interest in him.”
Naiditch believes each workout Cooper participated in was of value, because each team had specific interests in the MAC Player of the Year.
While basketball seems to be what Cooper has planned for his immediate future, he has not finished his degree, but needs to complete just eight credit hours and plans to graduate someday.
After playing the past four seasons under former Ohio coach John Groce, as well as current coach Jim Christian, Cooper said he has looked to his former coaches as mentors as he looks toward the future.
And if Cooper is not drafted on Thursday, he says he will continue to prove himself to others one step at a time.
cl027410@ohiou.edu
