VYPE: What are your goals for this season? 

Cooper:  My goals for this season are to have fun and make good memories.

VYPE: What has your sport taught you that you use in your daily life? 

Cooper: One thing that sports has taught me for sure is to endure. Getting to the place that you want to be takes hard work and dedication. Everyday you have to prepare to push yourself and compete, because that’s what it takes. This isn’t only in basketball but in every sport, and in everyday life.

VYPE: Who is your favorite teacher from any grade and why?

Cooper: My preschool teacher Mrs. Nickels because she taught me how to count and the alphabet. I don’t think I would be where I am without the alphabet and numbers. 

VYPE: Who inspires you and why?

Cooper: My biggest inspiration is my dear friend George Maddox. He is the definition of a great friend. Every Monday night, George and I watch Where the Red Fern Grows and cry. He is such a good friend. 

VYPE: What teammate has left the biggest impression on you and why? 

Cooper: My friend Wyatt Brown left the biggest impression on me. He taught me what it meant to be bold and what it meant to work hard. Wyatt was never afraid to express his love for Jesus. I always envied him in that, but instead I learned to be bold in my faith as well.  When it came to working hard, you could always count on Wyatt. There was never a practice or game going in that I didn’t think Wyatt was going to put 100% effort into.

VYPE: What is your favorite part about being on a team?  

Cooper: My favorite part about being on this team is the relationships I’ve made with coaches and teammates. Coach Caufield has been such a great example for the kind of man that we should strive to be like. He not only is an outstanding basketball coach, he is a great father and husband. Coach Nall has become one of my biggest mentors these past couple years. He has such a strong faith and he exemplifies what a Christian life looks like. I’ve made many friends from basketball that I wouldn’t trade the world for. 

VYPE: You can pick any place for a summer vacation, where do you go and who do you take with you? 

Cooper: My dream vacation would be to go to outer space with Leonardo Da Vinci. He would get so creative with the stars and the planets. It is a shame he never got to see space because he would have made some crazy paintings that would be worth millions of dollars. 

VYPE: Why are you passionate about your sport?

Cooper:  I fell in love with basketball at a young age and I have been obsessed with it ever since. I never miss the opportunity to get my hands on a basketball and play. I have put so much time into the sport and I have yet to get tired of it. It will always be my favorite sport. 

VYPE: Here is your chance to say hello, goodbye or thank you to anyone you wish. Cooper: I would like to say hello to my grandmas Nanny and Namaw, and to my grandpa.