Every team has a Matt Cooper. For Dayton, Matt Cooper is our version of himself. He’s the guy at the end of the pine who develops a fan following from things other than basketball. Fans cheer for players like these because they see themselves in such a player — the ordinary Joe who gets a chance to rub elbows with the big boys and live out a childhood dream of playing major college basketball.

It would be customary who run down Matt Cooper’s 1998-99 stats, point out the strong and weak points to his game, where he needs to improve, and what impact he’ll have as a senior. But we already know the answers. It’s no secret that Cooper isn’t a budding star in hiding. When a 6-10 junior scores 13 points all year, it doesn’t take a mathematician to figure out the lack of pure hoops talent. Numbers aside however, Cooper is as much a part of this team as anyone and sets the fine example for every student athlete in the program. A Pre-Med major, Cooper has his goals set higher than 10 feet.

As nice as it would be to talk about Cooper’s personality to no end, UDPRIDE’s Player Previews focus on basketball so we are obligated to make a few critical arguments in an effort of good faith. Cooper ended up at Dayton after Purnell offered a scholarship to fill a glaring void at the center position in the near future. Chris Daniels was an upperclassman, Marko Pikaar was a bench player, and fellow recruit Mark Ashman had yet to play his first game.

The Flyers hoped to sign a couple more promising big men over the next two years to take the pressure off of Cooper and Ashman, but it never materialized. Stephen Bamigbola didn’t provide the immediate answer, and Cooper lacked the physical tools to become a solid backup center. As is turned out, Cooper has developed into a valuable commodity on defense. He forces players to alter shots, keeps Ashman out of foul trouble, and possesses solid footwork when guarding players in the low post.
On offense however, Cooper is an extreme liability. Like a deer caught in headlights, Cooper freezes up and looks as if he’s living a final exam nightmare. With no outside shot, Cooper must get his points inside, and in nearly every case must do so against players packing more beef and basketball savvy.

Let’s end the discussion here. A successful senior season for Matt Cooper will be if he’s added more strength in the weight room — something most agree he has done — developed a short hook shot, improved at the charity stripe, and maintains a positive attitude. But it will be another year as a bench player and another year of being the student section’s reason for overdone enthusiasm as the guy fans loves to see play out the role of the Everyman.