Staff Directory
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
A longtime assistant and former player under Eddie Fogler, John Cooper begins his second season with Oregon.
A native of Kansas City, Mo., Cooper spent six years on Fogler’s staff at South Carolina from 1995 to 2001. During his time in Columbia, S.C., the Gamecocks won the Southeastern Conference Eastern Division title in 1997, went to back-to-back NCAA Tournaments in 1997-98 and made NIT appearances in 1996 and 2001. He coached 1998 NBA Draft choice Ryan Stack, a center who went to Cleveland in the second round (48th pick).
Prior to South Carolina, Cooper spent two seasons as an assistant to Rick Duckett at Division II Fayetteville State in Fayetteville, N.C. During his tenure, Fayetteville State was 18-10 in 1993-94 and 15-10 in 1994-95.
Cooper, 34, was a standout forward for Wichita State, playing his first two seasons under Fogler. He scored 1,153 points during his career (1988-91), which ranks 21st in Shocker history and was team MVP as a junior. He led Wichita State in scoring and rebounds during both his junior and senior seasons, averaging 17.0 points per game as a junior and 20.8 points per game his final year. He was team captain his final two seasons and a Rhodes Scholar candidate.
After graduating in 1991 with a degree in business administration, Cooper was drafted by Fort Wayne of the Continental Basketball Association. He played one year with Fort Wayne and then another season for a European team in Den Helder, Holland, before joining the coaching ranks.
The 1987 graduate of Kansas City’s Rockhurst High School spent the 2001-02 season as a health care representative for Pfizer Incorporated.
John, born February 16, 1969, and his wife Melissa were married in South Carolina during the summer of 2002.
