Courtesy Photo

By Sophia Villegas

Former college basketball three-point sensation Anthony Cooper has been named the new Corsairs Assistant Coach for the Santa Monica College Mens Basketball team this fall.

I am excited to learn from Coach Jerome Jenkins, Cooper said. He has a wealth of knowledge and is highly respected in the basketball community. Hes been successful on the court at the JC and Division 1 level, but what Ive noticed most is how great of a motivator and mentor he is. The kids really respond to him on and off the court. The way he inspires young men to do better in life is what every coach aspires to do.

Before starting his coaching career, Cooper learned the game of basketball as a point-guard for Merrill F. West High School in the Bay area. During his junior year, he led his team to the league championship and earned First-Team All League honors in 1995 and 1996. Cooper was also inducted to the Tri-Valley Scholastic Black Sports Hall of Fame in 1996 for his tremendous skills on the basketball court.

In 1997, he went on to attend Orange Coast Community College where he continued to play and dominated from three-point range finishing third over all in the schools history for three-pointers made. He also set an Orange County record for three-pointers made in a game against Saddleback College shooting 10 for 13 from behind the arc.

After his success at Orange Coast, Cooper transferred to California State University-Hayward in 2001, where he majored in Communications and kept playing basketball. His dominance behind the three-point line prevailed as he set a Cal Pac record for the highest single-season three-point percentage holder at 57 percent adding to his mantel of trophies earned in college.

Following his college basketball days, Cooper decided to step away from basketball and used his communications degree he earned at Cal State to land a job in TV production working for CBS, Fox, E!, and Americas Funniest Home Videos.

For the next 10 years Coopers television career grew, but he found himself missing the game of basketball.

He still played regularly and caught himself always talking about it amongst his peers and watching highlights.

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Three-Point Sensation Anthony Cooper Joins SMC Basketball Coaching Team