Ford Cooper Jr. No. 24 of the Missouri State Bears. (Photo by Mitchell Layton / Getty Images)
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Guard Ford Cooper Jr. announced his intention to transfer to the University of South Carolina basketball team.
Missouri State Guard Ford Cooper Jr. decided to transfer to the University of South Carolina basketball team after spending just one season with the Bears. Originally from Charlotte, NC, the move will allow Cooper to get a little closer to home.
In his only season at Missouri State, the 6’3 ”point guard averaged 1.9 points and 1.1 assists per game, mostly in a reserve role. He appeared in 27 games as a freshman, making five games. The rookie kicked just 29% of the field, but made 37% of his attempts beyond the hoop and 82% of his free throws. He also recorded a 2.9 assist-to-turnover rate in MVC competitions, the third highest mark at the Missouri Valley Conference last season.
Cooper was reclassified to the class of 2019 after spending three seasons in high school. He was rated by 247Sports as a four-star candidate and the 144th best player in the country. In his final year, which was spent at the United Faith Christian Academy, he averaged 7.8 points and 3.9 assists per competition. The highlight also played summer ball at Team Charlotte on the Under Armor Association circuit.
Due to the transfer rules, Cooper will be forced out of the 2020-21 season, with the intention of making an impact the following year. He also decided to join the team as a walk-on, as Gamecocks currently have no scholarships available, a path similar to that taken by the UNC Seventh Woods transfer.
This is the second good news for the South Carolina basketball program, as we learned earlier that point guard and scorer AJ Lawson will return for his first year.