Sharife Cooper auburn – Page 3

Dan Dakich on Auburn’s self-imposed tournament ban: ‘I got to re-think it’

ESPN analyst Dan Dakich is all aboard the Sharife Cooper bandwagon now and thinks Auburn should reconsider the self-imposed postseason ban.

It’s hilarious how much Dan Dakich’s attitude toward Sharife Cooper and his presence on the Auburn basketball team has changed during the last few weeks.

After taking the stance that Cooper’s productivity would only decline from his debut against Alabama, the ESPN analyst has seemingly turned the page by calling the freshman point guard possibly the best player in the SEC and, per The Montgomery Advertiser, is now saying Bruce Pearl should consider lifting the self-imposed postseason ban on the Tigers this year.

“He’s been absolutely fantastic,” Dakich said of Cooper. “That dude is 1,000% dynamic. That dude gets easy shots.

“And don’t think for a second that Bruce Pearl opted out knowing or thinking that this kid was going to be that good,” Dakich added. “It’s one thing to be that good in practice, boss. Bruce Pearl, if I’m him, I got to re-think it.”

Yes, Cooper has absolutely been that good for the Tigers since joining the team on January 9 after missing the first 11 games of the season due to eligibility concerns. The Powder Springs, Ga. native is averaging 22.3 points, 8.7 assists and five rebounds a game.

In the victory over No. 12 Missouri on Tuesday night, Cooper was clutch from the free throw line, making 18-of-21 attempts with many coming in the final minutes and the game still in question.

“That’s my favorite thing to do is close the game,” Cooper said following the 88-82 victory. “Just making the right plays, making winning plays that affect the game tremendously – just by doing something little. That’s my favorite thing to do since I was a kid.”

Sharife Cooper: ‘Favorite thing to do is close the game’

Auburn freshman point guard Sharife Cooper helped the Tigers defeat No. 12 Missouri 88-82 on Tuesday night in Auburn Arena.

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With Auburn leading No. 12 Missouri and the clock ticking down on Tuesday night, there was no question who would have the ball in their hand: Sharife Cooper.

Cooper’s influence on the Auburn offense was apparent as the Tigers struggled to do anything on that side of the floor with him on the bench early in the second half. The freshman finished with 28 points, eight rebounds and seven assists but it was his shooting at the free throw line down the stretch that was even more impressive as he finished 18-of-21 from the charity stripe.

Here is everything Cooper and Chris Moore had to say following the victory.

Sharife Cooper, G, Fr.

On beating an experienced Missouri team…

“It just gives you confidence. Just going out there and playing a team that you know is No. 12 in the country, they’re one of the best teams in the country, so we feel like we could compete with anybody after you win one of those games. It’s big for our confidence as a team individually, and I think we can build on that.”

On the challenge of facing Missouri’s guards…

“I saw what they did last game. I knew it was going to be a challenge. I love big games. It was super fun. For some reason, today was more fun. I don’t know why, but it was fun out there.”

On the bench having a big night…

“Great lift. It’s just fun to see. Fun as a team when everybody is contributing. That’s just good for those guys individually as well as our team, as well as moving forward. We trust those guys. We watch them in practice, so we know what they do behind the camera. We believe in them, and when they come out and show it, it’s just great.”

On making plays down the stretch…

“That’s my favorite thing to do is close the game. Just making the right plays, making winning plays that affect the game tremendously – just by doing something little. That’s my favorite thing to do since I was a kid. My dad instilled that in me. We’re a young team, so just being able to transfer that to college, it’s a great experience.”

Chris Moore, F, Fr.

On how it felt to play well…

“It felt great. All my life, it’s been about confidence. When I got here, I was shy of confidence, but the coaching staff has been getting on me all year about shooting my shot. That’s in our DNA. Me making shots and coming through for the team was really big. It felt good out there to make a lot of big shots.”

On being a much more experienced team with the group of young players…

“It shows that we’ve got guys with composure on this team that can step up in the big moments and make the right plays. We had Sharife (Cooper) coming down the stretch. Great point guard making the great plays. We had a good game out of JT (Thor). We had a great game out of Dylan Cardwell packing everything in the paint, being the big dog and alpha dog that we need in the paint. Everybody contributed tonight. It felt good to beat an experienced team.”

On the freshman class playing better and gaining experience…

“Our coaches emphasized that we’re not freshmen anymore. (Coach Pearl) says it now. We instill that into ourselves and just go out there and play our game like we’ve been out there for a long time.”

Sharife Cooper: ‘Favorite thing to do is close the game’

Auburn freshman point guard Sharife Cooper helped the Tigers defeat No. 12 Missouri 88-82 on Tuesday night in Auburn Arena.

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With Auburn leading No. 12 Missouri and the clock ticking down on Tuesday night, there was no question who would have the ball in their hand: Sharife Cooper.

Here is everything Cooper and Chris Moore had to say following the victory.

Sharife Cooper, G, Fr.

On beating an experienced Missouri team…

On the challenge of facing Missouri’s guards…

“I saw what they did last game. I knew it was going to be a challenge. I love big games. It was super fun. For some reason, today was more fun. I don’t know why, but it was fun out there.”

On the bench having a big night…

On making plays down the stretch…

Chris Moore, F, Fr.

On how it felt to play well…

On being a much more experienced team with the group of young players…

On the freshman class playing better and gaining experience…

Opinion: Auburn’s Sharife Cooper most impactful freshman in college basketball in some time

Auburn freshman Sharife Cooper showed once again why he is one of the best freshman in college basketball with performance against Missouri.

A lot of hype surrounded Sharife Cooper when he signed with Auburn. That continued when the NCAA kept him out for 11 games for reasons that still haven’t been explained.

Is he that good? How special can he be? How will Auburn benefit from his presence?

There are no questions now. Cooper’s ability as a basketball player, floor general and overall leader of a team just six games into his career is one of the most impressive things I have watched in my 39 years of watching basketball and, on Tuesday night in Auburn’s 88-82 victory over No. 12 Missouri, it was even more evident.

Need proof? Just look at the tape of the Tigers without him against Mizzou. After Cooper picked up his third foul late in the first half, Bruce Pearl decided to keep him out of the beginning of the second 20 minutes with Auburn up four points. That lead didn’t last long as Missouri took a six-point lead early in the second half.

Yet Cooper had every answer. A lob to Cambridge. Taking the beating that the visiting Tigers were giving him and getting to the foul line that resulted in him making 18-of-21 free throws. Drawing charges even though he was in foul trouble. Driving past defenders and somehow getting a jump up in traffic among taller players.

He finished with 28 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.

It was all part of his magic and what has become must-watch viewing not for just Auburn fans but basketball fans nationwide. You will not run across many players that can make such a vast difference to a game and a team than Cooper.

To make an Auburn comparison, he’s what Cam Newton was to the 2010 national title team: the alpha dog and the reason why everyone was scared of the Tigers.

He makes everyone on the floor better. His fellow freshman JT Thor becomes a major threat from the three-point line when getting the ball from Cooper. Allen Flanigan gets to be himself, a scorer at heart, instead of someone in charge of taking care of the ball. You can go down the list. Dylan Cardwell lives off the easy dunks he gets because of Cooper. Jaylin Williams, Chris Moore and … well … every Tiger instantly becomes so much more confident on offense with him on the floor.

When was the last time you could say that about any freshman at Auburn? In the SEC? In NCAA basketball? There’s not many and, those that do come to mind (Bobby Hurley and John Wall are examples) were surrounded by players better than them.

Not Cooper. Of course, he won’t admit that or will he ever take full credit for Tuesday’s win, but let’s face facts: without him, Auburn has no chance winning against Missouri.

If he decides to stay another season, the expectations for 2021-22 will skyrocket yet let’s state what is obvious right now: Cooper is the most impactful freshman in college basketball this season and it’s not even close. That doesn’t mean that he is the best, but that he means the most to his team.

It was never more evident than against Missouri. Cooper stole the show and, for those who watched, it was magical.

Bruce Pearl on South Carolina win: ‘We learned from our mistakes against Arkansas’

Auburn made sure to not allow a comeback again on Saturday as the Tigers blew out South Carolina 109-86.

Auburn took care of business early and often against South Carolina as the Tigers pulled away with a 109-86 victory in Columbia on Saturday afternoon.

It was clear that the loss on Wednesday night after leading my 19 points to Arkansas was fresh in the minds of the Tigers.

“We learned from our mistakes at Arkansas,” Bruce Pearl said. “Came out in the second half and didn’t take our foot off the gas, particularly offensively – 109 is an Auburn record for a road SEC game.”

Here’s everything Pear had to say following the victory:

Opening statement…

“It was a good win on the road. We’re making progress, getting better. We learned from our mistakes against Arkansas, came out in the second half and didn’t take our foot off the gas, particularly offensively – 109 is an Auburn record for a road SEC game. I’m most pleased with 21 assists. When we’ve played South Carolina and we’ve gotten great point guard play, we’ve been successful. But when we haven’t, we haven’t (been successful). I think that’s the key. To have both Allen Flanigan and Sharife Cooper on the floor together right now, it gives me two playmaking guards that I can work through, it helps me as a play-caller. I thought the guys did a good job mixing in the fast break and transition with running some good half-court sets. We still struggled defensively. Lawson gets 23. Bryant gets 24. And we fouled them too much. Good win with short prep. Great balance. I thought JT and Jaylin Williams really responded. JT keeps getting better. Al does everything. Devan has been terrific off the bench. Our 5s did a good job scoring at the rim. So overall, a pretty good afternoon.”

On making the extra pass against South Carolina…

“South Carolina will really extend defensively, and they don’t let you run your normal offense. You cannot pass the ball much against them because of the way they extend, the pressure they put on you. So you just keep the ball in your ball handlers’ hands and then allow them to make plays. Both Sharife and Al are guys you need to be able to guard all the way to the rim, and you’ve got to come off because they can beat their 1-on-1 matchup. When you come off, you’ve got things at the rim and you’ve got perimeter guys who can shoot it. The team was sort of built around that aspect – guys who can shoot the ball, finish at the rim, and a couple play-making guards to get them the ball.”

On making 14 3s, winning battle on the boards…

“Sharife was upset because he only had one assist in the second half, claiming that some of those guys missed some shots that they should’ve made. It’s important in a spread offense to be able to stretch the defense. Jaylin Williams and JT Thor played a lot together in this game because South Carolina went smaller. I thought Ira Bowman did a good job tonight recognizing that they were small, and we went small also. I thought that helped us offensively because we were able to put five guys on the perimeter that could shoot it. The fact that JT made one, you’ve got to guard him. Jaylin made two, you’ve got to guard him. It just makes any offense you run that much better.”

On Sharife Cooper and Allen Flanigan…

“The thing about Sharife is – to be a great undersized player, you’ve got to be the toughest guy on the floor. Sharife is going to get bounced every game, all game. It doesn’t bother him. It just doesn’t. He’s a tough kid. And that is required amongst undersized players. The opponent knows that. They do. That’s what they should fear. Allen is just such a productive player. I have a high expectation for Al. Al will probably tell you after every game I want more from him than anybody else. He’ll lead us in rebounding or lead us in field-goal percentage, get to the foul line and make them all, and Al finds something wrong with his game. I think he’s a great player, but he whether he loses focus or stays sharp all the time, I have very high expectations for him. He played great tonight.”

On finishing the first half strong…

“Steven Pearl got them in with about three minutes to go in the first half and really challenged them in that timeout to close. I thought Ira Bowman and Mike Burgomaster did a phenomenal job on the scout. We were extremely prepared. We had a great game plan both offensively and defensively. I think my assistant coaches really helped us win this game.”

Auburn 109, South Carolina 86: Random thoughts following Tigers’ blowout victory

Auburn went into Columbia and blew out the South Carolina Gamecocks in a 109-86 victory with Sharife Cooper recording another double-double.

Auburn made easy work of South Carolina in Columbia on Saturday afternoon, blowing out the Gamecocks, 109-86, in a game that wasn’t as close as the score indicates.

Sharife Cooper recorded his second double-double in his first five games for Auburn while Allen Flanigan continues to show he can be an offensive force for the Tigers.

Here are some random thoughts following the game.

Let’s just get right to it: I know it must be difficult to call a second half when one team has a huge lead, but how Beth Mowins and Jimmy Dykes handled it was absolutely miserable. At one point, the two went 15 straight minutes without mentioning any of the action on the floor including a weird monologue by Dykes honoring everything Mowins has done for women in sports broadcasting, including for his daughter. Great, have that personal conversation somewhere else. There are players on the floor that deserve the attention.
Another double-double for Sharife Cooper and this one was his easiest yet, having 10 points and 11 assists by the end of the first half. He finished with 16 points, 12 assists and 6 rebounds. Dan Dakich has yet to comment.
It was imperative for Auburn to finish the first half strong after what occurred on Wednesday night at Arkansas. In his postgame press conference,. Bruce Pearl acknowledged that he had his son, Steven, challenge the Tigers during the last three minutes heading into halftime. Final result? A 15-point lead.
Flanigan continues to grow as a player and become a major producer for Auburn offensive and defensively. His 24 points led the offensive onslaught and he was 4-of-6 from the three-point line.
JT Thor is an absolute threat in the paint. At one point, he blocked a Gamecocks shot without even jumping. His offensive game is also coming around nicely.
Back to Cooper, he finished the game with just three turnovers. That is a sign hat he is getting even more comfortable in the game and with his teammates. A 12-to-3 assist to turnover ratio is something Bruce Pearl will absolutely take every game.
Also on Cooper: his vision is probably the best I have seen in college basketball in some time. He sees things that aren’t even there but magically appear two seconds later.
Give it up for Jaylin Williams who had an absolutely remarkable game in every facet. He finished with 18 points on 8-of-12 shooting (2-of-3 from three), seven rebounds, two assists and just one turnover.
Six more blocks on defense for the Tigers. That is becoming a huge stat to watch and something other teams will be wary of when taking the ball into the paint.
I’m jealous of Pearl’s constant tan.
I am not extremely superstitious but the fact I was putting together a desk chair during the entire first half when Auburn put up 57 points on the board makes me think I need to take apart the chair and do it all over again the next game. Also, it took me way too long to put the chair together and I have screws left over.
Back to basketball. You know who has a great shooting stroke? Lior Berman. Great to see him get time off the bench and make two three-pointers.
Final thought: any time Auburn can shoot 51.9% from beyond the three-point line, chances are Tigers fans are going to come away happy.

Bruce Pearl on Arkansas loss: ‘We kind of let one get away’

Auburn held a 19-point lead in the first half against Arkansas but couldn’t hold a Razorback rally back in a 75-73 loss.

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Opening statement…

“Disappointing loss. We kind of let one get away. We played a great first 16 minutes on the road, played really well on both ends. The last three or four minutes of the first half, we took our foot off the gas and gave Arkansas some confidence, and they just kept that through the halftime. The starters were very poor to start the second half. Effort, energy, 50-50 balls, points in the paint, points at the rim. We showed some heart and some character getting back in the game late. We made some plays. We didn’t quit. From my standpoint, down one late, I probably should’ve let Sharife (Cooper) go quicker than that. If he goes quicker and he doesn’t score, we foul and we get another possession with more time. In a 1-point game, I should’ve gone quicker. A 2-point game, it doesn’t matter. That’s on me. I cost us a possession late.”

On the defense in the first half…

“Guys were down in their stance, made Arkansas make tough 1-on-1 plays, stayed at home, got backside rebounds, 50-50 balls and ran out. In the second half, they drove by us a little more. They back cut us. They killed us on the offensive glass. That was the difference. A tale of two halves, but it really started at the end of the first half.”

On if this game is a teaching moment going forward…

“I think you could learn from winning as easily as you could from losing. But, you can’t learn because we stopped guarding, having that same kind of intensity and physicality, and a sense of urgency. We talk about it all the time. So, we understand that. We’ll learn, but obviously learn the hard way.”

On if he was pleased with the shot selection in the second half…

“No. Arkansas turned up the defensive pressure and made it really difficult on us. They trapped Sharife (Cooper). The other guys, when the ball wasn’t in his hands, struggled to make plays and make some decisions – spacing, ball movement. We hadn’t seen that that much. It shouldn’t have bothered us, but it did.”

Sharife Cooper, G, Fr.

On Arkansas double-teaming him…

“It wasn’t something we were expecting or game planned. Reacting to it and finding a solution a little quicker would’ve helped us.”

On what changed defensively throughout the game…

“We just got too complacent and too comfortable. We definitely can’t allow that to happen. Seeing success and taking plays off, I think that was a big, key factor in giving them back the lead. That’s something that I vocally have got to speak to my teammates to be better about. It’s early in our path together, so I don’t want to harp on it too much. But, it’s something that we definitely have got to get better at. I’ll take that to me, because I’ve got to lead my guys and make sure that doesn’t happen.”

On what he saw with Auburn getting back into the game in the last few minutes…

“Desperation. We wanted to come here and get a win. Our back was against the wall and we fought to the end. I’m proud of that. We were one play away and we could’ve gone to overtime. I can take that and be happy with it that we didn’t give up. We fought until the end.”

On what he saw on the last play…

“It was a high-ball screen. I think Jaylin Williams was setting it and he had Moses Moody on him. It worked the previous play and we went back to it. I just drove it down left and saw the big, (Justin) Smith, challenge the shot. I felt like I could’ve finished through the contact. I definitely wanted that one back. I feel like if I had a second chance, I would’ve finished that one. It’s over. We’re just getting ready for South Carolina and focus on them.”

Sharife Cooper in top 25 of latest CBS Sports 2021 NBA draft big board

Sharife Cooper has only played three games for Auburn so far but has been mighty impressive in all performances.

The Sharife Cooper era at Auburn is three games old, but the freshman point guard is already making people stop and look at his production.

In his second game as a Tiger last Wednesday, Cooper followed a magical debut with a double-double against Georgia, recording 28 points, 12 assists and five rebounds in the victory.

NBA scouts have taken notice of his performance, and CBS Sports has the Powder Springs, Georgia, native as the the No. 22 prospect in their latest NBA draft big board.

Cooper tries to lead the Tigers to their third straight victory Wednesday night as they travel to Fayetteville to take on Arkansas. The Razorbacks won the first meeting in Auburn, 97-85, but that was before the guard was ruled eligible.

Silence, Dan Dakich. Sharife Cooper is already something special for Auburn

Auburn freshman point guard made sure that a certain media member ate his words with another great performance against UGA.

Sometimes someone in the media can have a really bad take. I know I have been prone to it numerous times. But usually when that take is exposed, we say we were wrong and that’s that.

Well, this isn’t that case. The said media member has now gone overboard and looks obsessed with his take. It makes sense that his initials are D.D. because that is exactly what he did, double down, and what Sharife Cooper did to prove him wrong: double-double.

We all know who I am talking about so no need to name him here — I mean, it is in the title — or rehash what he has said. He’s simply an angry man that is outright rooting against an 19-year-old kid who has the talent that he could only dream of possessing. He’s begging for Auburn fans to call in to his radio show on Saturday.

Yet this is about Cooper, after all. This is about the once-in-a-generation talent we have already seen in just two games from the kid from Powder Springs, Ga. This is about how he makes Auburn a much better team just by being on the floor.

Where do you even start with his talent? His passing is downright filthy. The way he found teammates on alley-oops in the 18-point victory against Georgia was eye-popping, reading the floor like General Eisenhower reading a battle map or Beethoven eyeing a piece of music. He seems to have more than two pupils, including a few in the back of his head.

It is his speed. Dear Lord, that speed. Can anyone stay in front of him? He regularly drives to the basket at will and, if he isn’t finishing, he’s dishing it off to a wide-open teammate for a dunk.

Yes, his shooting needs to come around but when it does, he will basically become every threat you want in a player.

Rare do you see a freshman point guard come in and command the floor like Cooper has in the first two games. It was made even more difficult when the NCAA kept him out of the first 11 games because … well, we may never know why. Hurt feelings?

After the win against Georgia, Cooper was asked what it felt like to have his first-career double-double in college. Much like with the 12 assists, he wasn’t selfish, saying it was great to get the win.

Yet all of this wasn’t enough for the hack with the bad take to stop. Getting it from Auburn Twitter following the game, he made sure to let it know that 1.) yes, he is very much a fool and 2.) all professionalism that he might have has gone out the window.

It is sad to me when people that get to cover sports for a living seem to hate the very thing that they do as a job. It comes across on television, radio, writing and social media at all times. Why do these people continue to be miserable in a position that most would desire to have? How can this happen and … oh dear God … will it happen to me?

I certainly hope not. Certainly at least not to the degree that D.D. has fallen. His entire world is negative and you sense that from the very first time you hear him broadcasting a game. The coaches aren’t smart enough. The players aren’t good enough. Me. Me! ME!

Well, Cooper put his hot take and shoved it down his throat on Wednesday night and will likely continue to do that for the entire time he wears an Auburn uniform.

Dump Dope.

Dreadful Doldrum.

Debbie Downer.

Those two Ds can certainly stand for so much.

Vast difference in NCAA’s handling of Sharife Cooper, Will Wade is hypocrisy at its lowest

The NCAA proves to be hypocritical once again by holding student-athletes to a standard that they let coaches go way below.

Sharife Cooper had to wait. And wait. And wait some more before he got to put on an Auburn jersey and play for the Tigers for the first time.

And why? Well, we may never know. The NCAA kept him out for something as simple as his dad is an agent and, hey, if a 5-star signs with Auburn, something must be up, right?

Cooper was punished before anything was even proven illegal, nary a violation reported nor any reputable reason given. The kid had to sit and watch his teammates play without him while his reputation took a hit.

Meanwhile, and for some unknown reason that will always remain a mystery, LSU’s Will Wade and Arizona’s Sean Miller are on the sidelines allowed to coach. You know those two, right? The coaches that were caught on tape talking about paying for recruits?

“I’ll be honest with you, I’m [expletive] tired of dealing with the thing. Like I’m just [expletive] sick of dealing with the [expletive]. Like, this should not be that [expletive] complicated.”

That is what Wade was overheard saying. He was temporarily suspended by LSU but the school brought him back with provisions to his contract.

Yet the NCAA has done nothing expect pass on the case to another organization. No suspensions nor punishment. The NCAA has sat on their hands and allowed a man to run a program while all evidence points toward guilt. If Cooper was alleged to have done just one iota of what Wade is, he would have never seen the floor.

Of course he is a coach, not a student-athlete. He will get the benefit of the doubt no matter how bad things look while Cooper and others have to sit in a timeout. It’s a farce.

Granted, this is just one of the ways that the NCAA screws over the student-athletes (ex: Austin Wiley, Daniel Purifoy in Chuck Person case) that make collegiate sports so great. Coaches can up and leave at anytime for a better job without repercussions while players have had to sit out a year — and have their loyalty somehow questioned — when deciding that a better situation awaits them at another school.

Eleven. That is how many games Cooper had to miss because … yeah, we still don’t know. During that time, some in the media said, and this is paraphrasing, “Of course, it’s Auburn. Just Auburn being Auburn. Just another case of the Tigers cheating. Hey, remember when they “cheated” their way to a title in football?”

Yet they are just following the NCAA’s lead. When it comes to coaches, it takes basically a guilty plea before any action is taken. For student-athletes, just a mere rumor and the investigative forces storm your campus faster than a SWAT team.

It’s all part of the hypocrisy that has become a running joke. While men like Wade and Miller continue to make the NCAA look like fools while collecting millions of dollars, student-athletes like Cooper continue to pay the price. It is the biggest sham in sports.