Growing up on the hard court

Samantha Cooper has grown both figuratively and literally this summer. Now stretching into a “built for basketball” 6-1 frame, the soon-to-be Grade 10 student at Lockerby Composite has matured.

“I’m more confident now,” Cooper said. She noted that was the major change that allowed her to crack the Ontario Basketball provincial team roster this summer, after coming up just short one year ago.

“They told me to work on my outside shot,” she said. “I worked on that and I can shoot threes now — that, and keep up my fitness. I think I’m much more well-rounded, more experienced and ready for this level of play.”

After attending an introductory tryout camp in Barrie earlier this summer, Cooper was invited back to the main tryout sessions at Humber College, joining 50 or so young hopefuls. The twice daily practices over the course of an abbreviated weekend provided yet another eye opener for the talented teen, who is sure to enjoy plenty of new experiences in the years that lie ahead.

“That higher level of training, I’ve never experienced that before — knowing that there are kids out there that are pushing you that much harder,” Cooper said. “You can just see how much they love the game, how much they talk about it.”

Over and above whatever she would take away from the learning gleaned on the court, Cooper drew plenty from the off-court camaraderie as well, watching and learning.

It is a character trait long prevalent in the multi-sport athlete, who also attracted provincial level interest from the soccer community in the past, that has served Cooper well.

As the only Grade 9 starter on an OFSAA-bound Lockerby Vikings senior girls basketball team last fall, Cooper would improve significantly. “It helped with the level that I was playing with and against. Getting key minutes, I could make mistakes, but learn from them.”

Practicing daily alongside the likes of Laurentian recruit Erin Simpson, as well as Tiye Traore, another Sudbury athlete who has traveled this road before, Cooper was well-mentored.

“I would like to follow in Tiye’s footsteps, how she made Team Ontario, then nationals,” Cooper said. It’s certainly a great start in that direction as the youngest of two children in the family quickly adapted to the intricacies of yet another defensive scheme, one that varied both from the mindset at Lockerby as well as that of her club team, under coach Scott McWhirter.

“Our concepts were different —for high-school, the defense kept them outside the three-point line and forced from there,” Cooper said. “For club, we tried to force middle and for this team, we learned to force baseline.”

She said that being exposed to multiple teachings is a wonderful thing.

A key cog within the Team Ontario lineup, Cooper and mates would witness first hand the insanity of the fervor of basketball south of the border, traveling for exhibition and tournament matchups in Michigan and Chicago, IL. “The U.S. teams are just so intense. They’re always in your face, It was a really different level, but I appreciate seeing it.”

By the time the team returned to Humber to contest the national championships, the young lady had cemented her place in the roster.

Assured of receiving in the neighbourhood of 25 minutes a game (playing time in the 40-minute games), Cooper would exceed that benchmark, as a couple of injuries opened the door to increased court time.

Making the most of the opportunity, Cooper responded best when it mattered the most, netting 22 points in the championship final against Quebec and earning first team all-star status in the process.

“Before the game, I was really excited. Normally, I’m a little nervous. I went really hard out there on the first shift and just continued on from there,” Cooper said. After slipping past Quebec in their first two encounters earlier in the week, Team Ontario left nothing to chance in the final, thumping La Belle Province 72-50.

Considering herself something of a “big game player,” Cooper explained the grand finale had all the makings of those games that you live for. “It was more of an intense game, with the gold medal on the line. We were on the main court, and the stands were full.”

With the experience now behind her, Cooper said she is looking to evolve. “I’ll still work on fitness and shooting, but ball handling is the next step…just knowing that there are people out there that want your spot, pushes you that much harder.”

Despite her youth, Cooper is keenly aware that continuous growth is the key.

Randy Pascal is the founder of SudburySports.com and a contributing sports editor for Northern Life.