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Pursuit: Pro ball has taken Samantha Cooper to surprising places

From Greece back to Northern Ontario to Mexico and to Hungary, the pandemic proved interesting for the Sudbury professional basketball player while she continues to pursue a master’s degree

For one full year at least, Samantha Cooper had no issue with being focused almost entirely on professional basketball.

Yes, somewhere down the road, the academically inclined and well-spoken young woman (Cooper is currently pursuing a masters in Sport Psychology online) will undoubtedly turn her attention to a career beyond basketball.

But given all that the world has thrown her way in recent years, it’s hard to blame Cooper for enjoying a season or two where decisions are seamless and personal growth, on the court, is prevalent.

When we last spoke in the summer of 2021, the 28-year-old graduate of Lockerby Composite had essentially piecemealed her way through the 2020-2021 campaign, beginning the year in Greece but making the move to France a little later on.

In what amounted to a career “double dribble”, Cooper would circle back to her PAS Giannini club team, several hours from Athens, but not a terribly long ride to the coast and the Ionian Sea that separates Greece and Italy.

“Because of the COVID interruption, we didn’t really get a chance to experience the full package in Greece,” said Cooper. “We had some of the best fans, this amazing full stadium. The management team there really wanted to build a high level team, so it was kind of an easy situation for me.”

Both on and off the court, life in the world of Samantha Cooper was swell.

“When people ask about my favourite place to play, I always go back to Greece, just because I loved everything,” said the 6-3 highly versatile athlete who starred at Fairfield University in Connecticut following her high-school years in Sudbury. “The people there are friendly and warm — and I really loved the coffee.”

And where some might think that improvement in her game at this point in her career is somewhat negligible, Cooper refuted that belief. 

“I think I had kind of a breakout year (last year), just in terms of confidence,” she said. “When I made the move to France, it was a higher league.

“Coming home, I worked on the things I wanted to work on. I think I really elevated my game last year, improving my percentages, which was really important to me as well.”

She returned to Northern Ontario in April, 2022, but not for long.

“I was home for four days, I think, and got a call from my agent telling me about a new (summer) league in Mexico and a team that wanted me to play,” Cooper said. “It was definitely a little bit of a different summer from the aspect that I didn’t really spend too much time thinking about what was coming next.”

There is no doubt Mexico can be alluring to many Sudburians, but perhaps just not as much when the time spent there comes in June and July. 

“It was really not ideal, especially for someone who is as pale-skinned as I am,” laughed Cooper. “I had air conditioning and sunscreen on 24/7. It got up to 42 degrees on a couple of days and I was asking how we were going to practice. I was definitely missing a bit of a cooler summer.”

But with many of the late cuts from the WNBA on hand, the platform was set for the next stop on her journey. 

“It was a great opportunity for players like me that kind of wanted to continue playing into the summer and were using that to get ready for the next overseas season,” she said.

By the time she was back home, her next destination was already being finalized, with a coach that she had played against in Greece deciding that he would rather game-plan around Cooper than against her.

“It’s a great pull because the Hungarian League is highly touted,” said Cooper, who finds herself in the city of Cegléd (population – 38,200), but only 45 minutes via train from Budapest. 

“The summer was pretty seamless. I just thought about basketball and wasn’t really concerned with the other side of things.”

The benefits have been clear to see. 

Averaging more than 30 minutes a game of playing time, the former competitive soccer player has hit double digits in 12 of her last 13 outings, draining at least one three-point basket in every game but one this year, all while also posting noteworthy stats on the boards.

The downside, if any, has been a lack of team success, though Cooper is quick to display her healthy academic-athletic balance when broaching this subject.

“There’s no question — it’s definitely tough to lose,” she said. “But because I am working on my masters in Sport Psychology, it’s almost been like I am a test for myself, working through patches like this. We’ve had a lot of adversity, but my teammates are great, a really nice group.

“I had to really prioritize just to show up every day, work hard, do your job and get better in the process.”

For now, at least, Samantha Cooper is fine simply to focus her attention on basketball. 

Randy Pascal is a sportswriter in Greater Sudbury. Pursuit is made possible by our Community Leaders Program.


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