Cooper finds right fit at UTEP

Playing for coach Tim Floyd at UTEP was a big draw for C.J. Cooper but the La Verne (Calif.) Lutheran point guard wanted to check out the campus and the surrounding area before making a commitment and he got that chance this past weekend.

Everything seemed to fit perfectly for Cooper, a 6-foot prospect who plays AAU ball with Belmont Shore, and so he decided to make his pledge. He's the fourth commitment in the UTEP class.

"Before I went there I thought it was a great school but I didn't know a lot about the school so when I went down there I took a look at it, everything was great, the style of play was great, I liked how they practiced and I liked the way coach Floyd coached," Cooper said. "I liked how they dealt with their academics, too."

San Diego State, Southern Methodist and Montana State offered Cooper and many others were involved in his recruitment but UTEP offered him the best of many worlds - whether it was playing for Floyd, having the opportunity to get on the court early or finding the right fit academically.

Everything came together for Cooper at UTEP and so he decided to end his recruitment before his senior season started.

"They have eight or nine seniors next year so they'll have a young team and I'll have a good chance to come in and play," Cooper said.

"It's great because Tim Floyd is there and it seems like everybody out there loves him. Everybody expects big things from him and it seems like he knows all the right things. That's what really attracted me to them."

The Miners are putting together a solid recruiting class. Cooper joins Chillicothe, Ohio, small forward Jalen Ragland and three-star prospects Darius Nelson and D'Von Campbell, a small forward and point guard, respectively, so far in their class.