Kaden Cooper is off to a hot start playing for Team Trae Young on the adidas 3SSB circuit this spring and is poised to crash the rankings when 2023 Rivals150 refreshes next month. With his improved play has come new college interest, and the 6-foot-5 wing recently spoke with Rivals.com about where his recruitment stands.
On upcoming visits
“I plan to go to Gonzaga either late summer or in the fall. That's the one I’ve talked about most right now. We haven’t settled on a date, but we will soon.”
On Gonzaga
“They love me. They say they expect me to come in and be an immediate impact player if I go there. Our bond is good. Our relationship is good. They were the second school to have an in-home visit with me, so things are good.”
On Gonzaga’s in-home visit
“Basically, they made a slideshow for me. It showed, like, a couple clips of me and then a couple clips of my NBA comparisons. I compare myself to Mikal Bridges and Donovan Mitchell because they are two-way players like me. They’re good at what they do.”
On Kansas State
“They really just started recruiting me when Jerome Tang took over down there. They plan to get me on a visit, but we haven’t talked about dates or anything like that yet.”
On other visits he wants to take
“I definitely want to take a visit to [Oklahoma].”
On Oklahoma
“It’s in my home state and I’ve always loved OU. They also think I can come in there and play right away.”
On how he describes his game
“:I really play all over the place. If I’m in the corner, you have to watch me for a backdoor cut. If I’m at the top of the key and somebody shoots, I’m going to go rebound that ball. I can also come up and shoot off a screen. I’m all energy.”
On a decision timetable
“Right now I’m just getting all the offers and letting things play out like I'm supposed to. Then, next year, I’ll start narrowing it down.”
RIVALS' REACTION
Cooper’s recruitment is a bit difficult to pin down because he’s confident he’ll see his offer list grow significantly before summer’s end. As things stand, he seems most interested in Gonzaga, but the Zags have not yet made things official with an offer.
The in-state Sooners also have serious potential to be a player, as Cooper grew up an OU fan and seems intrigued by the idea of staying close to home and playing in the Lloyd Noble Center.
