Eastern Michigan Athletics
Michigan Transfer Cooper Smith Joins Eastern Men's Basketball
8/22/2024 4:33:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Two-year Wolverine also spent time at Kalamazoo College
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – Eastern Michigan University men's basketball added graduate student Cooper Smith ahead of the 2024-25 season, Head Coach Stan Heath announced Thursday, Aug. 22.
Smith (Ann Arbor, Mich./Hackett Catholic Prep/Kalamazoo/Michigan) played for the the University of Michigan for two seasons after spending time at Kalamazoo College.
"Coop is a graduate student who was a walk-on at Michigan and will be a walk-on here," Heath said. "We're excited to have him. He's a really competitive kid. Coop's tough and has great leadership qualities. His dad is Coach Jay Smith and we will like he's going to add a lot of value to not just practices but our whole team in a lot of different ways."
Smith graduated from Hackett Catholic Prep High School in 2018 and went to Kalamazoo College with he intention of playing for his father, Jay, but suffered a severe back injury prior to the 2018-19 season that forced him to put basketball on hold before having surgery in 2021. Smith ultimately earned a walk-on spot with the Wolverines ahead of the 2022-23 season.
From 2022-24, Smith earned a pair of Academic All-Big Ten and two UM Athletic Academic Achievement accolades. Over two seasons, Smith appeared in 14 games in a Michigan uniform, highlighted by a five-point showing at Ohio State University, March 3, 2024.
Jay Smith was hired as Assistant Coach/Player Development by the Eagles earlier this summer.
Smith has been added to the list of newcomers for the Eagles, which includes Dillon Tingler (Huntington, W. Va./Huntington Expression Prep), Christian Henry (Chicago, Ill./The Skill Factory (Atlanta, Ga.)/Panola College), Jalen Terry (Flint, Mich./Beecher/Oregon/DePaul),Da'Sean Nelson (Toledo, Ohio/Robert S. Rogers/Kilgore College/DePaul) , Godslove Nwabude (Lanham, Md./Mt. Zion Prep), Trey Pettigrew (Chicago, Ill./Kenwood Academy/Nevada/Bradley/Salt Lake C.C.), Julian Lewis (Ypsilanti, Mich./Ann Arbor Huron/William & Mary/Miami), and John Shanu II (Houston, Texas/Sam Houston/Old Dominion/Florida State College at Jacksonville/UTRGV), and Mario Brunetto (La Spezia, Italy/Classical Gymnasium).
See more on Tingler here, on Henry here, on Terry and Nelson here, on Nwabude here, on Pettigrew, Shanu II, and Lewis here, and on Brunetto here.
EMU fans can see the exciting Eagle newcomers and the 2024-25 squad at the George Gervin GameAbove Center. To seize your opportunity to be part of the action, simply visit the EMU Ticket Office online or reach out via phone at 734.487.3669. Don't miss your chance to be a part of Eastern Michigan University's basketball legacy! SHOW ME MORE
Follow Us
For the most up-to-date information on the Eagles, visit EMUEagles.com. Fans can also follow the team on social media, including Twitter (@EMU_MBB) and Instagram (@EMUMBB).
Smith (Ann Arbor, Mich./Hackett Catholic Prep/Kalamazoo/Michigan) played for the the University of Michigan for two seasons after spending time at Kalamazoo College.
"Coop is a graduate student who was a walk-on at Michigan and will be a walk-on here," Heath said. "We're excited to have him. He's a really competitive kid. Coop's tough and has great leadership qualities. His dad is Coach Jay Smith and we will like he's going to add a lot of value to not just practices but our whole team in a lot of different ways."
Smith graduated from Hackett Catholic Prep High School in 2018 and went to Kalamazoo College with he intention of playing for his father, Jay, but suffered a severe back injury prior to the 2018-19 season that forced him to put basketball on hold before having surgery in 2021. Smith ultimately earned a walk-on spot with the Wolverines ahead of the 2022-23 season.
From 2022-24, Smith earned a pair of Academic All-Big Ten and two UM Athletic Academic Achievement accolades. Over two seasons, Smith appeared in 14 games in a Michigan uniform, highlighted by a five-point showing at Ohio State University, March 3, 2024.
Jay Smith was hired as Assistant Coach/Player Development by the Eagles earlier this summer.
Smith has been added to the list of newcomers for the Eagles, which includes Dillon Tingler (Huntington, W. Va./Huntington Expression Prep), Christian Henry (Chicago, Ill./The Skill Factory (Atlanta, Ga.)/Panola College), Jalen Terry (Flint, Mich./Beecher/Oregon/DePaul),
See more on Tingler here, on Henry here, on Terry and Nelson here, on Nwabude here, on Pettigrew, Shanu II, and Lewis here, and on Brunetto here.
EMU fans can see the exciting Eagle newcomers and the 2024-25 squad at the George Gervin GameAbove Center. To seize your opportunity to be part of the action, simply visit the EMU Ticket Office online or reach out via phone at 734.487.3669. Don't miss your chance to be a part of Eastern Michigan University's basketball legacy! SHOW ME MORE
Follow Us
For the most up-to-date information on the Eagles, visit EMUEagles.com. Fans can also follow the team on social media, including Twitter (@EMU_MBB) and Instagram (@EMUMBB).
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