Samantha Cooper ‘18, fellow forward for the Fairfield University Women’s Basketball squad for four years, made her senior year a season to remember. She posted multiple career highs along with garnering accolades from the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference and the All-Metropolitan Writers team. Cooper finished her 2017-18 campaign in such a manner that Grengewald Hostert in the Luxembourg Total League signed her to a professional contract to be a part of their team next season.
During this past season, the forward scored 451 points and 300 rebounds, which are both career-highs for Cooper. She made her presence felt throughout the season, establishing herself as a feared scorer and authoritative rebounder. In her final campaign, she averaged 15 points and 10 rebounds a game, being the only Stag and only student-athlete in the conference to average a double-double the entire year.
Because of this consistent play, Cooper earned All-MAAC Second Team honors as well as being a part of All-Met Writers Second Team. These are two quintessential examples of respect from the MAAC and the Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association. These accolades made her a perfect candidate for the Grengewald Hostert club.
As a whole, Cooper finished her Fairfield University career with 1,294 points along with ranking fifth on Fairfield’s rebound list with 996. Taking her talents to Luxembourg, Grengewald Hostert will benefit from her rebounding and scoring prowess.
“We are very happy and proud of everything she accomplished here for our program, what she’s meant to us and we know how hard she worked during her career here with the end goal to sign a professional contract” said Joe Frager, head coach for the Fairfield Women’s Basketball team.
As her time at Fairfield closes, her professional career commences so she can continue to grow as a player. Cooper has nothing but praise for her sources of support, from coaches to teammates and everyone in between.
“While I am sad that my time at Fairfield is over, I am grateful for the opportunity to continue my basketball career in Luxembourg. I would like to thank my coaches, teammates and athletic training staff at Fairfield University for getting me to this point,” said the senior.
Cooper surely made her final season her best one to date and she arduously worked so she could achieve that double-double average. The Stags will have to replace their talented forward in time for the 2018-19 season as Cooper plays overseas.
Leave a Reply