John Cooper
John Cooper (born February 16, 1969)
Current position: Assistant men’s basketball coach
Current team: UNLV Runnin’ Rebels (Head coach: Kevin Kruger)
Current conference: Mountain West Conference (MWC)
Teams coached: Tennessee State Tigers, Miami RedHawks
Tennessee State record: 43-52 (.453)
Miami (OH) record: 59-100 (.371)
Overall record: 102-152 (.402)
Career Accomplishments:
- NCAA National Championships: 0
- NCAA Tournament Appearances: 0
- NIT Championships: 0
- NIT Appearances: 0
- CIT Appearances: 1 (2012)
Coaching Career (head coach, unless noted):
| 2022-present | UNLV (asst) |
| 2020-2022 | SMU (asst) |
| 2017-2020 | Oklahoma State (special asst) |
| 2012-2017 | Miami (OH) |
| 2009-2012 | Tennessee State |
| 2004-2009 | Auburn (asst) |
| 2002-2004 | Oregon (asst) |
| 1995-2001 | South Carolina (asst) |
| 1993-1995 | Fayetteville State (asst) |
John Cooper Facts
- John Anthony Cooper
- Born February 16, 1969
- Hometown: Kansas City, Missouri
- Alma Mater: Wichita State University (BS, 1991)
- Was a two-time captain at Wichita State, where he played for head coaches Eddie Fogler and Mike Cohen
- Played professionally for two years, one with the Fort Wayne Fury (CBA) and one in the Netherlands
- First coaching job was a two-year stint assisting at D-II Fayetteville State in North Carolina
- Reconnected with Fogler in 1995, joining his former coach’s staff at South Carolina
- In six seasons with the Gamecocks, Cooper was part of two NCAA Tournaments and one SEC title (1997)
- When Fogler stepped down in 2001, Cooper moved out West to work on Ernie Kent‘s staff at Oregon
- After two years, headed back to the SEC to work as an assistant at Auburn under Jeff Lebo
- Got his first head coaching opportunity in 2009, taking over the program at Tennessee State
- Went 43-52 in three seasons, improving from 9 wins in his first season to 20 wins and a CIT berth in his third
- During Cooper’s tenure, the Tigers were led by future NBA All-Defensive First Teamer Robert Covington
- Left TSU for Miami (OH) in 2012, coaching the RedHawks for the next five seasons
- Was just 59-100 during his tenure, never finishing a season with a winning record
- Fired in March 2017 following a 11-21 (4-14 MAC) campaign
- Spent three years at Oklahoma State as a special assistant for coach Mike Boynton, Jr., then two years working as an assistant coach under Tim Jankovich at SMU
- Joined Kevin Kruger‘s staff at UNLV as an assistant coach in April 2022
John Cooper Coaching Tree
- Dana Ford (Missouri State, Tennessee State)
- Travis Williams (Tennessee State)