2020 5* PG Sharife Cooper Commits to AU! (9/27)

[aubiefifty 16,753]

Sharife Cooper becomes highest-rated signee in Auburn basketball history

Updated Nov 17, 2019;Posted Nov 17, 2019

3 minutes

Auburn Basketball

Getty Images

FORT MYERS, FL - DECEMBER 19: Sharife Cooper #2 of McEachern High School goes up for a layup against Paul VI High School during the City Of Palms Classic at Suncoast Credit Union Arena on December 19, 2018 in Fort Myers, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

Less than 12 hours after Auburn’s recruiting class vaulted into the top-10 nationally, Bruce Pearl officially delivered the highest-ranked player in program history.

Five-star point guard Sharife Cooper, who committed to Auburn on Sept. 27, signed his letter of intent with Auburn overnight Saturday. Cooper is the second commit to sign with Auburn’s 2020 class, joining three-star shooting guard Justin Powell, who sent in his paperwork last week at the start of the signing period.

Cooper tweeted a video in the early hours Sunday announcing that he signed his National Letter of Intent with Auburn. The program has yet to announce Cooper’s signing, but Pearl confirmed it in a tweet Saturday morning.

“Boom!” Pearl tweeted. “Loyalty is a lost commodity... but not with The Cooper Family! Could have gone anywhere to school, but like Stretch (Akingbola) and Isaac (Okoro), wanted to stay close, wanted Auburn Family!”

The 6-foot, 160-pound Cooper is rated as the No. 19 overall player in the 2020 class, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. He is the nation’s second-ranked point guard and the No. 2 player in Georgia, where he stars for McEachern High in Powder Springs, Ga.

Cooper is the second five-star signee in program history, with both coming during the Pearl era. Mustapha Heron was the first, but he transferred to St. John’s after his sophomore season on the Plains to be closer to home. The top-four signees in program history, and five of the top six, have all come during Pearl’s tenure. Along with Cooper and Heron, the others are current freshman Isaac Okoro (third all-time), senior center Austin Wiley (fourth all-time) and former forward Chuma Okeke (sixth all-time), who was drafted in the first round of this year’s NBA Draft by the Orlando Magic.

With Cooper and Powell both signed, Auburn’s 2020 class still has one committed player who has yet to send in his NLI: three-star power forward Chris Moore, who announced his commitment to the Tigers on Saturday afternoon. That trio puts Auburn’s 2020 class at No. 10 in the nation, according to the 247Sports Composite team rankings, and third in the SEC behind Kentucky (first overall) and Tennessee (fourth overall).

Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.

[LKEEL75 2,566]

Is Cooper expected to be a 1 and done?  He looks a bit small for NBA standards but I am by far not the person to know anything about basketball.

[McLoofus 35,182]

Atlanta Hawks fan, here. Will somebody please tell me that Coop is Auburn's Trae Young? You don't have to mean it. I just want somebody to say it. 

 

[gravejd 3,270]

26 minutes ago, LKEEL75 said:

Is Cooper expected to be a 1 and done?  He looks a bit small for NBA standards but I am by far not the person to know anything about basketball.

Being a top 20 type recruit it is certainly possible. Its not a forgone conclusion though like it is with some of the kids. Unless Sharife can show shooting skills like Trae Young then i expect he'll stick around for a couple seasons. From what i have gathered his strengths are ball handling, distributing, and driving the basket more so than shooting. Not that he can't shoot mind you.....kids is a top 20 recruit for a reason...not a lot of holes in his game. 

[toddc 13,194]

Boom boom booming boom 💥 in b-ball 

[ellitor 33,081]

3 hours ago, LKEEL75 said:

Is Cooper expected to be a 1 and done?  He looks a bit small for NBA standards but I am by far not the person to know anything about basketball.

This has been a hotly debated topic in a few threads & I will just leave it at that.

[toddc 13,194]

3 hours ago, McLoofus said:

Atlanta Hawks fan, here. Will somebody please tell me that Coop is Auburn's Trae Young? You don't have to mean it. I just want somebody to say it. 

 

I read something, somewhere, sometime, something to that affect, I thought, I think.

[McLoofus 35,182]

2 minutes ago, toddc said:

I read something, somewhere, sometime, something to that affect, I thought, I think.

Good enough, Todd!

[Dual-Threat Rigby 8,656]

5 hours ago, McLoofus said:

Atlanta Hawks fan, here. Will somebody please tell me that Coop is Auburn's Trae Young? You don't have to mean it. I just want somebody to say it. 

 

I dont think their games aside from both being good floor generals are similar at all. That's just me though. I think the one thing Sharife (and most other PGs ever) have over Trae is that he's a better defender. 

[kennypowers 1,431]

Kid is going to be 2 and done

[GwillMac6 20,665]

 

[AuburnNTexas 7,139]

Because of his size he would have to have a total breakout year next year to impress NBA scouts.  Learning a new system and working with new players it will be very hard for him to do that in year one. Look at the improvement in Harper year one to year two. I think it is quite possible that he is a 2 year or 3 year and done player with a slim chance of a 1 year and done.

That is my  opinion I have been wrong before and will probably be wrong again. That said I have been right a few times also.

LOL

[GwillMac6 20,665]

 

[gravejd 3,270]

9 minutes ago, GwillMac6 said:

 

Why would all-star games care where the players are signed? 

[jared52 4,354]

1 hour ago, gravejd said:

Why would all-star games care where the players are signed? 

$$$$

[gravejd 3,270]

3 minutes ago, jared52 said:

$$$$

Well thats the answer to all questions! lol but my question is more focused on how players signing with certain schools gets the all star games more money?

[jared52 4,354]

4 minutes ago, gravejd said:

Well thats the answer to all questions! lol but my question is more focused on how players signing with certain schools gets the all star games more money?

Bigger fan bases means more eyes on the game thus better advertising revenue. 

[GwillMac6 20,665]

 

[GwillMac6 20,665]

 

[JFDTiger80 790]

Sharife is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Crazy talented.

[gravejd 3,270]

2 hours ago, GwillMac6 said:

 

44 pts....

[GwillMac6 20,665]

 

[GwillMac6 20,665]

 

[gravejd 3,270]

He is so quick...those guys had no chance to stay in front

[GwillMac6 20,665]