James "Coop" Cooper is all smiles during a press
conference announcing him as the new baseball coach
for Grambling State. Cooper is the fifth head coach in
school history.
Photo credit: Darryl D. Smith
There’s no place like home. And home is where James “Coop” Cooper has returned, as he was announced the new Grambling State University head baseball coach, the fifth baseball coach in school history.
Cooper, 27, replaces third-year head coach Barret Rey who left to take a job at Alcorn State. Rey led the Tigers to the semifinals in the SWAC Championship, falling to Southern University 10-9 after 12 innings.
Cooper was a standout SWAC athlete with GSU, earning the third-highest batting average (.393) in the league during his senior year in 2004. Cooper also started in all of the games he played in, hitting four home runs and having a .675 slugging percentage.
After graduation, the Houston Astros selected Cooper in the 33rd round of the 2004 Major League Baseball draft. He did a three-year stint in the minor leagues before returning to GSU as a grad assistant to the baseball team.
With high expectations for the baseball team after last season, Cooper said that he is up to the task and ready to get started.
“It's simple, but it's going to be challenging,” he said. “It's going to take dedication and determination.”
Cooper said that he wants fans to keep an open mind about the program, as it’ll take time to put a polished product on the field. He also spoke directly to some of his student athletes that were there.
“I will never lie to you,” he said. “I expect you guys to believe in me and had faith in me.”
After all the formalities and introduction, Cooper could not stop smiling, as it was a dream come true for him.
“I’m excited. I’m so excited,” he said grinning. “Never had I thought in a million years that I'd be a head coach here, especially after playing here.”
Many pundits have questioned the hire due to Cooper’s age. However, Cooper sees it as an advantage for him.
“My age will give me a better opportunity to get these guys to connect and get a better feel and understanding of how I want them to approach the game,” he said.
Dawson also vouched for Cooper being a valuable asset to the GSU coaching family.
“I'm looking at maturity,” Dawson explained. “Maturity does not come wrapped in a package of age. Maturity comes from experience, dedication, and commitment. What he may lack in age, he makes up in other categories. He gives us the best chance to win, graduate our student athletes, and give us the best chance to win.”
With the baseball team coming off the heels of a playoff season, Cooper is ecstatic that he has a championship caliber team.
“It makes me feel good,” he said. “I really believe in the team we have coming back. We’re going to be very experienced going into the heat of battle.”
While the baseball team had a particularly good season, their record didn’t show it. The Tigers compiled a 17-37 record, garnering the second-lowest winning percentage in the SWAC.
GSU Athletic Director J. Lin Dawson said that it’s something that has to change.
“We are playing some games that we really don’t need to play,” he said. Dawson explained that the Tigers would play top-ranked teams, teams that would win by large margins. He said that while it’s great for experience, it wasn’t good as far as building confidence.
“They dropped a lot of games earlier, and it's not appealing to fans,” he said.
While the scheduling issues are worked out, there have been improvements made to the baseball field. Dawson revealed that a new scoreboard has been ordered and should be in place soon. He said that he field will have cleaner lines.
But, Dawson knows that it’s going to take more than a good-looking facility to attract fans. The team has to win, something that Cooper expects.
“These guys that I put on the field are going to be polished, dedicated, motivated and energized,” he said. “We just ask that the community comes out and support us.”
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