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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

EWU’s Cooper knows how to draw attention

Eastern Washington point guard Chene Cooper may lack size, but more than makes up for it in a will to succeed. (EWU photo)
When Chene Cooper is on the basketball court she’s almost always the center of attention. It starts because she’s the furthest thing there is from a center – they don’t make 5-foot posts in college basketball. “My teammates don’t notice I’m small until they stand next to me,” she said. “It’s not about size to me, it’s about heart.” That’s obvious as Cooper has frustrated those expected to dominate her and thrown her bodily fearlessly into the battle. Brianne Ryan is making the headlines for Eastern Washington (5-7) with her 18.8 scoring average, second in the Big Sky Conference heading into tonight’s last non-conference game against Idaho (4-7) at Reese Court. It’s Cooper that’s helping make Ryan, leading the league at 6.6 assists, to go with her 9.6 points, 2.8 steals and 3.8 rebounds. “It’s a disadvantage being small but there are advantages to being small, too, and I think I’ve found those ways to be successful,” Cooper said. Crafty is a word that comes to mind. She’s quick and being low to the ground makes her tough to guard. On the defensive end her teammates have her back. But maybe her biggest advantage is being under estimated. “When I first started, I’d walk on court and people would point at me and smile,” she said. “I just wanted to show them I can play. I don’t say much.” The truth is size, or lack thereof, has never been a factor, at least to Cooper. “I never really noticed it,” she said. “My family is small, that’s not a surprise. My brothers are small but bigger than me. I always played up. I got used to it. Dad said you can’t teach height, but you can teach skill and work ethic.” Cooper was a three-sport standout at Lakes High School near Tacoma, also starring in soccer and fast pitch softball, but basketball, which she took up at 3, was her passion. There was a fair amount of interest in Cooper but bigger schools often told her they decided to sign a bigger guard. Her AAU and high school coaches, who taught her to be a pest and a vocal leader, continued to encourage her. “They worked for me,” she said. “They said they can’t hold you down forever.” EWU coach Wendy Schuller also believed in her and Cooper found the perfect fit. Cooper’s 396 career assists are fifth on the career list and she is just five steals behind Lisa Comstock’s school record 212. She was honorable mention all-league last year when she averaged 11.7 points. Cooper has also been recognized for her academics as a criminal justice major. She hopes to be an investigator, although she is considering law school with an eye on being a prosecuting attorney.

On tap

Gonzaga (9-2), coming off a statement win over No. 13 Georgia, faces Dayton (5-3) this afternoon in Las Vegas. Although Georgia has never won a national title, the Bulldogs have only missed two NCAA Tournaments, they’ve been to five Final Fours and played in two championship games. Hall of Fame coach Andy Landers has been at the school for almost 40 years, since before there was a NCAA for women. After Christmas, every team returns to action on the 29th. All but Idaho start league play, WSU on its Oregon trip, GU at Portland. Montana State visits EWU but Montana isn’t matching that swing with a game at Portland State. The Grizzlies are hosting their holiday tournament and Idaho is part of the field, playing North Dakota on Thursday, Southern Mississippi on Friday. Surprisingly, North Dakota visits Idaho on Jan. 3.

Tip ins

Junior Brittany Kennedy (Lewis and Clark) made her debut for Florida Gulf Coast on Monday, a 77-53 win over South Carolina-Upstate that was the 300th career win for coach Karl Smesko. Kennedy, who played her first two years at Oregon State, contributed six points and six assists in 26 minutes for the Eagles (7-1, 2-0 in the Atlantic Sun). Washington State opened the season at now No. 16 Penn State and has losses to top No. 25 Gonzaga and No. 14 Louisville. Overall nine of the 11 nonconference games are against teams that played in the post season last year. It’s the first time the Cougars have played three non-league top 25 teams.