Gophers land Moorhead State Transfer Ta'Lon Cooper
Just two days after landing North Carolina power forward transfer and Minnestoa native Dawson Garcia, Ben Johnson, and the Minnesota men's basketball program landed Moorhead State point guard transfer Ta'Lon Cooper.
Cooper announced his commitment to the Gophers on Instagram Wednesday afternoon.
Cooper committed to the Gophers over several notable programs including Georgetown, Iowa State, San Francisco, USC, and Vanderbilt amongst others.
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The rising junior point guard out of Spartanburg, South Carolina averaged 9.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game this past season for the Eagles in 34 games. His 5.9 assists per game ranked eighth in the country. He also recorded four games of 10+ assists this past season including two double-double performances against Transylvania and Presbyterian on his way to All-Ohio Valley Conference First Team selection honors.
He will likely step into the role left by the now-graduated Payton Willis who exhausted his eligibility this past season.
Willis, in his final season with the Gophers, averaged 15.9 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.3 assists over the course of 29 games.
While not a tremendous shooter, shooting just under 42% for his career from the field, Cooper will bring a strong presence to the Gophers' offense built around his ability to be a floor general and facilitate ball movement.
Per 100 possessions this past season, Cooper recorded an offensive rating of 110.0. That would've been the second-highest on the Gophers this past season, only behind the aforementioned Willis who recorded an offensive rating of 114.1.
Cooper will also be an asset defensively for the Gophers, as he's posted a career defensive rating of 99.1 over 95 career games and 52 starts at Moorhead State. This past season, he totaled 31 steals in 34 games for the Eagles as well as 23 blocks.
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