Recently, sophomore Will Cooper attended the Chris Paul Rising Stars Camp, one of the best basketball camps in the nation, located in Greensboro, NC.

“The camp was a long two and a half days,” Cooper said. “First, we had a combine thing where they test your bird, like your height and wingspan. Then, we had a full day of skills in the morning, so drills and training, and then we had three games on Saturday afternoon. On Sunday morning, we had more skills, more drills, and then we had one more game that afternoon.”

Invited to the camp were some of the top rising stars in the country, flying in from all over, many already with college coaches beating down their doors, waiting for their commitment.

“It was just cool to see how I compared to them and to see what they can do versus what I can’t and what level they’re at,” Cooper said. “Some of these guys already have D1 offers so it was really cool to watch them play and be able to play alongside them.”

Also at the camp were several coaches, all with long, decorated histories in coaching, there to preach their wisdom down onto the prospects. 

“There were also some really good coaches at the camp,” said Will, “so it was cool to hear what they had to say.”

While he learned a lot about basketball, picking up a few tricks from the other players that we will hopefully have a chance to see this upcoming season, Will said his biggest takeaway from the camp was just to be grateful. 

“They would talk before every day about gratitude and that really the only thing that matters, no matter how good you are, is character and the work that you put in,” he said.

As the basketball season approaches, Cooper plans to “just work on the little things,” making sure he and the guys are the best they can be to get back to the state tournament.

“It’s an honor to be noticed and have the opportunity to showcase my talent at the national level,” he said. “It was just a really cool experience.”