Michael Cooper was introducing his new staff at USC on Tuesday, the coaches who have been holding down the fort for the past five months as he finished out his term as the head coach of the Los Angeles Sparks. Except that he forgot one of their names. Oops.That's what happens when you are the new guy. Who, in this awkward moment, just happens to be the head guy.
Cooper was hired by USC on May 1 to take over a women's basketball program that has shown promise, the ability to recruit top players, but not results. The Women of Troy are far from their salad days in the mid-1980's when they won NCAA titles with players like Lisa Leslie and Cynthia Cooper.
In the previous five seasons, Mark Trakh got them to the NCAA Tournament twice in 2005 and 2006. Prior to that, the program hadn't made it to the NCAA brackets since 1997. Trakh led the team to its first Pac-10 tournament title game last year before he was let go after athletic director Mike Garrett made it clear that he wanted the team to reach the NCAAs.
USC has incurred more than its share of devastating injuries. Four ACL injuries to Jacki Gemelos, two for Stephanie Gilbreath, who were two of the top rated recruits in the nation when they were signed. Neither has played a game for USC. And there have been others, including last year's senior center Nadia Parker being hit by a car on campus while she was riding her bike. It seems at times the Women of Troy have been snakebitten.
"Our biggest hindrance is our injuries," Cooper said. "Slowly, but surely, we are making our way back through that."
Cooper, who led the Sparks to WNBA titles in 2001 and 2002, called the USC job "an offer he couldn't refuse." The pay grade is certainly better for a major college coaching job than it is in the WNBA.
"It's the old mafia rule," Cooper said. "That's a joke, now."
Cooper was an interesting choice for USC, not only because he has no experience in the college women's ranks, but because the arrangement meant the head coach wouldn't be in the office until two weeks before the first practice to open the season. Associate head coach Ervin Monier and assistants Mary Wooley and Kelley Gibson have handled the recruiting, conditioning and preparation of the players. Cooper has been an absentee leader until the Sparks were eliminated from the WNBA playoffs two weeks ago. He wasn't involved in scouting, recruiting, didn't watch any film on his own players or Pac-10 opponents until he arrived.
"I bet we play better than the Clippers ... Oh yeah, you can write that down."
- Michael Cooper Two of the four players who committed to USC last fall -- including highly-rated Monique Oliver of Long Beach -- de-committed after the coaching change. Oliver ended up at Rutgers.
Now that Cooper is on campus, he's playing catch-up. And that means getting up early. He said he's getting to workouts at 5:15 AM with his players in order to spend time with them and get personally acquainted.
"That's when they are here, so in order for me to get to know them better, I have to be here too," Cooper said. "I think that's shocked them."
Cooper said he can envision himself at USC for the long haul.
"I see myself being here quite a while," Cooper said. "I want to get back to the tradition of 1983 and 1984. It's not going to happen overnight. I know the process is going to be tedious, it's going to be a journey. But I think the coaches and the players are ready for a journey."
Cooper then challenged the media who showed up for the press conference.
"Let me ask you a question. How many of you are going to come out and cover more than one game?" Cooper asked. "Maybe 5 games?"
The response was non-committal.
"I bet we play better than the Clippers and you go to a few of those games," Cooper said. "Oh yeah, you can write that down."
