Cooper inducted into California Community College Hall of Fame


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USC women’s basketball head coach Michael Cooper can add another honor to his list of achievements.

The former Los Angeles Lakers’ great and Pasadena City College basketball star was recently inducted into the California Community College Sports Hall of Fame.

He joins a list of elite PCC alumni that have been inducted into the Hall of Fame including MLB great Jackie Robinson, NFL wide receiver and Trojans alum Rod Sherman and NCAA basketball coaching legend Jerry Tarkanian.

While playing at Pasadena Community College, Cooper became the fifth Lancer in basketball history to score more than 1,000 points in his career.

He would then go on to play at New Mexico, where he led the Lobos to a Western Athletic Conference (WAC) title and earned All-American honors as a senior.

The Los Angeles Lakers drafted Cooper in the 1978 NBA Draft and he played an integral defensive role on the “Showtime” Lakers teams during the 1980s.

During his 12-year career in the NBA, “Coop” was named to eight NBA All-Defensive teams, he won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award in 1987 and he helped lead the Lakers to five NBA championships.

After his player career, Cooper moved into the coaching ranks, leading the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks to two WNBA titles over an eight-year span.

This past year, he led the Women of Troy to a 19-12 record and a 12-6 mark in conference play, which was their best finish since the 2004-05 season.