South Carolina basketball: Ford Cooper, Jr. transfers to Gamecocks

Guard Ford Cooper, Jr. has announced his intent to transfer to the University of South Carolina basketball team.

Missouri State guard Ford Cooper, Jr. has decided to transfer to the University of South Carolina basketball team after spending just one season with the Bears. Originally from Charlotte, NC, the move will allow Cooper to get a little closer to home.

In his lone season with Missouri State, the 6’3” point guard averaged 1.9 points and 1.1 assists per game, mostly in a reserve role. He appeared in 27 games as a freshman, making five starts. The rookie shot just 29% from the field, but did make 37% of his attempts from beyond the arc and 82% of his free throws. He also recorded a 2.9 assist-to-turnover ratio in MVC contests, the third highest mark in the Missouri Valley Conference last season.

Cooper reclassified to the class of 2019 after spending three seasons in high school. He was rated by 247Sports as a four-star prospect, and the 144th-best player in the nation. In his final year, which was spent at United Faith Christian Academy, he averaged 7.8 points and 3.9 assists per contest. The standout also played summer ball on Team Charlotte in the Under Armour Association circuit.

Due to transfer rules, Cooper will be forced to sit out the 2020-21 season, with intentions to make an impact the following year. He has also decided to join the team as a walk-on, as the Gamecocks currently have no scholarships available, a route similar to the one taken by UNC transfer Seventh Woods.

This is the second bit of good news for the South Carolina basketball program, as earlier we learned that shooting guard and leading scorer AJ Lawson will be returning for his junior year.