One-on-One with Janelle Cooper
4/10/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
With Kelly Helvey, Michigan's lone upperclassmen, going down with a season-ending injury just nine games into 2005-06, the Wolverines looked upon their group of four sophomores to provide a leadership role to a young roster. No other sophomore exemplified the term "leader" and gave their heart and soul to this year's team more than Janelle Cooper.
Cooper was recently given the team's postseason Prestige Award for her desire, determination and dedication throughout her second season at Michigan. She finished second on the team in scoring with a 9.9 points per game average, with her 287 points more than tripling her freshman total of 92 (3.3 ppg). After attempting just one three-pointer last year, Cooper went 47-of-124 from long range as a sophomore. Her three-point field goal percentage of .379 was the seventh best in the Big Ten Conference this season. Cooper, who scored in double figures in U-M's final nine games, also led the Wolverines in starts (24) and
minutes played per game (31.6).
Cooper was a four-year letterwinner at Renaissance High School (Detroit, Mich.). As a senior, she captained her team to the Class B state quarterfinals with averages of 12.0 points and 6.0 rebounds. For her efforts, Cooper was named to the Detroit News all-state first team in her final season.
Cooper, a native of Detroit, Mich., took some time after practice to discuss such things as her family of basketball players, her role on this year's team and Michigan's new academic center.
On who inspired her to play basketball "I think my dad got my older sister started playing basketball when she was seven or eight. She started playing AAU and my twin and I would go to her games and watch her play. That's how we got into basketball, by watching her play. Then we ended up joining the same organization. My dad made up a team for the older girls' younger sisters and we started playing."
On competing against her sisters "We never really played against each other in the backyard. It was never a competition like that."
On her relationship with her siblings "We follow each other. If I have a day off, I'll go to my sisters' games. Or if they have a day off, they'll come to mine. We keep in contact with each other after every game."
On becoming a three-point threat this season "After last season was over, my shot changed. I wanted to change it back and make it better and improve my range. That's what I did. I worked on it hard over the summer with my dad, and we got into it all the time about my shot but it turned out to be worth it."
On her leadership role on the team "Even if I wasn't a leader, I would still be doing the things I'm doing now. I would still communicate and I would still try to get my teammates the ball. It's just me being me and doing what I'm used to doing. I see myself trying to get my teammates involved. Maybe rebounding, playing defense, or scoring, whichever one my team needs me to do."
On her favorite athletic moment at U-M "The first time I put on the uniform and played my first game. Even though it was an exhibition game against Athletes in Action my freshman year, it was the first time I'd put on a Michigan uniform that had my name on the back. I walked out on the floor and my parents got to see me play. The first time it was exciting, but now I've gotten used to it. Now I'm looking for another moment that would capture that thrill."
On when she's most effective on the court "When I drive and kick. Since I've been shooting threes more, teams will sometimes come out to guard me, so I think that when I drive, I have the ability to pass to my teammates and give them open shots."
On the sophomore class helping the freshmen adjust "Since we had experience from last year, it is easy for us to get them going through the motions. If one of the freshmen gets down about something that happened, we can say, 'Oh, don't worry about that, you'll be fine. Just go slow and take your time.' Last year, there weren't many people that could've given us that guidance. We feel like we have to give them the guidance that we weren't given. They can take that experience and do well."
On Michigan's new academic center "The academic center is really nice. I don't live that far from it, so I can just walk there in one minute and print out papers that I need for class or anything like that. They have separate rooms that you can go into and have some quiet time to just study. No one really talks loud; everyones respectful of everybody else doing their work. It's nice."
On her career path "I'm still undecided. I'm looking into some different things. I'm just taking classes in different areas to see what I'm interested in. First it was dentistry, but I don't know what it is now. I know I need to declare this year, but I'll figure that out later."
On her favorite spot on campus "The place I always go is to the mall. We always go to the mall and go shopping to pick up a little something for ourselves."
On her decision to attend Michigan "It's close to home, so I can still see my family. I know about the academic quality here. That's been really good for me."
Contact: Marc Ressler (734) 763-4423
