Cooper, rich put on a show
Bolingbrook, east st. louis stars get offers after excelling in front of coaches on recruiting trail
In a nondescript back gym last Saturday at Ridgewood in Norridge, college coaches lined the baseline in chairs, taking in one of 50 or so games that day.
East St. Louis, which traveled 300 miles to the area for the second straight weekend during the “live” recruiting period, was playing Bolingbrook. Both teams featured emerging players who over two weeks — first at Riverside-Brookfield, then at Ridgewood — grabbed a lot of attention.
College coaches watched the two players who, according to the City/Suburban Hoops Report, have raised their stock the most in June: Bolingbrook’s Mekhi Cooper and East St. Louis’ Macaleab Rich.
Cooper has been on a tear for two weeks. Missouri State coach Dana Ford took one look and offered the 6-foot guard a scholarship after watching him at Riverside-Brookfield. Word of Cooper spread quickly.
Then he played well at Ridgewood, dazzling everyone in attendance with his performance against East St. Louis. He has added a handful of low- and mid-major offers, with more sure to follow.
“I feel like I took advantage of the opportunity,” Cooper said of the two live period weekends. “It was time to step up.”
Cooper still is undervalued. He outperformed several players with bigger names and reputations over the last two weeks. His size and frame will be questions as college programs try to outthink themselves.
He plays with top-end basketball speed with the ball in his hands. That speed in the open floor sneaks up on defenders. Always a poised point guard with a nice feel for the position early in his career, Cooper now is marked by a lethal capacity for scoring.
He does so off the dribble in transition with the ability to burst through an open seam.
And he does so with a pull-up game, range and a comfort level shooting the ball, even beyond the three-point line.
“I think the biggest difference is I have improved my game and I’m being a lot more assertive,” Cooper said.
Bolingbrook coach Rob Brost never had a doubt. He knew what was coming and would tell anyone who would listen.
But he also has seen the jump Cooper has made, saying his star point guard has “taken a humongous step over the past six months.” Now he loves what he’s seeing.
“Right now he feels and knows he is among the best guards in the state, and that’s showing with his play,” Brost said.
“The difference is he’s now doing it over and over and over. He has a chance to be the most complete guard we’ve ever had. We’ll see whether or not that comes to fruition.”
Meanwhile, Rich showed off his talent at Riverside-Brookfield two weeks ago. He was even better at Ridgewood, including a performance against Bolingbrook that had heads turning throughout the gym.
East St. Louis coach Mark Chambers said Rich came into the program as a hotshot freshman who, at 6-2, played with his back to the basket. He has grown close to 4 inches since and made a concerted effort to improve his skills.
“He has followed a process,” Chambers said. “We planned it out for him, and he’s worked the plan. He has worked his butt off to become this player. People don’t realize how good of a passer he is and that he led us in three-point shooting in two of the last three years.”
It’s impossible to watch Rich, a sculpted, put-together 6-5 forward, and not be transfixed by his power and athleticism, specifically how he combines the two. He explodes off the floor and shakes the entire structure of the basket on dunks. He chases down opponents on drives to the basket and blocks their shots.
A bull at the rim that defenders bounce off of as he finishes through contact, Rich even shows a workable three-point shot.
Rich is the player who sometimes can leave you in disbelief with his electrifying athletic exploits.
But what he revealed over the last two weeks is that for his size and age, he’s more than a physical and athletic freak of nature. Rich has a burgeoning skill level he continually showcased, using a crossover to break down defenders and whipping cross-court passes.
An up-tempo, open-floor, less structured system at the next level still will be a benefit for Rich. But he’s a no-brainer mid-major prospect with double-digit offers whom high-major programs — ones with the aforementioned style of play — should be diving into.
Missouri and firstyear coach Dennis Gates extended an offer to Rich on Tuesday.
“Macaleab’s best basketball is still coming,”
Chambers said. ✶