Everett Cooper is growing at the right time for McDonogh

<p>McDonogh earned a huge win over Loyola in the first round of the MIAA A Playoffs this past Tuesday. The Eagles aren't a stranger to postseason play, but this year's team is much different given the youth and transfers on the roster. One of those young players is freshman point guard <strong>Everett Cooper</strong>.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Cooper stepped in since day one as the starting point guard, arguably the hardest position in basketball. It's difficult for any freshman to step in and log minutes at this position, but to do so in a league as good as the MIAA makes it even tougher. The transition wasn't sunshine and rainbows.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>"This season has definitely been a growing experience for me," Cooper reflected. "It took the first couple of games for me to get used to it, but it's getting easier for me. I don't feel like a freshman anymore. I have a lot more confidence when I go out for tip-off now. I know that I can do certain things because I've done them all year. I don't place as much weight on age and going against older players now."</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>It's evident that Cooper's confidence is well in tact. Against Loyola, he led the team with 17 points. The 5-foot-10 floor general nailed five three's, two of which came in the fourth quarter in crucial moment to put the Eagles ahead.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>"We fought hard as a team throughout the whole game," Cooper continued, "we went through some adversity and got past it. Now we move on to play Mt. St. Joe and that's a game that we wanted. We lost to them by two last time we played them. Getting this win makes us go in with confidence, and we needed that."</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The Eagles will travel to Mt. St. Joe and face the top-seeded Gaels in what should be a packed gymnasium. In a game that will have no shortage of scoring at the guard position for both teams, Cooper will face off against one of the the area’s best point guards, sophomore <strong>Ausar Crawley</strong>.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The winner will advance to the MIAA A Conference Championship on Sunday. Cooper has been coming up in big ways the last couple of games for the Eagles. He'll need to do so on both ends of the floor this evening if the Eagles plan on upsetting the Gaels, who are riding a confidence train themselves after defeating St. Frances in their regular season finale.</p>