Inside a jam-packed University Gym on Wednesday afternoon, Lakers legend and Basketball Hall of Famer Michael Cooper was announced as the new head coach of the men’s basketball team at Cal State LA. 

At the Gym, many current student-athletes filled the bleachers along with passionate Cal State LA athletics fans. 

Members of the “Showtime” Lakers, as well as Cooper’s friends and family, gathered together on the court for the ceremony. Some of the players in attendance included Byron Scott, A.C. Green, and Norm Nixon. On stage, Cooper was joined by Director for Intercollegiate Athletics Dr. Daryl Gross, as well as Cal State LA President Dr. Berenecea Johnson Eanes, who helped introduce Cooper as coach. 

Cooper was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1978 NBA Draft in the third round. He went on to play his entire career with the Lakers and won a total of five NBA championships with the “Showtime” Lakers. 

He proved to be a vital part of that team, as his defense was his biggest strength, a proven defensive player who would go on to make five all-defensive first teams. He would ultimately be inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame in 2024. He later had his jersey number retired by the Lakers in a ceremony last year.

He’s had a proven record of success during his tenures as a head coach, including his time with the Los Angeles Sparks in the WNBA, where he led the team to two championship wins in 2001 and 2002. During his two separate stints as coach for the Sparks from 2000-2004 and 2007-2009, he had a record of 167 wins and 85 losses in 252 games. 

In 2006, as coach of the Albuquerque Thunderbirds, the G-League team of the Cleveland Cavaliers, he led that team to its first title in G-League history. The G-League is the “developmental league” for prospective NBA players. 

“He’s a winner. Everywhere he goes and every place he stops, he wins,” A.C. Green, who played alongside Cooper on the Lakers, spoke on how successful a coach he is and his proven history to transform a program.

This transition and hiring of Cooper comes after the departure of long-time head coach Jim Saia. Saia coached the men’s team for 10 years before his retirement at the end of Cal State LA’s basketball season this year. Under Coach Saia, the Golden Eagles had a record of 157 wins and 159 losses and won their first conference tournament title in the 2023-24 season.

The team is coming off a disappointing season this year, as they ended with a record of 9-19 overall and 8-14 in conference play, failing to make the California Collegiate Athletic Association tournament.

But with this new coach comes a new philosophy for the men’s basketball team. 

Determination, dedication, desire, discipline, and decision making are the five D’s that make up Cooper’s coaching philosophy and how he plans on shaping the team towards future success. 

“Our mission at Cal State LA is to build leaders, build belief, and show what Cal State LA stands for. Cal State LA represents the heart of this great city, hard working, diverse, and ambitious student athletes and we are going to build a program that will make the university proud of us,” Cooper said at the ceremony.  

Cooper added on to his vision of the future of the program as he stated his plans for the university to raise money for their programs, alongside building relationships in the community and creating more awareness for Cal State LA. 

When asked about how he plans to help players improve on and off the court, he simply stated that living in a positive light is a goal he hopes players can follow in.

Legendary sports anchor for CBS Jim Hill, praised Cooper during the ceremony and the guidance he’ll be giving to the student athletes. 

“He is great for athletics, he’s great in school, he’s great for these individuals,” Hill said. “He will help you grow and be better young men and women. That’s what I can tell you about that.”

Excitement is definitely buzzing with Cooper now as the coach, Torino Johnson coach of the women’s basketball team who guided them to their first CCAA Tournament championship and DII West Regional tournament appearance. 

“At the top of Mount Rushmore of coaching, words fail to fully comprehend the way I feel about coaching alongside Michael Cooper,” Johnson said.  

When asked the kind of coach he sees Cooper being, Green said, “He’s going to be a minor Pat Riley. He’s going to be a fun-loving, hard-nosed coach, and it seems like an oxymoron, but it is possible and he’s going to show that.”

There are numerous reasons for Cal State LA athletics fans to be excited for seasons to come as Coach Cooper will look to replicate the success he had not only as a player but in his previous years as a coach. 

“You can expect national championships, the thing is can we deliver that’s the goal,” Cooper said.