Cooper Eligible For Competition

COLUMBIA, S.C. – University of South Carolina sophomore guard Ford Cooper Jr. is immediately eligible to take the court for the Gamecocks this season after the NCAA Division I Council granted a blanket waiver allowing transfer student-athletes to compete immediately.
 
“We’re excited for Ford to compete this season,” Gamecock head coach Frank Martin said.  “He’s worked hard in practice this fall to learn our system, and he is another experienced guard that adds to the depth we have in our backcourt.  We are excited to see him in a Gamecock uniform in 2020-21.”
 
Cooper transferred to Carolina after spending his freshman season at Missouri State, where he played in 27 games with five starts.  His 2.9 assist-to-turnover ratio in Missouri Valley Conference contests ranked third in the league.  His top scoring output of the season came in a seven-point performance versus Evansville, and his five assists in a matchup at Drake marked a season best.  Cooper had 10 games with two or more assists last season as well.
 
The Council granted a blanket waiver allowing immediate eligibility to student-athletes who meet certain criteria: the student-athlete must be enrolled full time at the school for the Fall 2020 term, it must be the first transfer from a four-year school, the student-athlete must have left their previous school in good standing academically and not facing disciplinary suspension, and both the head coach and student-athlete must certify that impermissible recruiting did not take place.
 
Continue to visit GamecocksOnline.com for updates on Carolina basketball.