British Basketball League stars are far more than just the incredible athletes you love to watch do their thing on the hardwood week in, week out – this is about more than just hoops!
To demonstrate that this season we’re launching a new
feature where you’ll get to hear directly from some of the biggest names in the
League about some of the topics and issues both in basketball and beyond that
they’re most passionate about!
First up, is Surrey Scorchers sharpshooter Quin Cooper, who sat down to pen this exclusive column detailing his journey from hoopin’ in Louisiana to the League!
Name | Team | Date of Birth | Hometown | Nationality | Height | Weight | Position |
Quin Cooper | Surrey Scorchers | December 6, 1991 | Covington, Louisiana | American | 6’5″ | 84kg | Wing |
From a passion to an obsession
I was four years old when I had my first dunk … on a plastic
Fischer-Price basketball unit … and my love for the game started there. I
couldn’t get enough of that feeling I had playing basketball, even at that
young age, and before long I was hooked.
From then onwards I just played more and more, whether it be with my hometown team once a week in Covington, Louisiana, as a five-year-old, or in local leagues or AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) or at camps or anything like that.
From four years old, right up until I was probably 11, I
never thought of basketball as a possible career. Just a passion. But from then
on, my passion became an obsession.
When I came out of high school, I had offers and interest from quite a few colleges, mostly from NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) Divisions One and Two.
I wanted to challenge myself and see if I could succeed at the highest level, so I went to Centenary College in Louisiana and played against some of the country’s best at Division One level. Many of these players, such as Jimmy Butler, Jae Crowder, and Will Barton, are household names in the NBA now, and we were going up against them every week.
It was really challenging because we didn’t have much
success. We only had one win that season, and with the school reclassifying
divisions, I knew I wasn’t staying around, so I transferred to a place closer
to home – South-eastern Louisiana – but that didn’t go how I hoped.
I had hopes and dreams of playing professionally overseas, so I knew I needed to change some things and transferred again to Crowley’s Ridge, Arkansas, in the NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) for my senior year.
I had a really good season where I put up 25 points per game
making about 48% of my threes and showed what I was capable of. I knew that
season would get me an overseas deals, and I signed my first pro deal in the
Palestinian League shortly after.
Getting to know ➡️ Quin Cooper 👋#ThisIsUs | #SurreyScorchers pic.twitter.com/frF87ncdvM
— Surrey Scorchers (@surreyscorchers) August 24, 2023
The Louisiana Globetrotter
After returning from Palestine, I spent some time back in
the US and became an assistant coach for two years, before returning to play pro
basketball in Malta in 2019.
I put up some good numbers – about 32 points a game – and it
was going well. Then March 2020 hit, and everyone knows what happened then. I
moved to play in Germany, where there were still some restrictions, like
reduced crowds, but on Halloween of that year that they cancelled everything
again.
I only got to play six regular season games in Germany due
to the pandemic. A lot of lower league guys, like myself at the time, were
always trying to push up, to get that better and bigger contract from bigger
teams, but Covid-19 threw a massive wrench into everything.
After that, I spent time playing in Albania, then the
Netherlands, then Finland over the next few years. I ended up having solid
seasons in all these leagues, and because of all that, I ended up here in
Surrey.
It’s such a good spot here with the Surrey Scorchers. It’s
the best level I’ve ever played at so far, and I’m really looking forward to
staying here and continuing on in a great team.
Year | Team | Country |
2016/17 | Tubas Al Okhuwa | Palestine |
2019/20 | Depiro B.C. | Malta |
2020/21 | TuS Red Devils | Germany |
2021 | KB Vilaznia | Albania |
2021/22 | Aris Leeuwarden | Netherlands |
2022/23 | Korihait | Finland |
2023/24 | Surrey Scorchers | United Kingdom |
Shooting my shot
One thing that has followed me everywhere on my journey is
being known as a shooter. To have that longevity as a pro and play at the
highest levels, it definitely helps to have at least one elite skill that sets
you apart, and for me that has always been shooting – particularly from the
perimeter.
You need to at least be able to do everything on the court
at a good level, of course, to make it as a professional, but having that one
skill that stands out is what can help prolong your career. I knew early on for
me that would be shooting, so I placed an emphasis on all the details of
shooting in my improvements as a player to become the best shooter possible.
In fact, I think if I could go back in time and tell my
younger self anything, it’d be to hone in on that shooting ability a lot
sooner. I really started to concentrate on improving my shooting from like 21
years old, but if I’d taken those steps from when I was 10 or 11, I can only
imagine where I’d be now.
The other thing I’d tell my younger self is just to be
thankful for every moment, as well. There are millions of people all over the
world who want to do what we do, being paid to play sport professionally, but
not everybody gets there, so to have all of these experiences and memories is
such a blessing and something I never have taken for granted.
For the Next Generation
Everyone has a unique journey with this game. It would be
best to try to avoid comparing yourself to your peers as much as possible.
Enjoy the moment and where you are because plenty of people would love to be in
the position you’re in, wherever that may be. Never take anything for granted.
Trust in the work that you put in and trust that there is a plan. Keep doing the right things, control what you can control and keep putting in the work, treat the people around you the right way and if you keep doing that, something will happen.
Even if it is small at first or it seems that it isn’t
something you can do, it’s something that I wanted to do, something I had
worked for over 15 years, and I got this far. I couldn’t have done this without
the incredible support of my parents and my older brothers, and I hope my
journey has made them proud.
For people who are in the same position as I was, just
continue to put in the work and trust the process, and it can turn itself into
bigger and better opportunities.
Bet on yourself and take a chance.
You can still get your British Basketball fix by
following the League on social media or heading to our YouTube
channel to relive all of the best moments from the current
season.