Persistence paying off
Posted on Saturday, March 8, 2008
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/adg/Sports/219066/
MOBILE, Ala. — Anshel Cooper is now the picture of health with a toned 5-9, 150-pound frame, but six months ago it was a foregone conclusion she’d be forced to sit out the 2007-2008 season.
“Everybody told me I should redshirt, but that thought never entered my mind,” said Cooper, a UALR sophomore guard who was named second-team All-Sun Belt Conference. “I knew what this team was capable of doing, and I was determined to be a part of it.
“ This team won’t settle for anything less than a Sun Belt title and a bid to the NCAA Tournament.”
UALR has Cooper’s stubbornness to thank for its first West Division title and a schoolrecord 22 victories. The secondseeded Trojans open Sun Belt Conference Tournament play today in the quarterfinals against No. 7 Florida International at the Mitchell Center.
Cooper has averaged 21 points over the past eight games, twice earning Sun Belt Player of the Week honors, helping the Trojans hold off Arkansas State down the stretch.
“She is absolutely the most athletic player in the league and means so much to this team,” sophomore guard Kim Sitzmann said.
Cooper’s status for 2007-2008 became clouded after a routine prenatal exam Aug. 5. Cooper was pregnant with twins — her due date was in October — but she hoped for a routine delivery and quick recovery that would allow her to return in time for the Nov. 30 season opener against Creighton.
Things got much more complicated. Cooper underwent a battery of tests during the exam and was diagnosed with preeclampsia, also referred to as toxemia. The condition causes massive swelling and extreme high blood pressure and can be fatal.
“After even more tests, the nurse literally came running back in the room and told me I was going to have to have an emergency [cesarean ] section,” Cooper said. “My babies were in danger so I said, ‘Go ahead.’ I found out later my life was in danger, too.”
Surgery was a success, and Cooper gave birth to twin daughters Aliyah and Alexis.
1 The pair weighed just 1 / 2 pounds each but were fully developed and given a positive prognosis. “They’re great now and weigh about 10 pounds each,” Cooper said. Cooper is also doing well, but recovering from such an invasive procedure has been an ordeal. “They cut through three layers of skin and sewed me up with these huge staples,” said Cooper, who was hospitalized for 10 days after the delivery. “I was all hunched over for three weeks and literally had to learn how to walk again. I couldn’t move without feeling pain.” UALR Coach Joe Foley said he strongly discouraged Cooper from playing this season. “I’ve heard it can take up to year to fully recover from that,” said Foley, who closely monitored Cooper’s health. “I just wanted her to stay in school and be working toward her degree.” Cooper refused to take no for an answer. She began light conditioning in late September and reported for the first day of practice Oct. 15. “When I came back, Coach Foley really didn’t want me to do anything,” Cooper said. “I wasn’t in any kind of basketball shape because it was hard enough just to get around. Getting back in shape was tough because one day I’d feel pretty good but the next I wouldn’t have the energy to do anything.”
Cooper’s teammates were not expecting her to return for the season, but they weren’t complaining.
“When we found out we were getting her back, it was like a load was lifted because she’s a great player and we needed her,” said Nikya Hughes, a first-team All-Sun Belt selection.
Cooper attempted to do too much too soon.
“The first week she came back, there was a loose ball and she dove for it,” Foley said. “My immediate response was, ‘Oh, no.’ Normally, I encourage diving for a loose ball, but I took her aside I told her not to do that right now. But that shows you how tough she is.”
Cooper played sparingly the first seven games before earning her first start Dec. 9 against Sam Houston State.
“I still felt some pain every time I’d go to plant my feet to get in a good defensive position,” said Cooper, who averaged fewer than nine points during the first half of the season. “But I wasn’t about to let Coach Foley know that because he would’ve put me at the end of the bench.”
Cooper’s play improved as the pain subsided.
“It’s something I had to do because I have a coach who supported me and I have my mom [Dorothy ] who sacrificed everything so I could keep my scholarship and get my education,” Cooper said. “There have been a lot of females who have been in my position who have come back to do good things. Whenever it would get real hard, I just kept telling myself to keep going.”
Cooper emerged as the team’s go-to player in late January, leading the team in scoring in eight of the past 11 games, including 20 points in a 66-53 victory at three-time defending conference champion Middle Tennessee.
“She’s been so consistent this last month at the time we needed her most,” Sitzmann said. “It would be pretty amazing to think how far we’d be if she were full speed all year. It really makes me look forward to the next two seasons.”
Cooper said the highs and lows of the past year have given her a new perspective.
“Life isn’t easy,” she said. “You just have to learn to overcome the obstacles and challenges that will always be there. I’m stronger for it.” Sun Belt tournament
Today’s quarterfinal schedule in the women’s tournament at The Mitchell Center, Mobile, Ala.: Quarterfinals Western Kentucky vs. North Texas, 12: 30 p. m. Arkansas State vs. South Alabama, 3 p. m. UALR vs. Florida International, 6: 30 p. m. Middle Tennessee vs. Troy, 9 p. m.