Report: LSU Basketball Forward Courtese Cooper Enters Transfer Portal
LSU sophomore forward Courtese Cooper has entered the transfer portal, according to a report from Billy Embody of 247Sports.
The move comes on the heels of Cooper’s indefinite suspension from the team after being arrested outside of his hometown of Elgin, Illinois. Cooper averaged 1.1 points and 1.7 rebounds in 11 appearances for the Tigers in 2019.
Amie Just of the Advocate reported that Cooper was arrested on one count of possession of a controlled substance. Upon learning the news, LSU suspended the 6-foot-9 athletic forward, later confirmed by LSU Country.
The most action Cooper saw in any game during the 2019-20 season was 14 minutes in a 77-50 LSU win over UMBC. Cooper logged four points and five rebounds against the Retrievers.
Cooper's profile page is no longer on the LSUsports website.
The big man depth shouldn’t take too big a hit as it was unclear exactly what Cooper’s role would be next season with so much incoming talent. UCLA transfer Shareef O’Neal and freshman recruit Bradley Ezewiro are a part of the loaded 2020 recruiting class.
Coach Will Wade and the Tigers remain in hot pursuit of center Moussa Cisse, who reclassified to the 2020 class and should be committing in the near future. Cisse was originally scheduled to commit in early June but due to the social unrest in the country at the moment, has decided to hold off until a more appropriate time.
The five-star big man would be a huge boost to the Tigers program for his shot blocking and rebounding prowess. Forwards Darius Days and Trendon Watford are also candidates to return after declaring for the draft but electing to keep their NCAA eligibility open.
The draft has been pushed back to Oct. 15 and players who entered the draft have until Aug. 3 or 10 days after the NBA draft combine to remove their names and return to school.
