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WNBA's Cooper equates winning in basketball, life By
Jennifer Brennan "Are you in it to win it? Or, are you in it to participate?" asked Cynthia Cooper, Phoenix Mercury head coach, former player for the WNBA's Houston Comets and guest speaker for a recent USU Arts and Lectures series. Cooper, known as "The Coop," is a three-time league MVP and led the Houston Comets to two consecutive national Championships. However, in the forum, Cooper related the above questions to more than playing basketball. "It 's [winning's] not only in basketball, it's in life, it's in the classroom. "I will do anything I have to do to win," she said. "Legally," she added, inviting humor to the forum. Aside from her leading role on the Houston Comets, Cooper is a wife, mother and business executive. "I've enjoyed success on every level," she said. "What you do in tough moments will determine your level of success." She proceeded with a story to demonstrate her winning capabilities, on and off the court. Her mom had been diagnosed with breast cancer in March 1997 and Cooper was going to all the chemotherapy treatments with her mother, while still playing in the WNBA. She said she "turned something negative into something positive." Following the days she spent hitting the hospital and hitting the basketball courts, her house burned down. Fortunately, her nieces and nephews, who were in the house, were OK, she said. She ended up taking them to her other house. A few months later, her best friend was dying, she said. Her personal accounts with challenges helped her demonstrate for the audience, "what tough times are," she said. "Don't rely on people. Rely on you," she said. After dealing with her mother undergoing chemotherapy, her house burning down and her best friend dying, she gained about 20 to 30 pounds, she said. Cooper said there are two things that have gotten her through tough times. First, she always surrounded herself with positive people, friends, "people who are going to make you a better person," she said. The second thing she said is, "I believe in me." She said her biggest motivations are passion, heart and determination. "When you do it with passion, it's easier to do," she said. She first became interested in playing basketball, after observing
a girl playing at the gym. When asked what her goals were when she was
playing, she said her goal was always for her mom to be proud of her. |
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