GALION — Cooper Kent doesn’t mind putting in the extra time — or getting up early in the morning to start his day — if it means improving his game.
“I have said this group of seniors is fantastic. Cooper, in particular, works so hard. He’s in the gym at 6 a.m. almost every day getting up 500 shots before school,” Galion head coach Tyler Sanders said after the senior eclipsed the 1,000-point scoring mark last weekend.
“I joke with him. Coop’s not the most athletic kid in the world. But he works so hard. He’s so smart and intelligent. Any shortfalls that he has, he just makes up for it because he’s such a brilliant player and person.”
A 6-foot-3 guard, Kent became only the sixth player in Tigers history to reach that milestone. It happened in the third quarter against Pleasant on Saturday afternoon when he scored 19 points. He followed that up with 20 points in a win over Bucyrus Tuesday night.
“It’s a pretty cool achievement. I know only five other Galion guys have got it. I give credit to all the guys on my team. They find me; they get me the ball; they get me shots,” Kent said.
It also happened while playing under a veteran coach in Sanders, who brought a different style to the program in his first season.
“We’re still playing fast, but we’re not playing nearly as fast as they have. I ask him on most nights to either guard a big or guard one of their better players. I’ve asked him to pass the ball more. I’ve asked him to get his teammates more involved,” Sanders said.
“I think I’ve asked him to do so much more than he’s been asked to do in the past. So many times tonight I’m yelling at him, ‘Go’ and he finds the open guy for a layup. It’s just cool to see him evolve as a human being and as a person over the season. We’ve only got six games left, but I still think the best is to come for Coop.”
Kent began playing as a freshman and immediately showed signs of being a special player.
“I knew that if I got as good as I thought I could, it was something that was achievable,” he said. “I thought it was attainable.”
Kent scored a total of 53 points late in his freshman year, then added 220 as a sophomore and 451 more as a junior last season.
“I’ve really been blessed with Coop and the conversations we have. The late-night messages of ‘Coach, what do you think about this?’ I’m just really fortunate to have him his senior year and very disappointed I wasn’t able to be with him the last few years,” Sanders said.
“The good news is I think we’ve built a good enough relationship that he’ll invite me to watch him play in college. I know those days are coming for him, so I’m just happy for his future.”
Kent’s work ethic is noticeable, Sanders said.
“He is a great example, not just for our basketball program. But anybody that walks by these gym doors in the morning and sees him with a full-on sweat at 6:45. That just doesn’t happen anymore, and it says a lot about who he is as a person and as a basketball player.”
Kent said it’s self-motivation to get up so early and hit the hardwood. But he does get a little assistance.
“It’s definitely a big help to being a good basketball player. Usually I come in here with a teacher, Eric Legron. He’s been a huge help in allowing me to come in and opening up the gym and pushing me to be a better basketball player,” he said.
He is averaging 17.5 points per game and 7.3 rebounds, both in the top 5 in the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference.
Earlier this season Galion ended a 19-game losing streak to league foe Ontario. In the 66-53 win Kent led the way with 32 points, 8 rebounds and 3 steals. He made 11-of-18 field goal attempts and hit 4-of-7 from three-point range.
A prolific scorer, Kent said his defense has improved the most this season.
“In the past I’ve been like a stay-in-front kind of guy. But this year I’m trying to be more of a rebounder, more of a pressure guy, and help the team defensively because that’s something we had to improve on after last season.”
The Tigers went 9-14 overall, 3-11 in the MOAC last year. The win this week pushed their record to 8-9 with a winning season in sight.
Adapting to a new coach is a challenge for high school players.
“Coach Sanders’ philosophy is more defensive, so that’s where we got that mentality. This senior class, we had a lot of success in youth basketball. Then we got to middle school and we were like ‘Oh, crap, these guys are good.’ So, we’ve had to improve along the way and become better basketball players and just men,” Kent said.
“It’s been a long journey and we’re almost at the end.”
Kent said he is undecided on his college plans.
Galion’s other 1,000-point scorers:
Nate Reinking, 1,702.
Isaiah Alsip, 1,628.
Ray Seif, 1,143.
Andy Roesch, 1,074.
Kevin Murphy, 1,043.