Erin Kido Deputy Athletic Director for Internal Operations/SWA | Eastern Michigan Athletics Website
Erin Kido Deputy Athletic Director for Internal Operations/SWA | Eastern Michigan Athletics Website
Eastern Michigan University men's basketball has added graduate student Cooper Smith to its roster for the 2024-25 season, Head Coach Stan Heath announced.
Smith, a native of Ann Arbor, Michigan, and a former player at the University of Michigan, joins Eastern Michigan as a walk-on. "Coop is a graduate student who was a walk-on at Michigan and will be a walk-on here," Heath said. "We're excited to have him. He's a really competitive kid. Coop's tough and has great leadership qualities. His dad is Coach Jay Smith and we feel he's going to add a lot of value to not just practices but our whole team in many different ways."
Smith graduated from Hackett Catholic Prep High School in 2018 and initially enrolled at Kalamazoo College with plans to play for his father, Jay Smith. However, he suffered a severe back injury before the 2018-19 season that required surgery in 2021. He eventually earned a walk-on spot with the Wolverines ahead of the 2022-23 season.
During his time at Michigan from 2022-24, Smith received two Academic All-Big Ten honors and two UM Athletic Academic Achievement accolades. He appeared in 14 games over two seasons, including a notable five-point performance against Ohio State University on March 3, 2024.
Jay Smith was hired as Assistant Coach/Player Development by Eastern Michigan earlier this summer.
Smith joins other newcomers Dillon Tingler (Huntington, W.Va.), Christian Henry (Chicago, Ill.), Jalen Terry (Flint, Mich.), Da'Sean Nelson (Toledo, Ohio), Godslove Nwabude (Lanham, Md.), Trey Pettigrew (Chicago, Ill.), Julian Lewis (Ypsilanti, Mich.), John Shanu II (Houston, Texas), and Mario Brunetto (La Spezia, Italy).
Fans can see these new additions and the rest of the Eagles' squad at the George Gervin GameAbove Center. Tickets are available through the EMU Ticket Office online or by phone at 734.487.3669.
For more information on Eastern Michigan University's men's basketball team, visit EMUEagles.com or follow them on social media platforms such as Twitter (@EMU_MBB) and Instagram (@EMUMBB).
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