Sharife Cooper


Sharife Cooper is an American basketball player. He was a consensus five-star recruit and one of the best point guards in the 2020 class. Cooper is committed to play college basketball for Auburn. At the high school level, he competed for McEachern High School in Powder Springs, Georgia.

High school career

In his freshman season in 2016–17, Cooper averaged 16 points and 4.4 assists per game, leading McEachern to a 29–1 record and an appearance in the Georgia High School Association Class 7A state semifinals. The following year, he led the Indians to a state quarterfinals appearance while posting a 26–3 record. He received considerable media attention in December 2017 for his 42-point performance against Jahvon Quinerly and nationally ranked Hudson Catholic Regional High School in the quarterfinals of the City of Palms Classic. He scored the game-winning buzzer-beater in an 83–81 overtime victory.
As a junior in 2018–19, Cooper led McEachern to a perfect 32–0 record and the first state title in school history while averaging 27.2 points, 8.1 assists, 5.6 rebounds and 4.3 steals per game. In the title-game win over Meadowcreek, he scored 20 points and dished four assists as McEachern finished ranked No. 1 in three national polls. He picked up most valuable player honors at several tournaments, including the City of Palms Classic and Tournament of Champions. After the season, he was named USA Today All-USA Player of the Year, Mr. Georgia Basketball and Georgia Gatorade Player of the Year. He also earned USA Today All-USA first team and Naismith All-American second team honors.
Cooper was selected to play in the 2020 McDonald's All-American Boys Game on January 23, 2020.

Recruiting

On September 27, 2019, Cooper committed to play college basketball for Auburn. He became the most highly rated recruit in the school's history, and its second five-star recruit.

Personal life

Cooper was born in Newark, New Jersey to Omar and Kindall Cooper, although the family moved to the Atlanta area around the age of six. He has two sisters, Te'a and Mia, who both won state titles at McEachern, while Te'a continued on to play at Tennessee, South Carolina and Baylor before being drafted by the Phoenix Mercury in the 2020 WNBA draft. He also has a twin brother, Omar, who is a standout player at The Walker School in Marietta, Georgia.