The NCAA tournament is about basketball but also so much more: the parents, fans, bands, cheerleaders, etc. The Sweet 16/Elite 8 are taking place in 4 cities around the country and we could not be more excited to be there in person! HoopsHD is covering all the angles so you can look forward to an abundance of access in the days ahead. Jon Teitel commences our coverage from Atlanta by chatting with Michigan State basketball mother Allison Cooper about her son Carson making the NCAA tourney each year and her predictions for this weekend.
In high school your son Carson was an all-state soccer goalie: which sport was he best at, and which sport did he enjoy the most? He enjoyed whatever season it was, so during soccer season his favorite sport was soccer. He really excelled in it and was on an elite team with a goalkeeper from Egypt who worked with him and helped him improve a ton. There was less knowledge being shared by his basketball team, but he improved his basketball skills a lot.
Your family is from Jackson, MI: what made him choose Michigan State? He was down at IMG Academy and starting to get some offers that fall, but he told my husband and I that he wanted to hold out until he got a high-major D-1 offer. 1 of his coaches at IMG contacted an assistant coach at Michigan State and told him to keep an eye on Carson, and they came down a few months later to watch him. It was fun: we kept our visit to East Lansing a secret and he signed on Mother’s Day, which was a shock to everyone.
Coach Tom Izzo has made 27 consecutive NCAA tournaments, which is the most in men’s college basketball history: what makes him such a great coach? His ability to manage each player: he makes each player want to do their best for him. Even as adults we are starstruck when we talk to him!
Carson’s FT% has increased a lot every single year: what is his secret to making FTs? Just putting in the time. At 1 point he was taking 100 extra shots/day, which took a long time, but he knew that he had to get his percentage up.
He is a junior: does he have a post-graduation plan yet? His goal is to make the NBA so he will work with Izzo to improve whatever skills he needs to get there.
The Spartans won 8 straight games before a 3-PT loss to Wisconsin in the Big 10 tourney semifinals (Carson had 10 REB): how devastating was that loss, and how have they been able to turn things around since then? The parents/fans took the loss harder than the players because they knew that their season was not over yet. I talked to Carson after the game and told him that he played well, and he agreed.
The team has won at least 1 NCAA tourney game during each of his 3 years in East Lansing: do you keep your March schedule clear because you expect to be traveling with the team every single spring? With Izzo: yes! Carson has 2 younger brothers on spring break, so we slowly made our way down to Atlanta. Even next week we have no plans in case we must travel to Texas!
The SEC set a record this month with 14 NCAA tourney bids, but several Big 10 schools are also still alive (including Maryland/Michigan/Purdue): where do you think the Big 10 ranks among the best conferences in the country? I watch a lot of high school basketball (since my kids play) as well as Michigan State. It seems like the Big 10 has a lot of teams in the NCAA tourney each March so they have to be up there.
He was born on 4/9/04: do you have any big plans for the big 2-1 in a couple weeks? We are just focusing on the tourney for now and have not brought it up at all. It is a nice time to celebrate the end of the season…and finally get some sleep!
Any predictions for this weekend in Atlanta, and what would it mean if you end up facing Michigan on Sunday for a spot in the Final 4? That would be very cool. Both schools have a chance to win tonight. Having a 3rd win over Michigan would be an amazing confidence boost…but it certainly will not be easy.
