Cooper gives Auburn second 5-star commit for '20
113dJeff Borzello
Sharife Cooper gives Auburn Tigers second 5-star commit for 2020
Jeff BorzelloESPN Staff Writer
Basketball recruiting insider.
Joined ESPN in 2014.
Graduate of University of Delaware.
Five-star point guard Sharife Cooper committed to Auburn during his official visit Friday night.
Cooper arrived on campus Friday, after rumors of an imminent commitment grew over the past two months. His recruitment had shaped up as an Auburn vs. Kentucky battle during the spring, but the Wildcats began focusing on other targets, leaving a clear opening for Bruce Pearl's program.
Georgia was the only other program truly involved with Cooper over the past several weeks.
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A 6-foot point guard out of McEachern High School (Georgia), Cooper is ranked as the No. 4 point guard in the country, slotting in at No. 17 overall in the ESPN 100 for the 2020 class. He helped lead McEachern to a 32-0 record and the program's first Georgia High School Association Class 7A championship last season, finishing with 20 points and four rebounds in the title game. Cooper averaged 27.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, 8.1 assists and 4.3 steals en route to earning Gatorade Georgia Boys Basketball Player of the Year.
He played for the AOT Running Rebels grassroots program of the Nike EYBL last spring and summer, averaging 25.3 points and 8.6 assists, which ranked second on the circuit in both categories.
Cooper is Auburn's second commitment in the 2020 class, joining ESPN 100 guard Justin Powell. The Tigers also have elite guard Jalen Green on campus this weekend for a visit and are prioritizing five-star forward Jaemyn Brakefield, who currently is visiting Louisville. Other targets include five-star forward Greg Brown and ESPN 100 prospects Cliff Omoruyi and Matt Murrell.
Cooper is the first five-star prospect to commit to Auburn since Mustapha Heron and Austin Wiley in the 2016 class.