Lakers Great Michael Cooper Is Introduced As Cal State L.a. Men's Basketball Coach

Michael Cooper’s return to Cal State Los Angeles is much than conscionable different coaching extremity — it’s a homecoming.

The Lakers legend was introduced Wednesday arsenic nan program’s 14th men’s hoops caput coach, bringing pinch him decades of acquisition and a clear vision: return nan Golden Eagles to title form.

The extremity for Cooper is to reestablish what nan men’s hoops programme achieved 2 years ago, winning a championship.

Cooper believes that building a title squad starts pinch what he calls nan 5 Ds: determination, dedication, desire, subject and decision-making.

“I’ve incorporated those principles into my coaching philosophy, and they will beryllium covered successful what we do present astatine Cal State L.A. We’re going to create a civilization rooted successful discipline, defense and teamwork,” Cooper said.

The occupation carries individual meaning for Cooper. Cal State L.A. holds a typical spot successful his life, arsenic he competed astatine nan assemblage during nan NBA Summer Pro League successful 1977-78.

“This is location to me, truthful that’s a no-brainer. When I sewage nan chance nether Coach [Jim] Saia to travel successful and volunteer, I sewage a chance to cognize a batch of nan student athletes here, and being astir these young group tin ... get you energized to travel retired and get up each morning, and that is what I emotion astir this. That’s why I emotion this sport,” Cooper said.

Saia retired aft 10 seasons, opening nan doorway for Cooper to return connected a caller role. He said nan personality he is looking to build connected and disconnected nan tribunal starts pinch difficult work.

Lakers awesome Michael Cooper speaks during his introductory news convention Wednesday aft being named Cal State L.A. men’s hoops coach.

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

“I deliberation difficult moving young men, I deliberation nan 5 Ds that I described, those tin use to you successful thing you do successful your diversion endeavors, but nan characteristic and nan nosy isolated astir those 5 Ds tin put those to activity for you [athletes] disconnected nan tribunal successful your mundane life, successful your belief life thing that you wanna beryllium successful successful you person to use that truthful those are immoderate of nan principles that will build our instauration of our squad pinch but besides a instauration they tin enactment beardown in, successful nan community,” Cooper said.

Former Lakers guardant A.C. Green, who played alongside Cooper during nan Showtime Era, said astir his erstwhile teammate.

“He’s going to beryllium a insignificant Pat Riley. He’s going to beryllium a fun-loving, hard-nose coach, and it seems for illustration it would beryllium an oxymoron, but it is imaginable and he’s going to show that,” Green said.

Cooper’s imagination for occurrence for nan men’s hoops squad includes beardown conditioning, difficult activity and defense.

“They’re going to play hard, they’re going to play smart, and they’re going to play together. When you do those 3 things, you’ll triumph championships,” Cooper said.

Green emphasized that Cooper’s occurrence will construe to nan program.

“He’s a winner. Everywhere he goes and each spot he stops, he wins,” Green said. “It’s contagious. People emotion being astir him and group emotion playing for him.”

For Cooper, nan relationship betwixt nan program, nan metropolis and his bequest remains clear.

“The Lakers are L.A., Michael Cooper is L.A. and we are L.A.,” Cooper said.