Names like Juan Dixon, Jameer Nelson, Stephen Curry, and Jimmer Fredette instantly make you think of the college-basketball underdog. So who'll be this year's unlikely breakout star?
D.J. Cooper — Ohio University, 6'0'' PG, Senior
D.J. Cooper is already something of a legend in Athens, OH.; the fiery point led the Bobcats to a Sweet Sixteen last year and spearheaded then 14-seed Ohio's first-round tourney upset of Georgetown in 2010. He's got the Ohio assist record, is one away from the steals record and boasts a super-pretty 14.6 points, 6.3 assists, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.4 steals line for his career.
D.J. and his family also made plenty of noise with allegations that Tennessee and Baylor tried to swipe him (illegally) from Ohio before the '10-'11 season, the point at which D.J. swore allegiance to coach Jim Groce and became a mid-conference media darling. Groce is off to Illinois, but if Cooper's got another run in him under former Kent State coach Jim Christian, he's definitely one of those guys who could ruin a spring weekend for fans of a top seed.
Could He Be a Star in the NBA?: Nah. Cooper is probably too small and too poor a shooter.
Folk Hero Potential: Like Stephen Curry going into his junior year, Cooper's already there — see the attached documentary the Athens news station made about him — but one more tourney run could cement his status at Ohio's GOAT.
Source: youtube.com
