Tennessee State has hired Auburn assistant John Cooper to become the Tigers’ next coach. Cooper has been an assistant coach at Auburn for the past six years and also has experience at Oregon and Fayetteville State. The Tigers’ job will be his first head coaching gig. University officials are hopeful that his success as an assistant, outlined in a university press release, will continue now that he is a head coach.
Cooper spent five years at Auburn (2004-2009) and played a vital role in the revitalization of the Auburn basketball program, as the Tigers recorded their first winning season in four years (2003). This season, Auburn posted a 24-12 record, and advanced to the quarterfinals of the NIT Tournament.
Prior to his arrival at Auburn, Cooper spent two seasons at Oregon where he helped the Ducks to a 41-23 mark. Oregon went 23-10 with an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2002-03 and had an 18-13 record in 2003-04, losing in the NIT semifinals.
