Yeary shows signs of stardom with basketball
February 15, 2017
When the odds are against someone in life and that person really wants to succeed, that person works as hard as possible to achieve that success. Sophomore basketball player Cooper Yeary hasn’t been discouraged by his young age. Yeary has worked hard all season and is now one of the standouts on the team.
Yeary’s hard work shows through his play and his attitude on the court. His teammates and coaches have taken note to his work ethic and have noticed changes in his game. Yeary has greatly improved things like his ball handling, his shooting and his defense in order to help not only improve his play, but the team’s as well.
“At the beginning of the year Cooper was just another JV player. But as the season progressed he moved to a sixth or seventh man position on varsity,” senior Garrett Corcoran said.
Yeary’s improvements have not only been physical, but mental as well. He shared that he has been personally working to improve his communication out on the court. His communications have helped him to improve the fluidity of his offensive play as well as his defensive play.
“I think my shooting has really improved this year. I am much more confident with the ball,” Yeary said.
His confidence helps in every aspect of his game. Basketball can be defined as a sport of confidence. If someone is confident in their play, that individual will take more shots, help out more on defense, and not be easily intimidated by a larger opponent.
“Basketball is a confidence sport. If you’re confident you can overcome some of the things that are in your way,” coach Brady Hannigan said.
Yeary’s defensive play is something that has really shined for him as a player. He is able to stop defenders from scoring even when the odds are stacked against him. Yeary is 5 feet 9 inches of pure effort on the court, giving it his all as he plays the sport he loves.
“Basketball is a great team sport. You get to bond with your teammates a lot. You live for those moments you get on the court,” Yeary said.
This is Yeary’s first year on varsity, but continues showing signs of future play. Being a sophomore on the team certainly isn’t an easy thing as he is definitely one of the youngest players on the team, but Yeary is filling roles wherever he is needed.
“Cooper is good at coming in whenever a guard needs a break. When he comes in we really don’t lose anything on offense,” Corcoran said.
Moving from a JV team to a varsity team is not always a smooth transition and it shows some in Yeary’s play. That’s not to say that his plays are lacking in anyway. What Yeary lacks in experience, he makes up for with his ability to adapt to the game.
“That’s the thing with the game today, we can show you on film and we can show you in practice, but until you experience it, it can be tough to figure out,” Hannigan said.
Yeary does not let his talent go to his head however, Yeary stays humble and simply goes out and does what needs to be done on the court regardless of the role or play. If the team needs a defensive boost he’s there, if the team needs some points he’s there and if the team needs some ball handling to help get the lead pass off he is there. His ability to fill any role on the team helps Yeary become a better all around player.
“We have a pretty young team so me being able to step up in big situations I know can help the team. I try to do as much as I can,” Yeary said.
As far as the future goes for Yeary, Hannigan sees his role remaining similar to what it is now, but more involved with the team. Hannigan looks to Yeary to be one of the leaders of the team in the years to come. Yeary is already showing signs of a leader, he just lacks the experience.
“We are always going to need people like Coopers, people to play defense and put pressure on the ball. Eventually there will be a time where we are going to have to ask him to step up and score more. We are going to rely on him to take control on both offense and defense,” Hannigan said.
The future looks bright for Yeary, and with two years left in his high school career there is still plenty of room for growth. Look to see him on the court in the following years as his skills only continue to build.
“[Yeary] Is on par to be a really good varsity player,” Corocoran said.