April 19, 2007

CONTACT: Luke Brymer, Sports Information Assistant, Wallace State
Community College, luke.brymer@wallacestate.edu, 256/352-8231



Cooperwood Makes First Team All-American

HANCEVILLE, Ala.--Cory Cooperwood received an honor that no other
basketball player in Wallace State-Hanceville history has been given. He
was named to the first team of the NJCAA All-American Team this year.
Cooperwood was the only freshman to make the team this year.



"It's amazing because he's a freshman," Wallace State head coach Allen
Sharpe said. "This is rare and quite an accomplishment for him and for
our team, because even though he's a great player, without a good team
behind him, he couldn't have gotten the award."



Cooperwood, of Kensett, Ark., has played basketball since he was eight
years old. It was the only sport he played in high school, and he was
recruited by several four-year schools but decided to come to Wallace
State first.



"I always dreamed of playing basketball in college. I've also always
wanted to get a college education, and it has always been my dream to
use something I love, basketball, to help me reach my education goals,"
Cooperwood said. He is scheduled to graduate from Wallace in the spring
of 2008 with an Associate in Arts degree and hopes to purse a degree in
kinesiology at a university.



Family and community involvement have always been a driving force behind
Cooperwood. "My family has always helped push me to succeed. Also, my
community supports me and has helped me make it in basketball. My summer
league coach, Michael Green always told me if I kept working hard, I
could go anywhere. That has always kept me going so I can reach my
dreams."



Cooperwood will be returning for his sophomore season and is excited
about next year's team, which he believes can make it even further into
the postseason. "It was a fun year and I think the team did pretty well
considering our inexperience. But none of us were satisfied with how far
we made it this year. I really think we can go a lot further next
season," he said.



As for his own performance, Cooperwood said, "I thought I did all right
this year, but I had a lot of help from the team and we had great
coaches. We were good, but we have to keep working hard."



One of the things that has impressed Sharpe most is Cooperwood's team
mentality. "He's not a selfish player - he's always looking for the
pass. It's a team effort in this sport and Cory realizes that. He wants
to win and knows it takes five players and not just one to win a game."



"Cory is a great player and plays with a lot of energy and effort,"
Sharpe said. "He brings so many things to our team besides what shows up
on a stats sheet. He's always ready to play and he never stops."



According to Sharpe, the prospects for next year are bright. "We had a
good team this year. We recruited well, and we are looking forward to a
great season next year. We're excited about Cory coming back. He's going
to be a great player for us to build a team around."



Cooperwood is also excited about '07-'08. "I'm looking forward to my
sophomore season. We've had a good recruiting class. We are going to be
more experienced, and we'll have some new talent as well."



Once Cooperwood finishes at Wallace, he will look to sign a scholarship
with a four-year school where he can continue to concentrate on
athletics and academics. He hopes to one day play basketball
professionally, possibly overseas.



He wants to thank Riverview School, Coach Durham, Coach Watkins, Coach
Morgan, and his family and community for their love and support.



For more information about Wallace State basketball, visit
www.wallacestate.edu or www.acccsports.org.

  Kristen Holmes
  Director, Communications and Marketing
  Wallace State Community College
  P.O. Box 2000
  Hanceville, AL 35077
  256/352-8118
  E-mail: Kristen.Holmes@WallaceState.edu