Cooper LaRue’s natural talents come easy. His father and now high school coach Rusty LaRue had to be considered one of the best athletes to play college sports. Rusty attended Wake Forest from 1992-1996 where he was a record breaking quarterback on the Wake Forest football team, a pitcher on the baseball team, and a record breaking guard for the basketball team He only the second player in ACC history to compete in all three sports during the same season.
Rusty also played parts of five seasons in the NBA, where he was a member of the 1998 NBA champion Chicago Bulls. After his playing career ended, Rusty has been a coach at all levels. He started off as the Head Coach at Greensboro College, Athletic Director/Head Coach at Forsyth Country Day, assistant coach at Wake Forest and now head coach at West Forsyth.
First of all, Cooper is the consummate student athlete. As a sophomore, Cooper sported an impressive 4.4 GPA. He averaged 9 PPG, 4 RPG on the team that won the conference championship and the prestigious Frank Spencer tournament. Cooper was an All -Conference player where he shot 40% from the 3-point line and 82% from the free throw line. This year he will be playing for his father at West Forsyth High School in Clemmons, North Carolina.
We’ve had the pleasure of watching Cooper countless times over the years and he has been participating in the NC Junior Phenom and NC Phenom 150 camp for approximately five years. Two years ago at the NC Phenom 150 camp, we wrote “Cooper is a fundamentally sound player who understands the game and plays with a high IQ. Cooper has long arms and a soft shooting touch that extends with a deep range. Through the natural aging process, Cooper will develop strength and explosion. Cooper is a kid to place firmly in your SIM CARD.
This past summer, Cooper played for the highly successful CP3 program. He is the ultimate team player and will sacrifice personal glory for the betterment of the team. He once again showcase his skill set and athleticism and if he has one major flaw, it is he is unselfish to a fault. Cooper is an intelligent player who competes at a high level on both ends of the court. He has deep 3-point range and an excellent mid-range jump shot. We were impressed with the quality shots. More importantly, he is a low risk, high return player. He simply doesn’t make many mistakes.
We personally think this will be a big break out season for Cooper. The West Forsyth team will be one of the stronger teams in the state and have a chance to compete for a state title. For the all around guy, Cooper LaRue will play a huge part in the team’s success, but more than anything his leadership will be the key.