Q&A With Signee Cooper Allen

Baseball standout signs with UNCW after posting 3 HR and a team leading 26 RBIs and 12 pitching appearances with a 2.60 ERA in 2022

Q%26A+With+Signee+Cooper+Allen

Q: What is your earliest memory of playing your sport?

A: 7u is me making my travel team.

Q: What made you stick with your sport all these years?

A: I mean, I just like competing and playing against people, and I also like the teammates I played with. It made it much more enjoyable.

Q: Who are some of your athletic heroes, people you look up to in your sport? Why do they stand out? 

A: I always liked Bryce Harper. I mean, he’s just, since high school, he was like the best kid in his class. Since he got in the majors, he’s still a good player, but not as much as a stand out as he used to be. I’ve always liked him, and I like the team he played on.

Q: What factors led you to sign with the college/university that you chose? What made that school stand out?

A: I like UNCW because it’s at the beach, so it’s a beach school, and then I like it because they have a good program. It’s called an up and coming program, so it’s like adding money for the weight room and all that stuff, so it’s going to be a better program than it is.

Q: What course of study or major do you plan to pursue at your college or university?

A: I plan to do something with either business or economics.

Q: What are you looking forward to the most while playing a sport while attending college?

A: I want to be on a winning program or a winning team, and I know it’s not like a power 5 school, but it’s still in a good conference, and they still get to play power 5 schools, so you still have a chance at making the college world series, so I like that.

Q: What are you anxious about as you transition to attend and play in college? 

A: Probably just going there and being a freshman and having all the other people. They have been there for three or four years, and like 20 or 21 years old, so they’re bigger, stronger faster, so that’s kind of scary I guess, but it should be fun, but I’m ready for the journey.

Q: What regulations/rules did you encounter regarding recruiting and signing?

A: I got my offer sophomore year, but I had to call the coach. He couldn’t call me, so I basically had to call coaches like each week instead of them calling me, and if they didn’t answer the phone, I would have to call them back instead of them call me back, if that makes it sound weird.

Q: What is one thing you would change about your recruiting/signing process and why?

A: I wouldn’t change anything. I like where I’m at.

Q: It is hard for a school to tick all the boxes a student-athlete might have. What are some sacrifices you had to make in order to attend your chosen school?

A: I just had to call coaches and do that all myself.

Q: What advice would you give to the next class of student-athletes who will go through the process of recruitment?

A: Stick with it. Keep working hard.

Q: What advice would you give to your past self regarding your athletic career? 

A: Stay in the gym. Get big.

Q: Who are some people you would like to thank for helping you get to where you are today? How did they assist you? 

A: My family and my coaches especially because, I mean, they help me get better and get where I’m at, and my family of course because they help me make decisions.

Q: What is your favorite memory as a Cougar athlete?

A: Sophomore year hitting a home run against Heritage.