Cooper's Transfer Leaves Oklahoma State Shorthanded In Post

STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) _ Oklahoma State lost its only remaining experienced frontcourt player Friday when Kenny Cooper decided to transfer. <br/><br/>``Kenny has chosen to leave our team,'' coach

Friday, September 7th 2007, 6:12 pm

By: News On 6

STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) _ Oklahoma State lost its only remaining experienced frontcourt player Friday when Kenny Cooper decided to transfer.

``Kenny has chosen to leave our team,'' coach Sean Sutton said. ``It was a tough decision for him, and it was a lengthy process. But eventually, it boiled down to him wanting to play closer to home. His family wanted the opportunity to see him play more, and he felt an obligation to his mom and his brothers to be closer to them.''

Cooper, a 6â€™10 center, averaged 4.7 points and 3.1 rebounds last season as a sophomore. He started 11 games while splitting time in the post with senior David Monds.

The Cowboys also lost forward Mario Boggan, their leading scorer, and guard JamesOn Curry, their second-leading scorer, from last season's team that went 22-13 and lost to Marist in the opening round of the NIT.

Boggan exhausted his eligibility after his senior season, while Curry skipped his senior season and was a second-round pick in the NBA draft.

The Cowboys could now be dependent on incoming freshmen Martavius Adams, a 6â€™8 forward from Georgia, and Ibrahima Thomas, a 6â€™11 center from Senegal, for production in the post.

Sutton's statement did not indicate where Cooper planned to transfer. He is from Monroe, Louisiana.

``This is a tough loss for our program,'' Sutton said. ``We all think very highly of Kenny. He's a tremendous young man who has worked extremely hard in the classroom and has made a lot of improvement on the court. We were counting on him to play a significant role on this year's team.â€

``We really believe he was on the verge of reaching his full potential as a basketball player, and has was making excellent progress towards his degree. My staff and I wish him great success at whichever institution he chooses to transfer to and are disappointed he has made this decision.''