Cynthia Cooper-Dyke facts for kids
Cooper-Dyke in 2011
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| Born | April 14, 1963 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
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| High school | Locke (Los Angeles, California) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 150 lb (68 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College | USC (1982–1986) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pro career | 1986–2003 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coaching career | 2001–2022 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 1986–1987 | Bétera - Valencian Region / Spain | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1987–1994 | Basket Parma | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1994–1996 | SC Alcamo | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1997–2000, 2003 | Houston Comets | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 2001–2002 | Phoenix Mercury | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2010 | Prairie View A&M | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010–2012 | UNC Wilmington | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2013 | Texas Southern | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2017 | USC | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2019–2022 | Texas Southern | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
As player:
As coach:
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| Career WNBA statistics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Points | 2,601 (21.0 ppg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rebounds | 403 (3.3 rpg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assists | 602 (4.9 apg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medals
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Cynthia Lynne Cooper-Dyke (born April 14, 1963) is an American basketball coach and a former player. She is famous for winning championships at many levels. These include college, the Olympics, and the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Many people think she is one of the best female basketball players ever.
In 2011, fans voted Cooper-Dyke as one of the Top 15 players in WNBA history. When the WNBA started, she played for the Houston Comets from 1997 to 2000. She was named the Most Valuable Player of the WNBA Finals in all four of those seasons. She even came back to play again in 2003. Cooper-Dyke still holds the record for the most Finals MVPs with four.
She has also been a basketball coach for many teams. These include the Phoenix Mercury (a professional team) and several college teams. She coached at USC, UNC Wilmington, and Prairie View A&M. She also coached the Texas Southern Lady Tigers basketball team twice. Cooper-Dyke was honored by being put into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009. She was also inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010.
Contents
Early Years in Basketball
High School Basketball
Cynthia Cooper went to Locke High School in Los Angeles. She was a talented athlete in both track and field and basketball. She led her basketball team to win the California State Championship. In one game, she scored an amazing 44 points! She was named the Los Angeles Player of the Year.
College Basketball at USC
After high school, Cooper played basketball for the University of Southern California (USC) from 1982 to 1986. She helped her team, the Women of Troy, reach the NCAA Final Four three times. They won two NCAA tournament championships in a row, in 1983 and 1984.
Cooper played all four years at USC. She finished her college career with a strong performance in the 1986 NCAA tournament championship game. She is still one of USC's top scorers, with 1,559 points. She also ranks high in assists and steals. While she was at USC, her team won 114 games and lost only 15. She later earned her bachelor's degree in 2005 from Prairie View A&M University.
Her Amazing Career
Playing for Team USA
Cynthia Cooper played for the US national team many times. In 1981, while still in high school, she won a silver medal at the William Jones Cup in Taiwan.
In 1986, she helped Team USA win a gold medal at the first-ever Goodwill Games in Moscow. The US team beat the Soviet Union, who were considered the best in the world. Later that year, she also won another gold medal at the 1986 World Championship, also in Moscow. The US team was very strong, winning the final game 108–88.
Cooper also won a gold medal at the 1987 Pan American Games. She was a key player for the US Olympic Women's Basketball Team. She won a gold medal at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul. She also earned a bronze medal at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona.
Playing Overseas
Before joining the WNBA, Cooper played professional basketball in Europe for almost ten years. She played for teams in Spain and Italy.
In Spain, she played for Samoa Bétera and was the top scorer in the league. In Italy, she played for Parma and Alcamo. She was the leading scorer in the Italian leagues eight times. She was also named the MVP of the European All-Star team in 1987.
Becoming a WNBA Star
At 34 years old, Cooper joined the Houston Comets when the WNBA started in 1997. She made history on the very first day of the WNBA. She scored 25 points, making her the first player to score over 20 points in a WNBA game.
She led the WNBA in scoring for three years in a row. She also led the Comets to win an amazing four WNBA Championships in a row (1997-2000). She was named the WNBA's MVP in 1997 and 1998. She also won the Most Valuable Player award in all four WNBA Finals.
Cooper was a vital part of the Comets' offense, playing alongside Sheryl Swoopes and Tina Thompson. When she first retired in 2000, she was the first WNBA player to reach 500, 1,000, 2,000, and 2,500 career points. She scored 30 or more points in 16 games. She also had a streak of 92 games where she scored double-digit points.
She returned to play for the Comets for a short time in 2003. Her last WNBA game was on June 1, 2003. After playing, she worked as a TV analyst for the Houston Rockets. She has been recognized as one of the top players in WNBA history multiple times.
Coaching Career
Coaching in College
Cynthia Cooper-Dyke has had a long career coaching college basketball teams.
She became the head coach for the women's basketball team at Prairie View A&M University in 2005. In her second season, she led the team to win their first conference title. She was named the SWAC Coach of the Year in 2007. She coached at Prairie View A&M for five seasons.
In 2010, she became the head coach for the UNC Wilmington Seahawks. In her first year, the team had a record number of wins. She was named the Colonial Athletic Association Coach of the Year in 2011.
She then coached at Texas Southern for one season in 2012–13. The team had a good record of 20 wins and 13 losses.
In 2013, Cooper-Dyke returned to USC, this time as the head coach. She led USC to a strong season in her first year. She coached at USC until 2017.
She returned to coach at Texas Southern again in 2019. She coached there for three more seasons before retiring in 2022.
Halls of Fame
Cynthia Cooper was honored for her amazing career by being inducted into two major Halls of Fame.
She was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009. The next year, in 2010, she became the first WNBA player to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. This shows how important she was to the sport.
Personal Life
Cynthia Cooper-Dyke was born in Chicago, Illinois. She grew up in South Central Los Angeles, California. Her mother raised her and her seven siblings.
She went to the University of Southern California for college. She played basketball there for four years. She won two NCAA championships with her teammate Cheryl Miller. Before playing in the WNBA, she spent ten years playing basketball in Spain and Italy. While living abroad, she learned to speak Italian very well.
In 2000, she wrote a book about her life called She Got Game: My Personal Odyssey. The book talks about her childhood and her basketball journey. It also shares her mother's fight with breast cancer.
Cynthia Cooper-Dyke is married to Brian Dyke. They have twins, a son named Brian Jr. and a daughter named Cyan. They were born in 2002.
Awards and Achievements
- 2x Ronchetti Cup (1990, 1993)
- 2× WNBA MVP (1997, 1998)
- 3× WNBA All-Star (1999, 2000, 2003)
- 4× WNBA Champion (1997, 1998, 1999, 2000)
- 4× WNBA Finals MVP (1997, 1998, 1999, 2000)
- WNBA Hall of Fame (2009)
- Women's Basketball Hall of Fame (2009)
- Basketball Hall of Fame (2010)
- CAA Coach of the Year (2010)
- WBCBL Professional Basketball Trailblazer Award (2015)
Images for kids
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Cynthia Cooper-Dyke in 2011
See also
In Spanish: Cynthia Cooper para niños
