The Courtese Cooper recruiting saga may take a different turn than first expected.
Arkansas assistant basketball coach Scotty Thurman visited Cooper (6-10, 205), a center for Triton Community College, in River Grove, Ill., last week.
Cooper, a full qualifier who has been considering coming out after his freshman season and having three years of eligibility at his next stop, averaged 10.1 points, 6.8 rebounds and blocked 103 shots last season for a team that won the Division II national junior college championship.
But Cooper, who has offers from LSU, New Mexico State and Canisius, may not transfer to a Division I team this year, said Triton head coach Steve Christiansen.
“I’m not sure how things are going to work out,” Christiansen said. “Arkansas has been here to see him, LSU offered him sight unseen. He is really in a power position in that he could sign this spring or come back, play here his sophomore season and then do this all over again.”
Cooper, who played high school basketball and volleyball in Elgin, Ill., has not set up any official visits as of yet, Christiansen said.