Cynthia Cooper went to Locke High School, in South Central Los Angeles, which was most commonly known as Watts. She didn't discover basketball until she was fifteen years old. She was watching a junior high school game, when a girl ran in for a layup, and wrapped the ball behind her back before putting it through the net. Cynthia knew she had to learn how to do that. She begged the assistant coaches for that team, whom she knew, to teach her how to play. At first he said no, but after persistent begging Lucias Franklin finally gave in. In the summer of 1978 this man met Cynthia every day at Locke High School and taught her how to play basketball. What Lucias Franklin didn't know, was that this was the beginning of a better life for Cynthia Cooper.
Cynthia goes to make the Varsity Team at Locke high School, and afterwards she was recruited to the University of Southern California. Cynthia had never been away from home before, and she didn't find being a college student very easily. She dropped out of school soon after arriving. She left to play in Europe for eleven years, and then the day that she had been waiting for arrived. The WNBA was born, and Cynthia Cooper was drafted by the Houston Comets. The years since Cynthia joined the WNBA hasn't been easy for her, despite the fact that this is what she had always wanted. Cynthia's mother developed and died from Cancer, and though it is not discussed in Cynthia's book, last year one of her best friends and teammates Kim Perrot also died from cancer. Cynthia is so grateful though for the blessings she has received by being able to play in her home country.
Cynthia Cooper's book is very inspiring, reading about all of her trials and tribulations, and how she overcame them is wonderful motivation to overcome your own obstacles. I would strongly recommend this book to anybody who is a fan of Cynthia Cooper or even just a basketball fan in general.
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