Talaysia Cooper

Class:
Redshirt Junior
Position:
Guard
Height:
6-0
Hometown:
Turbeville, S.C.
Prev School:
South Carolina

CAREER HIGHS

* Indicates most recent high

Points: 33 // Liberty, 11/16/24
Rebounds: 11 // Memphis, 12/18/24
Assists: 7 // Mississippi State, 1/16/25*
Steals: 9 // Oklahoma, 1/5/25
Blocks: 3 // Missouri, 2/2/25*
Field Goals: 12 // Liberty, 11/16/24
3-Pointers: 5 // Missouri, 2/2/25
Free Throws: 7 // Liberty, 11/16/24
Minutes: 33 // Vanderbilt, 1/19/25

CAREER HONORS (SOUTH CAROLINA 2022-23/TENN. 2023-PRESENT)

Coaches & USA TODAY Sports Network All-SEC Second Team – 2024-25
Coaches SEC All-Defensive Team – 2024-25
Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Semifinalist (3/11) -- 2024-25
Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy Midseason Watch List (2/12) -- 2024-25
Wooden Award Late Midseason Watch List (2/11) -- 2024-25
Meyers Drysdale Award Midseason Watch List (2./3) -- 2024-25
TSWA Player of the Week (12/10) -- 2024-25
Ann Meyers Drysdale National Player of the Week (11/19) -- 2024-25
USBWA Player of the Week (11/19) -- 2024-25
SEC Player of the Week (11/19) -- 2024-25
SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll – 2022-23

2024-25 - RS-SOPHOMORE (AT TENNESSEE)

Started 27 of 34 games, averaging a team-leading 16.6 points, 3.1 steals and 0.7 blocks per contest and tied for the squad lead with three double-doubles.
That scoring average tied Cooper for ninth at Tennessee in career scoring average after one season.
Was second for UT with 5.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game and finished fourth in three-pointers (36).
Led UT in steals 22 times, rebounding and blocks 14 times, scoring 13 times and assists 12 times.
Had a team-high 29 games with 10 or more points, 21 with 15 or more and 12 with 20 or more.
That total of 20-point outputs tied for the 12th-most in a career and tied for the 13th-highest total in a season in Lady Vol history.
Paced UT with 13 quarters where she fired in 10 or more points, including 14 in the third vs. Richmond and 13 in the first at Missouri.
Tied for sixth in a season all-time at UT as well as No. 1 in the SEC and eighth nationally in 2024-25 with 105 steals.
Her steals average of 3.088 ranked third in a season and second in a career all-time at UT while standing No. 1 in the SEC and No. 10 nationally in 2024-25.
Carded the third-most steals in a game ever by a Lady Vol, grabbing nine vs. Oklahoma and also contributing 16 points and seven rebounds.
Exploded for a career-high 33 points against Liberty, hitting 12 of 20 field goals, converting all seven free throws and draining two of four three-pointers while adding nine rebounds, four assists and two steals.
Hit five treys at Missouri, recording 27 points, seven rebounds, six steals, four assists and three blocks.
Tossed in 25 points on 11-of-22 shooting at Kentucky and added 24-point showings vs. Richmond and LSU.
Shined at the Barclays Center, notching 23 points, six rebounds, three blocks, three assists and a pair of steals in a victory over No. 17/20 Iowa.
Posted 22 points, seven boards, three assists and two blocks and steals vs. Florida State.
Also put 22 in the score book at Vanderbilt, adding five boards and two assists, steals and blocks.
Swished five threes and delivered 21 points, seven assists, six rebounds, five steals and two blocks vs. N.C. Central.
Scored 20+ points for the 12th time, logging 20-even along with six rebounds and four assists vs. South Florida in the NCAA First Round.
Came through with 20 points at Arkansas and chipped in four steals and three boards.
Finished with 19 points, eight boards, seven steals and five assists at Ohio State in the NCAA Second Round.
Registered 19 points, eight boards, three assists and three steals against Texas A&M in the SEC Tournament.
Registered her first career double-double vs. Middle Tennessee, totaling 18 points and 10 rebounds.
Also had points/rebounds double-doubles vs. Memphis (12/11) and Mississippi State (16/10).
Played against UConn while recovering from an illness, producing 11 points, eight boards and four dimes.
Made her Lady Vol debut against Samford, stuffing the stat sheet with 19 points, seven steals, five rebounds, five assists and two blocks.

2023-24 - SOPHOMORE (AT TENNESSEE)

Sat out the 2023-24 season as a redshirt after opting to transfer after the portal window had closed.

2022-23 - FRESHMAN (AT SOUTH CAROLINA)

Appeared in 24 of 37 total games on a deep and talented Gamecocks squad as a freshman.
Played in eight SEC contests, two games of the SEC Tournament and four NCAA Tournament outings.
Averaged 2.9 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 8.4 minutes per contest and produced a positive assist-to-turnover comparison of 30 to 18.
Played her best basketball over a three-game stretch from Dec. 18 to 29 against Charleston Southern, Coastal Carolina and Texas A&M, averaging 12.7 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.7 steals in 17 minutes of action per contest.
Notched a career-best 15 points along with five rebounds, two assists and a steal in 19 minutes vs. Texas A&M on Dec. 29.
Hit five of eight shots from the field and three of five from the free-throw line to tally 14 points to go along with three assists, three steals, a rebound and a block in 18 minutes vs. Charleston Southern on Dec. 18.
She tallied nine points and six boards in 14 minutes vs. Coastal Carolina on Dec. 21.
Hit four of seven shots to post nine points and seven rebounds vs. Hampton on Nov. 27.
Earned 20 minutes of court time in her college debut vs. ETSU, stuffing five points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals into the stat sheet.
Dished out five assists vs. Cal Poly on Nov. 22.

USA/SUMMER BASKETBALL

Participated in the 2023 USA Women’s U19 National Team Trials.
Played in Carolina Thunder AAU program.

HIGH SCHOOL

No. 18 overall player, No. 4 point guard, five-star rating in espnW 100 (2022).
No. 22 overall player, No. 8 guard, 4.5-star rating by Prospects.Nation.com (2022).
McDonald’s All-American (2022).
South Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year (2021).
SCBCA 1A State Player of the Year (2021, 2022).
SCBCA 2A State Player of the Year (2019).
Surpassed 3,000 points during her high school career.
Averaged 23.5 ppg., 10.5 rpg. and 4.5 apg. as a senior.
Put up 23.7 ppg., 12.8 rpg., 8.0 apg., 4.6 bpg. and 2.2 spg. as a junior.