The D.J. Cooper and Reggie Keely show was operating at full force on Saturday when the pair of seniors combined for more than 60 percent of Ohio’s offense.
The same play — where Keely set a pick for Cooper at the top of the key and rolled off for either a pass or rebound from Cooper’s drive to the hoop — accounted for Ohio’s final four points of the outing.
As hot as the duo has been on the court, it’s only fitting that it is burning up the stat sheet as well.
Cooper, a guard, is blazing his way through the record books, as he secured a spot as the 20th most prolific passer in NCAA history with a five-dish performance Saturday and could take sole possession of the honor with a single assist against Eastern Michigan on Wednesday.
He is only 14 steals from cracking the NCAA all-time top 25 in that category and needs 47 swipes to claim the MAC’s all-time leader position.
There is a good chance Cooper will become the first player in NCAA history to hit 2,000 points, 900 assists, 500 rebounds and 300 steals, being that he is closing in on the assist and point targets and has already surpassed the latter two marks.
At his current rate, it would take six games for Cooper to pass the set assist total, and if his average of 14.6 points per game holds steady, it would be eight contests before he breaks the bicentennial mark in points.
Keely, a forward, is shooting 68.9 percent from the field, which is 20 percent better than Ohio’s team average and leads the Mid-American Conference.
He is not ranked nationally because to be considered in NCAA field goal percentage tabulations, a player must average five makes per game. Keely averages 4.55 field goals per contest.
Among those listed, however, only two players — North Dakota State forward Marshall Bjorklund and Stephen F. Austin’s Taylor Smith — are more efficient from the floor.
Cooper’s 8.2 assists per game are second to only Michael Carter-Williams of Syracuse, who dishes an average of 8.9 per contest. He also tops the MAC by more than two helpers per game and ranks among the conference’s best in steals, scoring and sinking three-pointers.
Keely’s 11.5 points put him 17th on the MAC scoring list.
The pair have been asked to sound off on each other’s skill set and on-court dynamic often this season, and each credits the other for doing what it takes to make the other successful.
For Keely, it’s as simple as getting open and waiting for his teammate to find him with the ball.
“(Cooper) just hides out behind the defense letting them do what they do, probe and draw attention,” Keely said, in a previous interview. “As soon as they make the smallest crease or mistake, you know he’s going to find it. You just have to be ready at all times.”
Cooper has said that he has become a smarter decision-maker and wants to be in control in tight situations.
“I want the ball in my hands,” he said after beating Kent State on Saturday. “I’m a senior, so it’s my last shot. The guys trust me, and I just try to put them in the best position to be successful.”
If the numbers are any indication, when the ball is in Cooper’s possession — whether he dishes it or puts up a shot himself — it is in good hands.
jr992810@ohio.edu
