The San Gabriel Valley Tribune’s Fred Robledo is reporting that La Verne Lutheran boys basketball coach Eric Cooper is leaving the school for the head coaching position at St. Anthony’s in Long Beach, where he grew up. In just five years Cooper transformed a downtrodden program into one of the best in the state, winning state championships in 2010 and 2011 in addition to a CIF title in 2010. Cooper will depart along with his son, Arizona-committed guard Eric Cooper Jr., after a season in which the Trojans reached the CIF finals, but lost to Serra.
“The opportunity to go back to the area where I grew up was part of the decision and I look at it as another challenge,” Cooper said. “I had a great time at Lutheran, and hopefully my associate head coach, Brandon Lee, will take over and Lutheran will keep it rolling. But I’m not sure what he wants to do.”
