Charles Joseph Cooper Jr

I am a professional coach specializing in personal development, leadership, and team building. My work focuses on helping individuals and groups unlock their full potential through structured coaching programs, workshops, and personalized mentorship.

Meet the Coach

Charles J. Cooper

Cheyney University of Pennsylvania B.S., Marketing and Sports Management, 2006

Hailing from Cincinnati, Ohio, I wasn’t recruited out of high school as an athlete—but I loved to ball...

These are the roots of my coaching philosophy, which is about more than just "winning games." I emphasize academic and athletic effort. My goal as a coach is to develop true student-athletes who represent themselves—and their institutions—with excellence. The student-athletes who have been under my care during my coaching career have gone on to make a social impact in both the public and private sectors.

I began to find my niche in coaching at club-level basketball, where—while attending Onondaga Community College from 1986 to 1988—I helped form a team and filled the player-coach role. I led the team—while also playing point guard—while we went 11–2 our inaugural season before losing in the title game. The following year we got to the quarterfinals.

When I transferred to Cheyney University of Pennsylvania—founded in 1837 as the nation’s first Historically Black College and University (HBCU)—I played club softball as a leftfielder and shortstop. It was there that I first realized I might want to continue in the student-athlete world and had my first inkling of eventually pursuing a career as a basketball coach. I earned my bachelor’s degree in sports management and marketing in 2006.

I got my first opportunity at Harcum College where, from 2014 to 2016, I worked under Ana Cruz and Brittany Clark as an assistant coach of the women’s team that made three NJCAA Region 19 semifinals, one Region 19 District N-O quarterfinals game and one NJCAA Region 19 championship game. I also served as study hall supervisor for the team and monitored the academic progress of student-athletes. I contributed to two NJCAA Region 19 first team players who went on to play Division I—Maya Mosley (1,089 points, Coppin State University) and Taylour Jones (874 points, Rider University).

In 2016, I accepted an offer to become the assistant women's basketball coach at Valley Forge Military and Academy College in Wayne, PA. Coach Nate Ware made me the floor coach and I was responsible for developing players' skillsets and situational game awareness. I was part of the program’s turnaround, as we went from 9–13 to 14–11 in our first year. We managed to place fifth in the NJCAA Region 19 standings.

From 2016–2018, I was honored that Coach Ware appointed me Volunteer Head Coach for the Sam-Cozen Small Colleges All-Star game, which was held at our institution. The annual event showcased the best men's and women's basketball players in the NJCAA Region 19 Division III schools. I got to coach both the 12-player men and women rosters while coordinating their exposure to recruiters from DI, DII, and other DIII institutions.

In 2019, I became head coach for East Coast Power Basketball AAU Timberwolves in King of Prussia, PA. I managed a roster of 8 boys, focusing on team defense, playing as a single unit, and team chemistry. We managed to compile a record of 6-2 and were conference champions before losing the championship game.

My ultimate goal now is to be a head coach or compliance specialist at the collegiate level.

Snapshot

5+
5 YEARS OF COLLEGIATE COACHING EXPERIENCE

43
WINS OVERALL FOR HARCUM COLLEGE GIRLS BASKETBALL 2014 - 2016

3
NJCAA REGION CHAMPIONSHIP AND SEMI-FINAL GAMES

2
NJCAA REGION 19 FIRST TEAM GIRL BASKETBALL PLAYERS