24 year old, Palmetto Point, Eleuthera native, Alex Winsett Cooper II – who during his collegiate football career has been playing as an offensive guard and senior team captain with the University of Houston – was recently signed by the NFL’s Cincinnati Bengals according to reports.
Cooper was said to have been added to their roster of talent after the draft. At 6’4″ and 305 lbs, he has had the experience of playing every position on the offensive line, but center, and has the reputation of being both versatile and tough.
Social media posting of Mother Sheree Cooper and her son Alex. Sheree also celebrated the signing on her page.
The Eleutheran interviewed Alex during his sophomore year at the University of Houston in 2013, where he gave insights into his determined personality, as well as his future goals. See below:
International Eleutheran athlete, Alex Winsett Cooper II, originally from the beautiful township of Palmetto Point, is now a sophomore at the University of Houston and a talented college football player, playing ‘tight end’ with the University of Houston (UH) Cougars.
Alex, who is studying Sociology, signed on with UH in 2011, choosing the University of Houston over athletic programs at Baylor University, Kansas State, Rice University and SMU.
The Eleutheran caught up with young Cooper during his visit home over the Christmas and New Year holidays. Standing at about six feet and four inches tall, Alex with his easy smile recounted just how he happened to be where he is today.
As the baby boy of Mr. Winsett Cooper (now deceased) and Mrs. Sheree Cooper in a family of six children, with five of them being sisters, Alex grew up surrounded by love and affection.
Island life and a supportive family gave Alex a strong sense of self and who he was, which he needed early on, as his life’s adventure away from home began at a young age. Born on December, 18, 1991 – Cooper, now 21, spoke of how his opportunity to follow his dream of playing sports came practically at the beginning of his junior high school experience in Eleuthera.
He was in seventh grade at the Central Eleuthera High School, a recent transfer from the Emma E. Cooper Primary School that September, and already stood head and shoulders above his peers. At the end of his first term, in December, his junior high coach, Mr. Tony Crean, mustered up a basketball team to compete in the national Fr. Peter Marcian Championship Tournament in New Providence.
It was here that Alex was seen by another Eleuthera coach who recommended him to Bahamian Olympian, Frank Rutherford, and he was told about opportunities for scholarships at high schools in the United States who would vie to draft his budding talent. Soon after, he was invited to attend a program sponsored by Rutherford, and the rest is history.
After returning home, the calls started coming in. According to Alex, it was no easy feat to convince his parents to send their baby boy so far away from home. However, in the end young Cooper made the move to the States in August of 2005 to attend, Second Baptist School, in Houston, Texas where he both studied and played on the basketball team.
With two years remaining in high school, Cooper, who had already racked up top recognition as captain of the basketball team and MVP, was spotted and convinced to try out football by then coach, Mike Sneed. Cooper who had never played football found that he quite enjoyed it, and switched allegiances from the game of basketball to football in his final two years. He performed extremely well, playing both offense and defense, and ended up being listed as a top-100 recruit in the Houston area.
His accomplishments as a high school athlete, gave him the option of choosing between a number of Universities, where he was invited to join their athletic and academic programs. Alex signed on as a freshman with the University of Houston in 2011, where he sat out his first year on the team as a redshirt, as was the standard practice, choosing to spend it in preparation for play during his final four years as a UH Cougar.
When asked about what his goals were with his education when he first moved to the U.S., Alex, said with a boyish smile, “When I first went over, being as young as I was, all I saw was being a professional player… and being the best at my sport, and that was all I could see, but as I grew I began to understand the value of education – because my parents always stressed that with me – but you know how it is as a kid. So it was as I hit ninth grade about to go to high school when I started to focus on getting a college scholarship to make my parents life a lot easier – still with that dream of being great and being a professional, but that college dream took first place on my priority list.”
As not only a talented, but a bright university student, Cooper shared that he has several plans for the future which depend on his athletic and academic performance. His ultimate dream would be getting drafted into the NFL, however, he said he is mentally prepared to go all the way completing his undergraduate and going on for his Masters Degree before beginning a career outside of playing professional sports and possibly coaching.
Before saying goodbye to the young Eleutheran, we asked what advice he had for other students with a dream of big accomplishments here at home. In his humble yet decisive way he said, “Keep working, work at your craft. I always thought Eleuthera was too small, just a dot on the map, and that no one would ever see me, but I always wanted to be ready in case one day I could have the chance. Every day after school the basketball court was my home, and I was working at it, working at so I could get better, so you have to be ready when you’re called. I would just say to work at your craft as hard as you can and try to be the best at it and try to be great.”
