NC State Basketball

NC State has Expressed Interest in UC Davis Transfer Guard Nils Cooper

Published

2 months ago

April 17, 2026

According to reports, NC State has expressed interest in UC Davis transfer guard Nils Cooper (6’6”, 185 pounds).

UC Davis guard Nils Cooper has received interest from Georgia, Baylor, NC State, Loyola Chicago, FAU, JMU and Western Michigan, source told @TheFieldOf68.

The senior averaged 12.3 points this season and is a terrific defender – makes sense since his dad is Michael Cooper.

— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) April 17, 2026

According to Jeff Goodman, Cooper is also hearing from Georgia, Baylor, Loyola Chicago, FAU, James Madison, and Western Michigan.

Cooper is coming off a breakout season at UC Davis, where he averaged 12.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game while shooting an efficient 54.9% from the field.

That production marked a significant jump from earlier in his career. He averaged 5.0 points during his first collegiate season at Pepperdine and 3.9 points in his first year at UC Davis before taking a major step forward this season.

Coming out of high school, Cooper was a highly regarded prospect. 247Sports rated him as a 4-star recruit in the 2023 class, ranking him as the No. 71 overall player nationally, the No. 11 shooting guard, and the No. 13 player in the state of California.

Cooper will have one year of eligibility remaining at his next destination.