UC Irvine Welcomes Transfer Nils Cooper
May 19, 2026 | Men's Basketball
IRVINE, Calif. โ UC Irvine head coach Russell Turner announced the signing of Nils Cooper, a transfer from UC Davis.
"We could not be more excited to add a player of Nils' caliber to our basketball program," Turner said. "He has had success in the Big West and brings a veteran presence to our team that we can immediately depend on. With Nils mixture of size and athleticism, we see him as an offensive and defensive weapon, with a high ceiling and winning intangibles. Nils has a knack for the ball and can make those around him better with his playmaking and scoring prowess. He is also a plus defender, who will benefit greatly from our defensive principles and be ready to take individual/collective pride on that end of the floor. Nils has a good brain, good morals instilled by his mom and dad, and possesses a desire to keep getting better and growing in his game. He comes from great basketball tradition and is ready to step into this challenge to help contribute towards the winning that has transpired here. I see Nils as a great addition to our Anteater basketball team and look forward to partnering with him as we prepare for the upcoming season."
As an Aggie last season, Cooper, a 6-6 wing, averaged 12.3 points and 4.6 rebounds. He was third in the Big West in field goal percentage, shooting 54.9 percent from the floor and was ninth in steals at 1.5 per game. The guard had a season-high 26 points against Nevada and Cal State Fullerton.
Cooper, a two-time College Sports Communicators Academic All-District honoree, started his collegiate career at Pepperdine, averaging 5.0 points and 2.8 rebounds as a freshman.
Coming out of high school, Cooper was a highly regarded prospect rated as a 4-star recruit in the 2023 class, ranking as the No. 71 overall player and the No. 13 player in the state of California.
Cooper is the son of Michael Cooper, who won five NBA Championships with the Los Angeles Lakers.
ย
"We could not be more excited to add a player of Nils' caliber to our basketball program," Turner said. "He has had success in the Big West and brings a veteran presence to our team that we can immediately depend on. With Nils mixture of size and athleticism, we see him as an offensive and defensive weapon, with a high ceiling and winning intangibles. Nils has a knack for the ball and can make those around him better with his playmaking and scoring prowess. He is also a plus defender, who will benefit greatly from our defensive principles and be ready to take individual/collective pride on that end of the floor. Nils has a good brain, good morals instilled by his mom and dad, and possesses a desire to keep getting better and growing in his game. He comes from great basketball tradition and is ready to step into this challenge to help contribute towards the winning that has transpired here. I see Nils as a great addition to our Anteater basketball team and look forward to partnering with him as we prepare for the upcoming season."
As an Aggie last season, Cooper, a 6-6 wing, averaged 12.3 points and 4.6 rebounds. He was third in the Big West in field goal percentage, shooting 54.9 percent from the floor and was ninth in steals at 1.5 per game. The guard had a season-high 26 points against Nevada and Cal State Fullerton.
Cooper, a two-time College Sports Communicators Academic All-District honoree, started his collegiate career at Pepperdine, averaging 5.0 points and 2.8 rebounds as a freshman.
Coming out of high school, Cooper was a highly regarded prospect rated as a 4-star recruit in the 2023 class, ranking as the No. 71 overall player and the No. 13 player in the state of California.
Cooper is the son of Michael Cooper, who won five NBA Championships with the Los Angeles Lakers.
ย
Can you answer them all??
Friday, March 27
TISHAN for THREEEE ๐
Thursday, March 26
UCI Men's Basketball | Head Coach Russell Turner | CBS Segment
Monday, March 23
UCI Men's Basketball vs. Cal Poly | 3.5.2026 | Postgame Interview
Friday, March 06
