April 1, 2013
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – University Notre Dame senior forward Jack Cooley (Glenview, Ill.) today (April 1) was named to the Associated Press Honorable Mention All-America Team. It is the fifth time in six years that an Irish player has garnered All-America recognition.
Cooley closed out his Notre Dame career as a member of the all-time winningest class in program history. From 2009-13, he was a member of Irish teams that compiled a 97-41 record for a .703 winning percentage, while the 48 BIG EAST victories Cooley’s squads compiled (48-24 for a .667 winning percentage) also ranked as the best in program history over a four-year span.
He became the 53rd player in program history to score 1,000 career points this season. Cooley played in 123 games in an Irish uniform and made 66 starts in four seasons and finished with 1,017 points (8.3 ppg.), 792 rebounds (6.4 rpg.) and 116 blocked shots. He scored just 145 points (20 as a freshman) in his first two seasons and 872 over the final two campaigns of his career. Cooley averaged 13.1 points and 10.1 rebounds during the 20012-13 season.
Cooley was a first team all-BIG EAST selection in his senior season after earning second-team accolades as a junior in 2012. He was named the BIG EAST Conference’s Most Improved Player in ’12 and this season was the only conference player to average a double-double during the league’s 18-game regular-season slate as he netted 12.4 points and grabbed 10.1 rebounds.
The 6-9, 246-pound forward led the league with 10 double-doubles in BIG EAST play. He scored a season-high 26 points and grabbed a season-best 16 rebounds for the second time during the season in an overtime win (79-71) at DePaul on Feb. 2, 2013. Cooley also put together a string of six consecutive double-doubles during the BIG EAST regular season. He was three times named to the league’s weekly honor roll during the’12-’13 campaign, while scoring in double figures in 15 of 18 contests and grabbing 10-plus boards in 11 league games.
Cooley was one of three players who started all 35 games for the Irish this past season. He led Notre Dame in double-figure scoring efforts (29), games with 10 or more rebounds (20) and in double-doubles (19). Cooley also topped the Irish with 41 blocked shots.
For his career, he was Notre Dame’s leading scorer on 24 occasions and topped the Irish in rebounding 51 times and in blocked shots 50 times. Cooley netted double figures in 52 contests and grabbed 10-plus rebounds 35 times. He scored 20 or more points on eight occasions and recorded 32 career double-doubles.