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Cooper leaving T-Birds for Sparks

By Jeremy Fowler
Thursday, April 5, 2007

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Some will say Michael Cooper is leaving the Albuquerque Thunderbirds because he wasn't considered for the University of New Mexico men's basketball head coaching job recently filled by Steve Alford.

The former Lobo begs to differ, saying his move to rejoin the Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA as head coach is "to further hone my skills as a head coach."

That doesn't mean he won't one day be back as head of the Lobos, he said.

The T-Birds on Wednesday announced Cooper will finish out the year with Albuquerque (21-26), which has three regular season games left, before becoming minority owner for the 2007-08 season and beyond. Terms of his ownership deal are not finalized.

Cooper promises to return to one day lead the people of Albuquerque to their first NCAA title.

"I'll tell you this - that job will be open again," Cooper said. "Coaching changes are made. By that time, I'll have everything ready. I'll have my degree, more coaching experience, more wins under my belt. I'll be ready to recruit, and I'll have a great staff in place.

"And I will lead the Lobos to their first NCAA title."

Cooper has agreed to a multiyear deal with the Sparks, the team he led to two WNBA titles in 2001 and 2002. Los Angeles has been good to Cooper, who also won five NBA titles as a player with the Los Angeles Lakers.

In 2006, the Albuquerque Thunderbirds won a title in their inaugural season with Cooper at the helm. WNBA coaches make "significantly more" than NBA-Development League coaches, team President Billy Widner said.

Cooper originally signed a two-year deal with Albuquerque that will expire once the season is over.

Unless "the right job" arises in the NBA, either as an assistant or head coach, Cooper said this move suits him.

"The timing is right now," Cooper said. "This gives me the chance to prove myself again at another level."

An offer from UNM Athletics Director Paul Krebs surely would have kept Cooper in Albuquerque. Cooper went public in January about his interest in coaching his alma mater, though he hadn't finished his degree. David Kahn, a part owner of the D-League, informally talked with Krebs about Cooper, whom UNM never interviewed.

Many people on message boards - Cooper fans since his high-flying days in The Pit in the late Õ70s - were lobbying for him.

But the Sparks, not the Lobos, are embracing Cooper with open arms.

Cooper's last coaching game in Tingley Coliseum could be Wednesday at 7 p.m. Albuquerque and Anaheim are 1 games behind Los Angeles for the last playoff spot in the NBA-DL's Western Conference.

Two years with Cooper in Albuquerque boosted the credibility of a first-time franchise, Widner said.

"He immediately became our face," Widner said. "He's put in a lot of work to get this franchise started. His whole reason to come back was his ties to the Albuquerque area, and he wants to continue that. We're grateful for his time here, because he was a wonderful coach and a great person."

New coach: Don't expect the T-Birds to name their next coach anytime soon.

Acquisitions don't start until October, so there's likely no reason to hire anybody before the end of the summer, Widner said.

Each year, D-League teams retool their lineups from the ground up.

Cooper said he wants to have input on whomever Albuquerque hires.