Cooper-Smith Surpasses 1,000 Points at Masters

Kendra Cooper-Smith ’19 will soon have her name on Masters’ 1,000 Points Club banner hanging in the Fonseca Center.

The Pace University-bound standout surpassed the milestone in a matchup against visiting Fairchester Athletic Association rival St. Luke’s on Tuesday, January 29.
 
Cooper-Smith, who entered the game needing just six points to reach 1,000, accomplished the feat in the first half after converting a fast-break layup. The buzzer immediately sounded following the history-making bucket and a brief ceremony followed.
 
“I was really happy and excited with all my teammates around me,” said Cooper-Smith, who finished with 11 points overall. “Of course, my mom came on the court, which was really cute. I was happy to see her. At that point, I wanted to keep playing and it was a really big game for us and really important. My head was still in the game, but I also got to reflect on my career so far.”
 
Cooper-Smith joins former stars Jackie McCaffrey ’04 (1,464 points), Allie O’Donohue ’04 (1,255 points) and Naya Williams ’14 (1,532 points) on the hallowed purple banner, which honors players who have totaled 1,000-plus points during their time at Masters.
 
“It means a lot — it’s really big,” said Cooper-Smith, a four-year varsity captain. “Without even my name being there, I know that I’ve left a legacy here. But it goes to show how much a program can change in the course of four years and I’m so happy I was able to be here and experience that. It feels really good to get my name up there.”
 
While Masters ended up falling, 71-61, to a talented St. Luke’s squad, Cooper-Smith still has high hopes for this season. The Panthers, who placed second in last year’s New York State Association of Independent Schools tournament, have a real shot of getting back and finishing the job this time around.
 
“It was a tough loss but that’s in the past and now we have to keep pushing and moving on,” Cooper-Smith said. “We still have big opportunities. We have to learn from our mistakes, keep pushing and moving on. I have lots of confidence that we will do really well this year.”
 
 

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