Class of 2012 forward Grant Jerrett (left) and Class of 2013 guard Eric Cooper donned UA caps during the LaVerne (Calif.) Lutheran media day last month (Photo courtesy of Eric Cooper Sr.)

Eric Cooper Sr. told me tonight his son Eric Cooper Jr., a promising Class of 2013 point guard, and highly-touted Class of 2012 forward Grant Jerrett came to the conclusion “that they had enough” and were ready to verbally commit to Arizona.

“They both have been to a lot of places,” Cooper Sr. said, referring to their unofficial trips to North Carolina, Duke, UA, USC, UCLA, UNLV, and California (among other places). “Grant was starting to get a lot of phone calls, a ton of them. He was ready to move on.

“In Eric’s case, he’s seen a lot of places and coaches know what kind of talent he has.”

Cooper Sr. is a former UA guard, signed by Lute Olson in 1985, and he coaches Jerrett and Cooper Jr. at LaVerne (Calif.) Lutheran.

Although Cooper Sr. attended the UA (before transferring to Texas-San Antonio after his freshman season) he did not sway his son’s decision one way or the other.

“Yes, that is true, he independently came to me to let me know he was ready to become a Wildcat,” Cooper Sr. said. “This definitely what he wanted.”

Cooper Sr., who dealt with plenty of coaches and different recruiting approaches, found UA coach Sean Miller‘s pitch refreshing.

“They basically took on all-comers,” Cooper Sr. said. “Their coaches put it out there that if you wanted to talk to them, they would listen. They have been very open to Grant and Eric and a lot of other kids.

“We knew all along that Arizona was interested. It is what it is with their commitment and they are very happy with it.”

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RELATED LINKS:

• Arizona’s chance to land Class of 2012 prospect not out of reach
• Eric Cooper Sr. reliving the recruiting process with Arizona again 25 years later

Grant Jerrett and Eric Cooper Jr. smile for the camera during LaVerne (Calif.) Lutheran media day last month. Photo courtesy of Eric Cooper Sr.

Huntington Beach (Calif.) High School coach Jim Harris, a 31-year coaching veteran in California, indicated to me last year that Arizona coach Sean Miller is not too far off from establishing a recruiting base in the West.

“Lute (Olson) was very much into recruiting this area, partly because he coached high school basketball around here,” said Harris, who coaches against Santa Ana Mater Dei, a program that has turned out former UA standouts Miles Simon, Reggie Geary and junior center Alex Jacobson.

“He knew a lot of us coaches who have been around a while. When he expressed interest in a player, he got the information and help he needed because of his connections. Coach Miller is starting to do that.

“Arizona is a national university as far as basketball is concerned. All that needs to happen now is for Coach Miller to lay the groundwork in California and be consistent in recruiting this area. I can certainly see him doing that consistently.

“A lot of the coaches and players in California have that same positive feeling about Arizona as before and that’s partly because of Coach Miller. He’s off to an impressive start.”

Harris’ comments were last November before Miller beat Kansas for high-profile Sacramento (Calif.) High School guard Josiah Turner. Nick Johnson, a program changer from Henderson (Nev.) Findlay Prep, also signed with UA after comitting in August.

Class of 2013 guard Eric Cooper Sr. was named recently the Team USA Developmental National Team

In his first recruiting class at Arizona, amassed in a mere three months, Miller inked California products Derrick Williams and Solomon Hill, both of whom are significant reasons why Arizona is 5-0 with a winning margin of 30.6 points heading into tonight’s game against No. 6 Kansas.

In his second class, Miller signed Phoenix North guard Daniel Bejarano (a former Texas commit) and Los Angeles (Calif.) Westchester High School point guard Jordin Mayes, who should evolve into one of the better freshmen in the Pac-10 this season.

Before Miller moved from Xavier to Arizona, he did not recruit a player west of the Mississippi. His recruiting focus was on Ohio and other parts of the Midwest in addition to the East coast with New York-based AAU director Book Richardson on his staff.

Miller now has his first Five-Star recruit overall in Turner for the Class of 2011. News broke this morning from Dave Telep of Scout.com that Miller has achieved commitments from Class of 2012 forward Grant Jerrett and Class of 2013 guard Eric Cooper Jr.

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Former UA guard Eric Cooper is reliving the recruiting process, now as coach and father of Class of 2013 prospect Eric Cooper Jr.

LAS VEGAS — Eric Cooper is familiar with the stage of Sean Miller‘s program at Arizona because he experienced a similar phase in Lute Olson’s timeline with the Wildcats.

Cooper was part of Olson’s famed Class of 1985, arguably the best Olson amassed, that included Sean Elliott, Anthony Cook, Kenny Lofton and Bruce Wheatley.

That was Olson’s third class at Arizona. Olson’s first class included emergency plug-ins, such as Steve Kerr, Pete Williams and Eddie Smith following Ben Lindsey‘s 4-24 debacle in 1982-83. Olson’s recruiting scope broadened with his second class, in which he signed his first McDonald’s All-American Craig McMillan.

Olson’s third recruiting class with Cooper, Elliott and Co., hit the mother lode, a result of the former coach’s ability to take the UA to the NCAA tournament in only his second season. Olson’s full potential was not realized at the time of their signing, however.

Olson had no Pac-10 titles and no Final Fours with the Wildcats at that point. Sellouts at McKale Center were not yet the norm. McKale Center, which had a capacity of 13,658 at the time, averaged 7,297 fans in Olson’s first year and 10,932 in his second.

“The team has a little bit to prove,” Cooper said Saturday when asked of his thoughts about Arizona’s program under Miller. “The coaching staff has a little bit to prove. The fan support is there on another level.”

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