Lynning it up

Lynn’s men’s basketball guard, Daniel Cooper, has many talents off the court including playing a lead role in the 2013 major motion picture: Playing for Love. Cooper has also been featured in commercials and on the cover of books.

Cooper, 20, grew up in Chicago and the 6’5 star transferred to Lynn from Goldey-Beacom College in Delaware.
“I feel blessed to be at Lynn and I am excited about the near future,” said Cooper.
The balancing act of juggling acting and basketball in addition to his education has been challenging for Cooper.
“One has to get neglected more than the other two, which is acting right now,” he said. “I have to play basketball. It pays for my education, so I have to do that in school. [At the same time] I need school to play basketball, so acting has been kind of put off to the side.”
Cooper is currently in the process of recovering from an ankle injury that he acquired during a scrimmage in preparation for the season. He tore a deltoid ligament in his ankle and is working diligently to get back to 100 percent before the home opener against Florida Memorial tomorrow, Nov. 12.
“For I know the plans, I have for you, declares the Lord,” Cooper explained about his feelings on the minor setback. “Plans to prosper you, not to harm you, plans to give you hope in the future.”
The obstacles Cooper has faced have not stopped him before. Basketball and acting alike, Cooper has the recipe for success.
“It all started when I moved down here to Miami, I tried out to be a stunt double,” Cooper said, only a senior in high school at the time his acting career was taking off. “But long story short, God blessed me with an opportunity to be a leading role in this movie called ‘Playing for Love.’ The film is currently in RedBox after a short run in theaters.
Although acting is not his main focus at the moment, Cooper is still pursuing his entertainment career.
He plans to continue his acting career, but has not ruled out basketball as a profession. While both industries have been deemed a challenge to find success in, the young hopeful intends to make one, if not both, work for him. Cooper acknowledged that both occupations can be a long shot, but he is willing to take the risk.
“I’m going to try to graduate in two years,” said Cooper. “But after school, I’ll probably take acting a lot more serious.”
In the summer of 2018, he will be featured in the movie Fate & Freedom by K.I. Knight, based off of the award-winning book. Aside from starring in movies, Cooper was also featured in a Lebron James commercial, “Nike & Lebron James: Training day.”