During her time as a Lady Buff basketball player, Emily (Brister) Cooper was one of the best players in the Lone Star Conference. She earned countless honors including being the only player in WT basketball history to be named a four-time Division II All-American.
On Feb. 13, another title will be associated with Cooper’s name: Hall of Famer. Cooper will be among three inductees into this year’s class for the Panhandle Sports Hall of Fame.
A graduate of Amarillo High School, Cooper played for the Lady Buffs from 2005-2009 where she set and broke countless records and won numerous awards. Among those records are scoring 2,645 points, averaging 22.1 points per game, having 406 steals, and making 234 3-point goals. She also leads in free throws made with 763 and attempted with 917, along with three-pointers attempted at 604 and field goals attempted with a total of 1,815. Her career was cut short due to a knee injury which she suffered against Midwestern State in Wichita Falls, but she holds the record in nine categories in Lady Buff basketball history.
Cooper is married to former Buff basketball player Tyler Cooper, the son of current head basketball coach Rick Cooper. Last season she became the fifth player in Lady Buff history to have her jersey retired in the First United Bank Center. Cooper is also the youngest player to see her jersey hung in the FUBC.
