Not too far from her hometown of Philadelphia, senior guard Kahleah Copper consistently leads the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers to their current 11-5 (2-2) season start.
This year, Copper leads the team with an average of 17.4 points per game and eight rebounds per game. She has also posted 20 assists this season. She has played in 115 career games to date for Rutgers. She’s also started all games since her sophomore season.
Last season, Copper was named to the Second Team All-Big Ten and Second Team All-Met. She was the leading scorer for the Scarlet Knights for the second year in a row with an average of 16.3 points per game. Out of the 33 games she played last season, she was the leading scorer in 15 of them. Overall, she ranked seventh in the Big 10 when it came down to scoring.
Copper has continued with her accomplishments this season by earning a spot on the watch lists for the Naismith Trophy and Ann Meyers Drysdale Award.
Alongside her impressive numbers on offense, Copper contributes to Rutgers topped ranked defense.
Coming into the team’s Jan. 10 game at No. 5 Ohio State, Rutgers led the Big Ten in scoring defense at 52.7 points per game. Since then, they number has shifted to 55 points per game and Maryland and Purdue have both slipped past the Scarlet Knights to 54.6 and 54.7, respectively.
Despite Rutgers falling in their fifth game this season, Copper shined on offense. She posted her sixth double-double of the season with 19 points and 11 rebounds; however, Copper ran into foul trouble late in the fourth quarter and sat with under two minutes to play.
While Rutgers is not included in the top 25, they have contributed a handful of players currently in the WNBA in the previous years. Former Rutgers’ women’s basketball players currently playing professionally include New York Liberty’s Epiphanny Prince and Chicago Sky’s Cappie Pondexter.
04 JAN 2015: Rutgers Scarlet Knights guard/forward Kahleah Copper (2) splits two Iowa Hawkeyes defenders during the second half of the game between the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and the Iowa Hawkeyes played at The RAC on the campus of Rutgers University. The Iowa Hawkeyes defeated the Rutgers Scarlet Knights 79-72.
Copper was drumming up a storm long before coming to Rutgers. In 2012, she was the No. 17 prospect on ESPN’s HoopGurlz. When exploring her college options, she was seeking out DePaul, Syracuse, and St. John’s. However, health issues with her mother kept her closer to home.
Coming into the draft in April, Copper could have the potential to go to the San Antonio Stars or the Connecticut Sun. Both teams are in dire need of a strong guard after their mediocre performances over the season.
While Copper’s main role is guard, she can also flip to play forward. For the Stars, Copper would be a pivotal player to pick up for the future of the franchise. San Antonio just saw 10-year WNBA veteran forward Sophia Young-Malcolm at the conclusion of the 2015 season.
Additionally, veteran guard Jia Perkins has played eleven years, so eventually the team will be looking for another guard. In the meantime, Perkins would be able to mentor young guards, much as the case is with Tamika Catchings in the next year with the Indiana Fever.
Copper and the Scarlet Knights look to bounce back from their 90-78 loss against Ohio State when they host Illinois Jan. 13.
