Home Grown: Anthony Cooper

Small Battles. Big Results

A lot of athletes talk about “the grind.” Anthony Cooper can point to the exact reps that changed his life.

In this episode of Home Grown: Real Athletes. Real Stories. Big Dreams, we sit down with Jacksonville, North Carolina native Anthony Cooper, a midfielder who built his game from the ground up—starting lacrosse in eighth grade, expanding his skillset at Northside High School, and earning his way to play college lacrosse at Coker University.

His story is about more than highlights—it’s about the small battles most people overlook.

We dive into:
🥍 Starting lacrosse late and catching up through work
🥍 How ground balls and takeaways build real impact
🥍 The mindset shift from sophomore to junior year
🥍 Using football to bring physicality and confidence
🥍 Leading a growing program at Northside High School
🥍 Staying motivated when wins aren’t coming
🥍 College recruiting strategies that actually work
🥍 Why highlight film (especially the first minute) matters most
🥍 Using platforms like FieldLevel and social media to get noticed
🥍 Choosing Coker University and what success looks like now

Anthony’s message is clear: Progress isn’t hype—it’s reps, stacked daily.

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👉 Comment: What’s one small habit that could change your season?

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Support for homegrown is provided by Humphrey Heating and Air Condition, proudly serving Eastern North Carolina since 1967.

SPEAKER_00 0:10

They grew up on our fields, on our courts, in our towns. And now they've taken that hometown pride to the college stage. This is homegrown. Real athletes, real stories, big dreams.

SPEAKER_02 0:36

Anthony Cooper's journey is a masterclass in development and consistency. Born and raised in Jacksonville, North Carolina, Anthony became one of the most complete lacrosse midfielders the area has seen at Northside High School. As a sophomore, he earned all-area second team honors. As a junior, he elevated his game and landed first-team all-area recognition while helping the Monarchs improve their win total. By his senior season, Anthony was a player to watch in a first-team all-area selection for the second straight year, exploding for 40 goals, 10 assists, 98 ground balls, and 36 takeaways, including two six goal performances and another four goal games. Now at Coker University in Hartsville, South Carolina, Anthony continues to carry that work ethic, toughness, and pride that were shaped right here at home. Anthony, thanks for joining us today. Of course. Thank you for having me. Absolutely. So let's just, man, let's just hop in. So let's just start at the beginning. What was it like growing up in Jacksville and Oslo County? And how did this environment shape you?

SPEAKER_03 1:49

Growing up in Jacksonville, it was nice, you know, very great community. All my friends, you know, everybody's pushing each other to make it out because no one wants to stay stuck in Jacksonville. But uh yeah, it was it was nice. Um I was always an outside kid, you know. I love running around playing sports, and uh it was just like it shaped me, made me tough, and made me like resilient to everything.

SPEAKER_02 2:10

That's awesome. So when did you first start playing lacrosse? So right before we we we came on the air and started recording this, yeah, I found out you played football also at Northside. But when did you first start playing lacrosse and what initially kind of hooked you on the game?

SPEAKER_03 2:25

Well, uh first time I started playing lacrosse was eighth grade. Um and really it was just me and my friends. His brother used to play lacrosse for Northside when I uh I was uh when I was in eighth grade, he was a junior. So we just got into that and I loved it since then. You know, I played travel and then my freshman year, I got into it and I just fell in love with the game.

SPEAKER_02 2:47

Fell in love with the game. Yes, sir. So travel, did you play Onslow Tribe or did you play No, I played Jacksonville Juice.

SPEAKER_03 2:53

Okay, okay.

SPEAKER_02 2:54

Another I I my my nephew, a few years older than you, uh played, was on one of the original Onslo Tribe teams that that started. So uh not familiar with the juice, but uh that's awesome that another club has uh sprang up in our area, which shows you the growing game, the game, game in the area. So that's awesome. So sophomore, all area second team, 14 goals, 12 assists, 129 ground balls, 52 face-off face-offs won. What did that season teach you at comp about competing at a high level?

SPEAKER_03 3:32

Um, it taught me that it wasn't, it's a lot different than travel. Um, there's a lot more players out, you know, want to make it out and want to like reach big colleges. So I'm facing everyone with like with a dream and a goal, not just people playing around for fun. So it just showed me that I would have to work harder than everybody else to make it to where I want to be.

SPEAKER_02 3:50

Yeah, that's yeah. So junior year, you brought it, man.

unknown 3:55

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 3:56

First team all area, 23 goals, 169 ground balls, 52 takeaways. So between that sophomore and junior season, what changed mentally and physically for you between those two seasons that enabled you to make even a bigger impact?

SPEAKER_03 4:12

Um, nothing changed physically but mentally. I just I wanted it more, you know. I wanted, I really like found my passion in lacrosse. It was like something I would do every day. And it's just I wanted it, I wanted it bad. I was every rep I played hard, every sprint I ran hard. It was just something that I really wanted. And to be able where I'm at now is just a blessing, you know?

SPEAKER_02 4:38

That's awesome. So going back, you told me you played football uh at Northside. Yes, sir. Football in the fall. What position did you play?

SPEAKER_03 4:47

I played running back.

SPEAKER_02 4:48

Did you? Okay, so you played football in the fall. Lacrosse is basically football with a stick a lot of times, right? So a lot of a lot of players, uh, I was I was just talking about the tribe, my nephew uh in middle school, he he he was playing football, and a lot of some guys he was playing with football with in middle school, their dads um were from in the military, from the northeastern part of the country, Maryland, and up there where lacrosse has been big for a long time, uh, talked him into saying, hey, why don't you come out and play and play travel lacrosse at the time it was it was travel lacrosse? It was only lacrosse league that you know how we could play. And he fell in love with the game because of the physicality.

SPEAKER_01 5:31

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 5:32

Is that something I probably should ask you for? Is that something that you felt that that drew you to the game, the physicality of lacrosse?

SPEAKER_03 5:40

Yeah, like um and like in lacrosse, I love the physicality. I love like I don't know, just after getting a big hit, just something about it. Get a big hit, scoop it and go in the score. I love that. And like in the same thing in football, like making a big hit and scoring a touchdown is just something about that.

SPEAKER_02 5:59

Very, very similar, right?

SPEAKER_03 6:00

It fires you up a lot.

SPEAKER_02 6:02

Yeah, that's yeah, that's awesome. So seven games with double-digit ground balls, including 16, a 16 ground ball performance. What do winning those battles, because those are those are battle, kind of mini battles within a lacrosse game, what does winning those battles mean to you personally?

SPEAKER_03 6:20

Um those battles like because you're about like you face small challenges on the field like all the time, like adversary, you know, finding what like alley to dodge in, you know, it's um those battles are a lot to me. Just like the small things, because you do the small things right, and then the big things come together, is what my coach told me it's all the time.

SPEAKER_02 6:40

They'll take care of themselves, right?

SPEAKER_03 6:42

Yes, sir.

SPEAKER_02 6:42

Yeah. So in a game where the score doesn't maybe go your way all the time, because Northside was okay. I think your was your junior, senior year, your junior year, maybe you guys were like five and eleven or twelve or something like that. So, but in a game where the score doesn't always go your way, what keeps you competing at a high level?

SPEAKER_03 7:04

I just what keeps me competing at a high level, I hold that chip on my shoulder, that loss. Yeah. You know, when I put my on to everything into that game, it just makes me want to come back and try harder. You know, keeping that chip on my shoulder keeps me motivated and keeps me wanting to play harder and do better than everybody else.

SPEAKER_02 7:20

That's great. So going into your senior year, you uh were labeled as one of the players to watch in our area, uh, along with uh other players in uh, you know, in Onslaught County as well as uh Carter County, Croatan, uh, and West Carter Ed and stuff like that. Did that expectation change your mindset at all going into the season after kind of being labeled, hey, this guy's player that we got to look out for?

SPEAKER_03 7:47

Um no, not really. I always went into games with the best mentality. I always wanted to compete at the highest level and put my all into the game.

SPEAKER_02 7:57

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 7:58

No matter if they were people who were watching me or people weren't watching me, it was just I wanted to be the best at what I was doing at any time of the part of the game.

SPEAKER_02 8:06

Do you think that, off script here, so yeah, uh, do you think that um you maybe being labeled as a player to watch when you went to play other teams? I don't know what your number was in high school, but the but the kids would walk out there and like, hey, number whatever, that's the kid that is one is the player that we've got to look out for. Do you think uh that occurred? And how did you did you take that as a as a challenge? Did you take that how did you take it?

SPEAKER_03 8:38

Well, um, it happened a lot. Every almost every game with the game plan was against me, but I just took it as they're respecting me, you know. Yeah. Like if you're making your whole game plan against me, then I I honestly I honor that and I respect that because you're seeing me as a player, you're I want people to know my name as a player, you know.

SPEAKER_02 8:58

Like Yeah, that's what I would think. I mean, you went when whether it's a basketball game, football game, lacrosse match, uh whatever, when you uh as a team, your coach or the or your or the team game plan around stopping or containing or doing this or that to another player, that's that's gotta one, make you feel good, uh, two, motivate you, uh, and three, you know, just just want you to try to elevate your game. So uh yeah, so so that's a yeah, that's a good feeling. So senior year, you followed up another first team all-area season, 40 goals, had a couple games where you scored six goals. Yeah, that's pretty good, man. That's uh so a hat trick in hockey's three. Is there anything? Is there is I mean anything uh beyond, I mean, I know there is, but uh was there any kind of special phrase for scoring five, six goals or anything like that in in lacrosse?

SPEAKER_03 9:57

Well, in lacrosse, a hat trick is three as well, so I guess you could call it a double hat trick.

SPEAKER_02 10:01

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay. So six goals and then um but what really clicked for you offensively that that year?

SPEAKER_03 10:08

Offensively, it was just um because we had a pretty young team from my freshman year to going up, and I kind of like wanted to build the team around me and like around our players. I didn't want me to be the only star out there. So, you know, it's just my teammates, they came together and they actually put in the same work of me. Like every time I would call them up, let's go out and pass around, let's go up and shoot. Like, it was just it wasn't about me offensively, it was about my team and like trusting the players that I played with.

SPEAKER_02 10:39

So let's let's talk about that. That's a great segue. Let's talk about leadership from your freshman year and sophomore year on up to when you become an upperclassman. Um you didn't say this, but just from doing some research and just by talking, you were the best player on the team. And not only so you had to balance that, but also take on a probably a new role when you from when you were younger as being a leader. Yes, sir. So how did you approach leadership knowing game in, game out, match in match out, that the team was was relying on you not just to score, honestly, but in every phase phase of the game. How did you how did you approach that?

SPEAKER_03 11:23

Well, I you always gotta keep a level head in the field, but I just it's like taking a student under your wing, you know, I wanted everybody to be great, I want everybody to to succeed around me, you know. So um whether it was disciplining them, you know, running them or just talking them up, like telling them that they're good on the field, because you're not everything's gonna go right on the field, yeah. But just keeping a level head and not just yelling and shouting at them, which was a a big problem in our past few years, um, it was just a big difference, you know. You can't tear down your teammates, you can't um like belittle somebody because they messed up. You gotta bring them up and work as a team.

SPEAKER_02 12:04

So your senior year, and I don't know if it if this occurred your junior year as well, but you not only took on the role as as as as leader on the field from perspective of of your play, but you became a mid and you use the word a mentor to younger players uh trying to elevate their game both you know during practice and during games. Is that is that a fair statement?

SPEAKER_03 12:30

Yes, sir. I would say it's a pretty fair statement because um no matter what, like I'm not gonna try and belittle someone because they just started like a couple of our our D mids and like O mids, they just started a game and they were already like about as great as me at my junior year, then like with that one year, so yeah, so yeah, and and a lot of times, man, um it depends on the personalities, but sometimes you talk, you you yell at somebody or or talk down to them or whatever, they might have a tendency to shut down as opposed to the positive words of encouragement.

SPEAKER_02 13:09

So I'm sure it varied from player player to player, but uh yeah, that was that was a load on your shoulders being the being the score, being you know, winning the you know, the you know, the ground balls, and and and then also uh being a you know a cheerleader on the field and and encouragement. So yeah, that's awesome. So so what did it mean to you to earn first team area, all uh all area honors, back-to-back seasons while at the same time helping North Side's lacrosse program grow?

SPEAKER_03 13:46

Um, it meant everything to me, honestly. Like that was really what at the time I revolved my life around was lacrosse, and just knowing that all the work I'm putting in is like going to good use and like being able to build from say four freshmen and a whole team of seniors to now a whole like team of like 32 on the roster, it was a great feeling. You know, being able to have those subs, being able to have those people out at practice just wanting to get it and like get better at the sport, it was it was an amazing feeling.

SPEAKER_02 14:22

So so again, off script, so your freshman year, do you do you remember um around the number of kids that y'all had playing on the team?

SPEAKER_03 14:32

Around I would say not 19, like 1920.

SPEAKER_02 14:37

Okay, and your senior year 32. Yes, sir. Okay, so right. I mean, next question was beyond the record, you guys were showing real progress, and I wanted you to define success beyond wins and losses. Not putting words in your mouth, but I would think just watching your numbers grow from 19 to 32, would you define that as a success with the program?

SPEAKER_03 15:00

I would most definitely define that like as a success, not just for a program, but for lacrosse as a whole. Yeah. You know, because it's such a fast growing sport. Like from Maryland to small Jacksonville, North Carolina, you know, it's just it's I love growing a sport, not even just for Northside, but just for everybody. Like I want people to know this sport and know how great of a sport it is, because it really like helped me with a lot and it helped me get into college and just it just I love the game.

SPEAKER_02 15:29

Yeah. So talk so talking multi multi-sports athlete in high school. How did uh we talked about the f the physicality of football and and going into the cross? How uh what what other ways did playing football help you or transcend over uh and carry out onto the onto the cross field?

SPEAKER_03 15:51

Well, with football, it most definitely helped my physicality. Um like physicality was probably the number one thing I needed on the field just because how small of a player I am, how big other people are, but it most definitely helped that and it helped with a lot more with my strength and speed. Uh it was just it was a big factor of my success in lacrosse.

SPEAKER_02 16:14

I would think too, man, you said you were a running back. Yeah. Um if I was, you know, I mean, you're not small, but you're not big, but I would think that being elusive. I mean, you know, carrying the stick, I mean, you're definitely gonna not gonna shy away from taking a hit when you're you know, when you're on the football field or you're playing lacrosse, but if you can kind of juke or jive or something like that around around somebody, so which is very similar to where you're running the ball in the backfield. Is that a yeah?

SPEAKER_03 16:42

Most would say my my gameplay was like elusive, yeah. Or but I didn't have time to like hit the hole and run through a bunch of people and score.

SPEAKER_02 16:49

Yeah. So that's awesome. That man, that's great. So what do you hope younger players at Northside and and the area in general um learn from you and the way that you competed when you were at Northside?

SPEAKER_03 17:08

Well, one thing I wanted to take away, if anything, is that hard work actually does pay off. Um after practice, hitting the wall, it pays off. My coach, every every after practice, he would see me on that wall, putting in the work from freshman year to senior year. It was just like the small factors, they really come together and make you a great player. That's awesome.

SPEAKER_02 17:31

So you were an honor roll student throughout high school as well. How did you stay disciplined academically while carrying such a significant athletic role?

SPEAKER_03 17:42

I'm not gonna lie, it was it was a struggle. It was hard. There would be points where my grades would be slipping. Yeah, but the fact of not being able to play lacrosse to play football, it that wouldn't really drive me, I know.

SPEAKER_02 17:55

That was a motivating factor for you, knowing that that, hey man, I gotta make the grades in the classroom. Your parents, were they like on you about that? They'd like, you know, hey, you know, look, if if you know, if you don't make the grades, you know, something's gotta go. And it's and it's not gonna be the you know the classroom. Were they on you about that?

SPEAKER_03 18:12

I mean, yes and no. It was more of my peers around me, like, you know, how it's really a team is a brotherhood. Yeah. You gotta hold each other to a high standard to be a great team. So if one of my players are slipping up in the classroom, I'm gonna check them. Or if like they're messing up on the field, I'm gonna check them. So it's not only just my parents, but also my peers and like just the community around me.

SPEAKER_02 18:35

That's that's great. Yeah, and you're right, man. Sometimes um that, and I don't want to say peer pressure, but that that fear of letting your peers down, your teammates down, the brotherhood down, is a really big motivating factor.

SPEAKER_03 18:49

It's a big factor, and you could call it peer pressure because I mean at the end of the day, not all peer pressure is bad. Yeah. So like the the just the pressure and of the weight on my shoulder to let my team down, I couldn't, I couldn't allow that. So, you know, I had to get good grades and stay in school, you know.

SPEAKER_02 19:05

All right. Well, so let's talk about coker. Yes, sir. So when did Coker enter the picture during recruitment and what made it feel like the right fit for you?

SPEAKER_03 19:18

Well, Coker, I didn't start my recruitment till late, so Coker really like late winter. I visited there. I was I took a tour of the campus with Coach Ambrose, wonderful guy, I love that guy. Um, but it was really just like the brotherhood around Coker. They all they're a family, they work hard, they play hard together. It's not just like a tear each other down type of team. Um, and from other colleges and other like aspects of the game, I would say they probably have the best work and get rewarded mentality I've ever seen.

SPEAKER_02 19:54

That's awesome. So this is just for for my knowledge, and I'm sure the viewers will appreciate this as well. Um, a lot of college sport or a lot of high school sports, folks looking to go from high school sports to college, really, except for football, uh are not really recruited from say your high school team. Yeah. Was was your recruitment for college, was it done through your travel team or or was it done through you kind of hitting the grindstone emails and sending tape and stuff like that to to colleges? How did that occur for you?

SPEAKER_03 20:35

Well, with some of them, uh I had to reach out, obviously, yeah. And some was from travel because um I played with a couple different, not just Jacksonville juice, but also Leverage. Um, and I got some hits off of there, but really it was just the grind and making my film uploading it on the field level. And I had a bunch of coaches texting me. I feel like film is a big part of the recruitment process. Put your first three big ones in there, and the rest should be good, but not like too crazy. Because you don't there are really college coaches are gonna like watch the first minute of your film and they're not gonna watch the rest. So put your first three good ones and it should be good.

SPEAKER_02 21:14

And so and so it's changed obviously a ton since I was I'm obviously a lot older than you. So now student athletes that are looking to go to that next level have resources like is it Huddle?

SPEAKER_03 21:27

Like Huddle, field level. They have a like NCSA. Yeah. They have a bunch of different um methods and like tools to get recruited.

SPEAKER_02 21:36

And it's just registering, filling out a profile, uploading your your film, uploading the profile about you. And uh those are a lot of the things now that kind of um get the ball rolling. And and that's how it occurred.

SPEAKER_03 21:52

Yes, sir. I would say like just uploading my film anywhere I could Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter. Yeah, it's those are Good things to have, good resources to have to be able to upload your professional like film and you know your weights and everything like that.

SPEAKER_02 22:08

Okay, okay. So when you look back at your journey from your sophomore year to now, what are you most proud of? And and the second part of that is and what does success look like for you moving forward, both on and off the field? So what are you most proud of since your sophomore year to now? And what does success look like for you moving forward?

SPEAKER_03 22:31

Uh what I'm most proud of is being able and being blessed to make it into college with a lot of scholarship money, you know, being able to take that weight off my grandma, you know. Not like financially, we wouldn't have been able to do it without these scholarships. So it was really a br blessing. And what successful looks like for me in the future is uh winning a chip with the Coker Cobras and being able to graduate and really have a stable life.

SPEAKER_02 23:01

Have you thought about I know you're you're a freshman, right? Yes, sir. Getting ready, so y'all, your season is in the spring? Yes, sir. So you're getting so you're getting ready to gear up. I mean, I know you've been practicing and fall stuff, but so you're getting re getting ready to gear up and get it.

SPEAKER_03 23:14

Yes, sir.

SPEAKER_02 23:14

What uh what conference are you in?

SPEAKER_03 23:16

We're in the sack.

SPEAKER_02 23:17

In the sack, okay. Okay, so you're getting ready to get up and get it. So question is what's Anthony Cooper gonna do when he graduates from Coker University? What's the game plan? Have you thought about it?

SPEAKER_03 23:31

Um, I've done a lot of thinking about it. The game plan is to become a marine biologist.

SPEAKER_02 23:36

Awesome.

SPEAKER_03 23:36

Yes, sir. Uh probably move out to Cali. Okay. And, you know, get a job out there and just be able to provide for my family, my kids, you know. I want to be a great dad. And I want an even better husband to whoever I marry, so that is that's awesome.

SPEAKER_02 23:51

So la well, next to last question. When you hear the phrase homegrown, what does that mean to you personally?

SPEAKER_03 24:00

Um, it just it means a lot, honestly. Um being able born and raised in Jacksonville my whole life. Being able to represent this community in my city, it just it it's a good feeling, you know. Um I feel like Jacksonville isn't that known, but being able to like really put us on the map and really get us out there, it it's a great feeling.

SPEAKER_02 24:22

That's awesome. So again, off script. Are you the first player from Northside to get a college scholarship in in lacrosse or is there or has there been someone before you? Do you know?

SPEAKER_03 24:35

Uh previously I uh I think he graduated in 2023, Trust and Gatewood. Okay. He got a scholarship at Chiwan. Okay. I I play them soon, so okay. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 24:44

So what are y'all D D We're D2. D two, okay. Chwan, they're a junior college, or the or are they D three?

SPEAKER_03 24:51

No, they're D2. They're D2 D2.

SPEAKER_02 24:53

Okay, they're okay. They are so D2. So you so you get to play them during the season? Yes. So he so your teammate from uh from from Northside, you'll be going against him. Yes, sir. Are you still playing midfield?

SPEAKER_03 25:05

Yes, sir. I'm playing uh midfield right now at Coke.

SPEAKER_02 25:08

Okay, and what position does he play?

SPEAKER_03 25:10

He plays attack.

SPEAKER_02 25:11

Okay. So you're gonna are you gonna get the I'm gonna get a chance to walk him up, yeah. All right, man. That's good. That's awesome. That is awesome. So I've got um a closing question for you. Yep, but before I get to that, uh, I've got some questions for you that I haven't shared with you. It's called Rapid Fire. Okay. So I just want you to tell me the first thing that comes to your mind when uh I ask you this question. So, favorite lacrosse memory from high school.

SPEAKER_03 25:38

Favorite lacrosse memory from high school, uh senior year Jacksonville game, game-winning goal. Magnificent.

SPEAKER_02 25:44

That's awesome. Anytime you beat Jacksonville, I'm a White Oak guy. I went to White Oak. Yeah. We we we really don't like Jacksonville. Nobody likes Jacksonville, right? So anytime you can beat them in whatever, fill in the blank, it's a good feeling, right? Yes, it is. Absolutely. Tougher stat to earn goals or ground balls.

SPEAKER_03 26:06

Goals.

SPEAKER_02 26:07

Goals. Yeah, yeah. One skill you're still chasing perfection in.

SPEAKER_03 26:13

Uh one to that's a good one. Stinging corners. Okay. Haven't been able to sting corners yet is hard.

SPEAKER_02 26:20

What what explain to the to me and to the viewers what that means.

SPEAKER_03 26:24

So stinging like like a bounce shot, like hit a ball, when a ball hits the ground and goes in the goal, that's easy to do. But like being able to have the precise aim to like pick a corner on the goal and stand that's the So putting it in the upper 90 or or lower 90, like in soccer.

SPEAKER_02 26:42

That that would be like that is, which I would think is a lot harder, yeah, with the stick. So favorite way to celebrate a win.

SPEAKER_03 26:50

Favorite way to celebrate a win? Can I even speak about this? Um is it with the boys or really after after every win with the boys, we would we would go to cookout, get grab some cookout, and go eat outside of Sonic's. Best way to celebrate it. Best way to celebrate with the guys.

SPEAKER_02 27:08

Favorite teammate or locker room moment, either in high school, and I know you're just starting the college experience, but either high school or locker room or uh or college.

SPEAKER_03 27:18

Well, locker room moment for football, we always used used to be turned. No matter like what this the results of the game is, or no matter what. Before game, we were just dancing, having fun, you know. It was that's really what made football so great for me is like the the friends I got out of it, yeah, some of the best friends and will be like my main man's for a long time. Okay. But for lacrosse, it was probably just like being able to, you know, play catch with my teammates uh or like wall ball, really like locking in with my headphones on and getting ready for the game.

SPEAKER_02 27:55

All right. Leads into a great next question. Pre-game music. What are you listening to?

SPEAKER_03 28:01

Pre-game music, yeah. I am a big young boy fan.

SPEAKER_02 28:04

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 28:04

So I'll probably have my Youngboy playlist on. Okay. Just bumping that.

SPEAKER_02 28:09

Best advice you've received from a professor, a coach, or a mentor.

SPEAKER_03 28:16

Best advice I uh from a coach, professor, and mentor. Um my coach, my travel coach from like eighth grade, he told me I was gonna be the best player if I just kept putting in the work. And I took those words seriously. I kept putting in the work, and eventually I was the best player on the field.

SPEAKER_02 28:34

So that's great, man.

SPEAKER_03 28:35

That was some great advice.

SPEAKER_02 28:36

Last rapid fire. Favorite thing to do in Jacksonville when you're back?

SPEAKER_03 28:41

Favorite thing to do in Jacksonville when I'm back. I love to go hoop at the comments court. Me and my brother will hoop from the sun up to sundown.

SPEAKER_02 28:48

That is that that's great. So just hanging with friends and hanging with hanging with everybody. Closing question. Looking ahead, what are your goals not as a cost payer, but as a young man representing where you come from? And I know you talked about wanting to be a marine biologist, but um anything else that that comes to mind, maybe academically or whatever, um as you move forward.

SPEAKER_03 29:15

A goal is to um help my family, help my community, you know. Like my grandma, she's done a lot for me. I really appreciate her. She's basically giving me my life. Like, I want to be able to help her get her whatever she wants. If she wants a house, a house, a car, a car, you know. I just want to be able to like help my family and help my community succeed just as much as me.

SPEAKER_02 29:37

Awesome. So, one other thing, um, and I'm doing this periodically with with with young athletes, and you're at the beginning stages of your of your college career. Yes, sir. If folks want to keep up with Anthony Cooper via social media, are you on Instagram, X, Twitter, or whatever? How can I we'll post this in post-production. If folks want to follow you and kind of just just see about how things are going, how can they keep up with you?

SPEAKER_03 30:08

They can keep up with me on Instagram.

SPEAKER_02 30:11

Um you remember your handle?

SPEAKER_03 30:14

Yes, I do. Okay, it's swd dot underscore quinn. Um and they can keep up with me on huddle Anthony Cooper.

SPEAKER_02 30:22

Okay, awesome. Anthony, this has been great, man. This is that this has been awful. So Anthony Cooper's story is proof that growth is earned season by season, rep by rep. From all-area second team as a sophomore to back-to-back first team standout, and now a collegiate midfielder at Coker University. He continues to represent Jacksonville and Onslow County the right way. That's homegrown. Real athletes, real stories, and big dreams rooted where it all begins. Thank you for joining us and stay tuned for upcoming episodes.

SPEAKER_01 31:09

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