Dean Cooper Joins Arkansas State Men's Basketball Staff as Assistant Coach

Arkansas State men’s basketball head coach Ryan Pannone announced Friday the hiring of Dean Cooper as an assistant coach for the upcoming 2025-26 season. Cooper brings a wealth of experience to the Red Wolves, including more than two decades in the NBA and recent collegiate coaching roles.

Cooper most recently operated his own company, Cooper Sports Properties LLC, where he focused on player development and basketball consulting. His programs — such as Hooper’s Workshop and Win the Margins — reflected his commitment to improving player performance both on and off the court.

“We’re very fortunate to get a coach of Coach Coop’s experience,” Pannone said. “He’s coached the best players in the world for a long time and knows what it takes to develop both great players and great teams. He’ll be spearheading our defense and brings insight from working alongside some of the top coaches in the game.”

Before his time in private development, Cooper served as an assistant coach at UTRGV from 2021 to 2023. Under his guidance, the Vaqueros posted impressive national rankings, including top-five finishes in offensive and defensive metrics such as free throw rate, pace, and three-point impact.

Cooper’s professional coaching career began in 1999 with the Houston Rockets, where he started as a video coordinator and scout. He later became an assistant coach and then served as the team’s Director of Scouting and Vice President of Player Personnel. During his tenure, the Rockets consistently made playoff appearances and ranked in the top tier of the NBA for defensive efficiency.

He continued his NBA journey with the Minnesota Timberwolves, where he helped significantly improve the team’s offensive and defensive shot selection. He also served as Director of Player Development for the Portland Trail Blazers and returned to Houston as an assistant coach, helping the Rockets achieve top-six offensive rankings in back-to-back seasons.

Cooper’s résumé also includes head coaching stints in the NBA Development League (now the G-League) with the Idaho Stampede and Salt Lake City Stars. His teams led the league in multiple defensive categories and produced the most player call-ups during his time.

After a year as a pro-personnel scout with the Utah Jazz, Cooper was hired by the Chicago Bulls as an assistant coach. There, the Bulls set an NBA record for opponent turnover percentage and led the league in deflections, steals, and points off turnovers.

Cooper’s coaching career began at the collegiate level with Aquinas College and the University at Buffalo. He also served as a camp director for the NBA’s Basketball Without Borders program for 12 years and helped Team USA as a game plan coordinator during the 2006 FIBA World Championships.

A native of Belding, Michigan, Cooper holds a degree in business administration from Aquinas College, earned in 1991.