For York Dragonettes girls basketball player Emma Cooper, leadership is not just a title, but rather a standard.
As one of four seniors on the girls basketball team, Cooper has embraced the responsibility of setting the tone, both in the huddle and on the hardwood. Cooper said her message to teammates is simple: Effort and accountability are non-negotiable.
“We all need to hold each other accountable more,” Cooper said. “If anybody’s walking or jogging up and down the court, we need to [go] hey, let’s pick it up, and if we miss shots, we just need to pick each other up, like the next shot is going in.”
That mindset has translated into a season of growth for the Dragonettes, and a breakout year for Cooper herself. The 6-foot-1 forward and center has seen her offensive production climb into double-digit scoring averages, while shooting better than 35 percent from three-point range.
Cooper’s improvement has not come by accident. Cooper said the result of extra hours in the gym and a commitment to outworking yesterday’s version of herself have seen her more confident before every game.
“You want to get better,” Cooper said. “You want to get in the gym every day, work out, put in the extra work to get better.”
This winter, she has taken that approach even further. Cooper said she has increased her daily workouts from 45 minutes to an hour and a half, a change she believes will pay dividends when the pressure is highest.
“[That time] helps you get more shots up so once you’re in a game, you don’t have to think about it, you know it’s going in,” Cooper said. “During that hour and a half, you can go work out, get stronger, and it helps you physically to like not have the ball ripped away from you during games.”
Those sessions are no light lift. Cooper said she puts up 500 shots per workout, focusing heavily on three-pointers and post moves, sharpening the two areas that define her versatile role in York’s offense.
The senior’s journey is already extending beyond Jamestown. Cooper committed to play college basketball at Carson-Newman University ahead of her final high school season, where she plans to major in physical therapy, blending her love for athletics with a passion for helping others recover and compete.
For now, though, her focus remains on finishing strong with the Dragonettes, leading with energy, pushing her teammates, and chasing the next win, one rep and one possession at a time.