According to a release from St. Anthony High School, Eric Cooper has been named Head Basketball coach for the Saints.

Cooper joins St. Anthony after five highly successful seasons at La Verne Lutheran where he took the low-profile program at the small school and built it into a Southern California and state-wide powerhouse. The year prior to Cooper’s arrival at La Verne Lutheran, the Trojans had a record of 7-12.

In Cooper’s first year, the Trojans went 29-1 and won the CIF Championship. Over the five years, Cooper led the Trojans to five straight CIF and State playoff appearances, winning two CIF Championships and back-to-back State Championships. He was also named State Coach of the Year in 2010 and 2011 by Cal Hi Sports. Prior to his stint at La Verne Lutheran, Cooper had served as assistant coach for the WNBA Phoenix Mercury and the ABA Anaheim Surf, and he also served as Head Coach of the ABA Ontario Warriors.

Eric Cooper replaces Coach Chris Morrison who stepped down in March to purse coaching at the collegiate level.