Class of 2027 guard Cooper Zachary updates his summer recruitment, shows out at 3SSB Session 2
BY ALEJANDRO LOPEZ & SAM LANCE
COUNSIL BLUFFS, IA — Class of 2027 guard Cooper Zachary feels like he has something to prove during Adidas 3SSB this summer after losing the Indiana Class 4A state championship game with Fishers by one point. He’s playing like it.
“We’re definitely going to have a chip on our shoulder,” Zachary told ZAGSBLOG. “Not that we weren’t already going to have one if we would have won, but it’s just going to add more fuel to the fire. Everyone’s kind of looking down on us since we lost five seniors, but I think we’re going to get back there.”
The 5-foot-9 guard can score with the best of them despite his size. He averaged 19.3 points per game along with 3.1 assists as he helped Indiana Elite to a 6-2 record during the first two sessions.
Cooper Zachary is Deadly from 3 but best of all he is a relentless Defender. He picks up 94 feet and just wreaks havoc! His 3 pt fg % is crazy he hit an efficient 13 3’s in 2 games pic.twitter.com/CDwFFmIA9H
— In The Gym Hoops (@inthegymhoops_) May 18, 2025
“I’m not going to go in there and try and go finish over a 7-foot big,” Zachary said. “That’s almost impossible for my size, so I just have to be crafty. You know, play off two [feet], jump-stop, floaters, all that type of stuff. Touch, finish.”
While Zachary and his squad have done well so far, their goals are still far from accomplished.
“Definitely to win the 3SSB championship and then get first team all 3SSB,” Zachary said. “And then obviously, pick up some offers.”
The Indiana native has already gathered a few offers up to this point, including Cal State Bakersfield, Eastern Illinois, Kent State and Nevada. He’s also receiving interest from Arkansas Little-Rock, Butler, Coastal Carolina, Evansville, Purdue, San Diego, SEMO, Western Michigan and Wright State. Zachary has taken unofficial visits to Butler, Eastern Illinois, Evansville, Kent State, Purdue, Western Michigan and Wright State.
Here is how he broke down his recruitment so far:
Butler: “Thad Matta, obviously a legendary coach. I went out for a game day visit, so I didn’t really get to talk to him much, but I like the way he coaches as well. You know, he’s the old school guy who knows basketball really well. He’s been around all his life. And then [Jon] Diebler and [Alex] Barlow, they’ve been recruiting me. So I love them too.”
Eastern Illinois: “Eastern Illinois was awesome. I mean, unfortunately, the coach that recruited me and offered me took an assistant coaching job at Coastal Carolina. But I love Marty Simmons. He’s a great dude, very old school. He knows what it takes to play for Bob Knight, so stuff like that.. And their team’s awesome. I went to go watch them like three times against IU, Illinois, Northwestern. I mean, it was awesome.”
Evansville: “Yeah, I went to Evansville during the high school season. I also know a few players on the team. I know some of their coaches, and their arena is incredible. Their practices are tough, and their coach is also tough. That’s what I value. I just want to coach that wants a player to be better, and coaches”
Kent State: “The atmosphere they have, like I feel like they’re very connected as a team and as coaches. I like coach [Rob] Senderoff a lot. He definitely develops the players well, and he’s on them. I like a coach who’s on me, who wants me to be better. So I really liked it.”
Purdue: “I went to Purdue back in March, and it was also a game day visit. P.J. Thompson had me up. And then Mackey Arena, second to none. The atmosphere is insane. I went back into the locker room, and it’s just like all the players, they love each other. And the team room is insane. I love it, and I love coach [Matt] Painter.” Zachary has plans to visit Purdue later this year.
Western Michigan: “My dad went there, so it was obviously cool to be on my dad’s old stomping ground. The campus life is crazy. It’s awesome. And their practice was very well ran, and the head coach, he didn’t run the practice. That’s how good it was. Like the assistant coaches were running it, and the head coach was just talking to all their recruits. So it felt very personal.”
Wright State: “I was the only person on campus, so it was awesome. I have a few guys that I played against in the state championship are going there. So, it was awesome to go watch their game and just go see what they’re about. I like their head coach, too, Clint Sargent. He’s a great dude. He’s young, but I think he’s going to excel. He’s going to get to the higher level.”
Zachary is looking for a team that believes in him and his game.
“How much they interact with me, to be honest, that’s the biggest thing,” he said. “I want a coach who believes in me, who loves me. Then I just want to see a very well-rounded practice, you know, a very tough, hard coach.”
As the son of a former college basketball player, Zachary takes a lot of advice from his father, Dan Zachary, in regards to improving his game.
“Consistency, that’s all my dad preaches,” he said. “As long as I play hard, my chips will fall in the right spot. So playing hard, hitting shots, stuff like that, you’ll be fine. Being a man, he’s molded me into the man I am today. And it’s just, I can’t thank him enough. You know, my parents, they really made me into a great human being, just because they’ve had, they had tough lives growing up, and they put me in a great position to have a great life and in the right spot. I just have to go out there and do it.”
Zachary is the number 21 point guard in the 2027 class, per ESPN. His favorite NBA player is Steph Curry and his favorite hobby outside of basketball is hanging out with his friends and playing video games.
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