He’s a former college star in Kentucky. Now, he’s leading an SEC school in NCAA tourney.

Ta’Lon Cooper’s college basketball journey — now in its fifth season — could reach a crescendo this weekend.

Cooper is a standout guard for 6 seed South Carolina, one of the special stories of this college basketball season. The Gamecocks (26-7 overall and 13-5 in the SEC) are in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017 (and just their second trip in the last 20 years) under sparkling second-year head coach Lamont Paris.

South Carolina figures to lean on Cooper heavily during its round-of-64 matchup Thursday afternoon against 11 seed Oregon, the Pac-12 Conference Tournament champions and a game that will be played at 4 p.m. in Pittsburgh and broadcast on TNT.

Cooper’s college hoops journey has its roots planted in the commonwealth.

Cooper, originally from Roebuck, South Carolina, played the first three seasons of his career in Rowan County at Morehead State. Cooper transferred to Minnesota for the 2022-23 season before now closing his college career at South Carolina.

Those three seasons with the Eagles under head coach Preston Spradlin were formative for Cooper, who played in all 31 games (with 11 starts) as a sophomore for a Morehead State team that in the 2020-21 season won 23 games and the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament to reach March Madness.

“Coming in as a freshman, I had a great group of guys around me and from there I just developed as the point guard — tuned into the point guard role,” Cooper said Wednesday afternoon inside Pittsburgh’s PPG Paints Arena. “(That) helped me lead these guys and keep them calm and poised throughout the game. So just being a leader throughout my career.”

This puts Cooper in the position of being a player with past NCAA Tournament experience as the Gamecocks prepare for the Ducks in the Steel City.

Cooper’s past opportunity in the NCAA Tournament — Morehead State lost as a 14 seed to 3 seed West Virginia in 2021 — came with a caveat. COVID-19 regulations called for that year’s edition of March Madness to be played entirely in Indiana. The Eagles faced the Mountaineers inside Indianapolis’ Lucas Oil Stadium, normally the home of the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts, with a reported attendance of 6,390 fans.

“Well, when I came, it was during COVID. So I didn’t get the full experience,” Cooper said, adding that he’s most excited about the chance to play in front of a bigger crowd Thursday.

“But just to tell (my teammates) just to embrace the moment. We’re on the big stage, going to play in front of a good group of crowd. So just embrace the moment and go out there and have fun and play basketball.”

Cooper’s resume features plenty of high-level playing experience. Entering Thursday’s NCAA Tournament opener, he’s played in 159 career college basketball games and has made 116 starts.

And while there was plenty on tape from his time with Morehead State — Cooper averaged at least 7 points and 3.1 assists per game in each of his three seasons with the Eagles — and Minnesota to suggest to Paris that he would be a valuable addition, Cooper has also undergone plenty of development this season.

Cooper is averaging 9.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game for the Gamecocks. That ball distribution stat places Cooper among the top 130 players in the country. Per KenPom, Cooper is a top-70 player nationally in offensive rating and is the 27th-best 3-point shooter in the nation at 45.3% (53-for-117 on distance shots this season).

“Oftentimes you think about young guys when you think about that, just because typically they have the most room for growth. And it’s harder for a guy that’s in his fifth year to grow as much, but Ta’Lon has grown tremendously in a lot of different ways,” Paris, who recently agreed to a contract extension to remain South Carolina’s head coach through the 2029-30 season, said.

“Offensively, as a shooter, he’s been really consistent. I think in his last year at Minnesota he had good numbers overall as a shooter, but it was — started off the season with a bang and kind of just crept through it toward the end. Where, he’s been really, really consistent as a shooter (at South Carolina).”

And it didn’t take long for Paris to also praise Cooper’s growth at the other end of the court as part of a South Carolina defense that allows only 67 points per game.

“I think where the most growth has happened with him is on the defensive side of things,” Paris added. “He’s had some moments defensively where he’s had some matchups and guys were being really aggressive and he’s done some really, really good things for us defensively. I think we’ve created an environment where he and some other guys also have grown as leaders.”

Ta’Lon Cooper’s impact still felt with Morehead State basketball

Nearly two entire college basketball seasons have passed since Cooper left Morehead State, and the Eagles themselves have their own NCAA Tournament preparations to worry about ahead of Thursday’s afternoon’s matchup with Big Ten Tournament champion Illinois in Omaha, Nebraska.

But you don’t have to look far, or ask around much, to realize the positive effects of Cooper’s time at Morehead State still linger.

Cooper shared the backcourt at Morehead State for two seasons with Drew Thelwell, who is now the all-time wins leader in Morehead’s program history with 94 victories across four seasons.

Thelwell is having his own standout college basketball season: He’s 14th in the country in total assists (207) and has set a Morehead State single-season record for assists in the process.

Last month, when the Herald-Leader asked Thelwell about past teammates who have helped him become the player he is today, Cooper was the first name out of his mouth.

“I can say for sure Ta’Lon Cooper is one of the best point guards in college basketball,” Thelwell said. “And he always told me: Play at my own pace. And my pace is different than his, and his is different than mine. But once you find your pace, stick with it.”

Further evidence that Cooper isn’t too far removed from the Eagles’ program?

When Morehead State released a tribute video after Thelwell became the program’s all-time wins leader last month, Cooper was one of two still-active former Morehead players who appeared in it (along with fellow SEC star Johni Broome) to offer their congratulations.

“Once an Eagle, always an Eagle. Soar Eagles baby,” Cooper concluded his message.

Thursday

No. 6 seed South Carolina vs. No. 11 seed Oregon

What: NCAA Tournament Midwest Regional

When: 4 p.m. EDT

Where: PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh

TV: TNT

Records: South Carolina 26-7, Oregon 23-11