Time was winding down and the outcome already decided when Omar Cooper found himself all alone racing to the basket against Alabama-Birmingham.

Cooper, who was making his first start of the season for McNeese State, doesn’t score a lot as the Cowboy point guard. So this was his chance to add a rare bucket to the box score.

As Cooper closed in on the basket he caught Christian Shumate out of the corner of his eye. Shumate is the McNeese forward who is second on the team in scoring and a human highlight film.

However, Shumate was struggling from the field against the Blazers despite grabbing 21 rebounds. Instead of laying in the easy two points, Cooper instead gave up the basketball with a little flair.

He passed the ball off the backboard, leaving it perfectly for the charging Shumate, who did what he does best and powerfully dunked it.

The play put an exclamation point on the Cowboys’ 81-60 road victory at UAB and speaks volumes about Cooper, a pass-first team guy.

“He is happy making other people happy,” said McNeese head coach Will Wade. “He loves to pass the basketball and knows his role.”

In the Cowboys’ last game, a home win against Mississippi University for Women last Tuesday, Cooper dished out 10 assists and had just one turnover in 17 minutes of playing time. He also had six points and six rebounds.

“Omar had a tremendous game,” acting coach Vernon Hamilton said Tuesday. “He really controls the game and gets us into our offense.”

The 6-foot junior guard is seventh in the country in assist to turnover ratio at 5.8 per game. He has 43 turnovers and just eight turnovers for the 8-2 Cowboys.

“Coop is the most team-oriented guy,” Wade said. “He makes other people better. He is the most prepared player, willing to do whatever the team needs.”

Cooper came to McNeese after spending two seasons at Clarendon College in Texas but wasn’t sure at first how his playing time would work out.

“I didn’t know what my role would be,” Cooper said. “Whatever I can do to help this team win, I’ll do. What coach tells me to do, I’ll do.”

Cooper says he would rather make the big pass than get a basket, especially if it leads to a dunk.

“It helps us win,” Cooper said of his passing. “It brings the guys together. It brings up the energy for everyone.”

Cooper knows the connection basketball can bring to people. He learned the game playing against his twin brother Sharife, who is a point guard in the NBA’s G League after spending a short time at Auburn. Sharife was a second-round draft pick of the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2021 and has spent a short time with the big club.

Sharife is also struggling to try and get back to the league.

Despite being the same age, Omar Cooper has learned from his brother’s journey and attempt to get back to the NBA.

“I look up to him,” Cooper said. “He has shown great resilience when things are tough. He has taught me how to keep grinding.”

That grinding has led Cooper into the starting lineup for the Cowboys who are gaining national attention by the week.

Meanwhile, Cooper is happy to be staying in the background, handing out passes to make others happy.

Especially those that come off the backboard.