The Times Athlete of the Week: Ottawa’s Cooper Knoll

After the votes were counted, The Times Athlete of the Week is Ottawa boys basketball’s Cooper Knoll. The Athlete of the Week is sponsored by SOCU.

Knoll received 44.1% of the online vote after finishing the Plano Christmas Classic with a 29-point, 16-rebound game against Yorkville Christian and an 18-point, nine-rebound effort vs. Oregon as the Pirates captured the consolation title.

Also on the ballot were runner-up Christian Benning (Streator boys basketball), Kaitlin White (Fieldcrest girls basketball) and Asher Hamby (Seneca boys wrestling).

Next week’s ballot – featuring Woodland boys basketball’s Nick Plesko, Seneca girls basketball’s Lainie Olson, Ottawa girls wrestling’s Ava Weatherford and Streator boys wrestling’s Nicholas Pollett – is online now and accessible via Facebook (The Times Sports) and Twitter (@jtpedelty), with voting continuing through midday Wednesday.

Here is a Q&A with Knoll:

Do you have any nicknames?

Some people call me Coop.

The team finished the Plano Christmas Classic strong, capturing the consolation title with three straight wins after an opening-round loss. What came together for you guys?

We were really sound defensively and moved the ball well.

What do you have to do to keep things going in the right direction?

Keep playing good defense and run good offense.

How old were you when you started playing basketball, and in what league did you first play?

I was 6 or 7 at the YMCA.

You have a nice shooting touch from the outside for a post player. How did you develop it?

I go through the same form routine since grade school.

What goals do you have for yourself this season? How about for the team?

All-conference, [and] for the team finish with a winning record.

What movie would you say you’ve seen more than any other, and how many times have you seen it?

“Real Steel.” I’ve seen it like five to six times.

You and the team are going out to dinner to celebrate a big win. Where do you go and what do you order?

Sam’s Pizza, half pepperoni and half bacon with cinnamon sticks.

If you could go anywhere in the world on an all-expenses-paid, two-week vacation, where would you pick and why?

An all-exclusive in Cabo [San Lucas, Mexico], because it’s warm.

What are your three favorite high school gyms you’ve played in?

Kingman Gym, Rochelle and Plano.

Is there a fact about you that might surprise people who only know you through sports?

I was born a month early and still weighed 8.5 pounds.

Do you have any college plans? If so, do they involve sports?

No college plans yet.