JONESBORO, Ark. (6/20/25) – Arkansas State men’s basketball head coach Ryan Pannone announced Friday the hiring of Dean Cooper to his 2025-26 staff as an assistant coach.
 
Cooper returns to coaching following two years as the owner, consultant, and coach for Cooper Sports Properties LLC. The company focused on player development and basketball consultation, establishing programs such as Hooper’s Workshop and Win the Margins.
 
 “We’re very fortunate to get a coach of Coach Coop’s experience with 22 years in the NBA, working for the Chicago Bulls, Portland Trail Blazers, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Houston Rockets,” Pannone said. “He’s someone that’s seen everything that there is. He’s coached the best players in the world for a long time, and he’s seen the way that great teams are developed and the way that great players are developed.
 
He was brought in to help spearhead our defense, and coming from working with some of the top players and top coaches in the history of the game, we’re very fortunate to have someone of his experience on our staff and to surround our players with.”
 
He served as an assistant coach for UTRGV during the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons, guiding the Vaqueros to high national ranks in multiple categories. In his first season, the team ranked fourth nationally for offensive free throw rate and 37th for non-steal turnover percentage.
 
In 2022-23, UTRGV ranked inside the top five for pace (fifth), offensive free throw rate (second), offensive rim rate (third), and defensive three-point impact (1st).
 
Prior to his time in Edinburg, Texas, Cooper spent 21 years working at the professional level. He started as a video coordinator and scout for the Houston Rockets in 1999 before becoming an assistant coach in 2001.
 
He was promoted to the Director of Scouting in 2004 and operated in the role for three years before becoming the Vice President of Player Personnel from 2007-08. The Rockets made the playoffs every season over that span, ranking inside the top six in defensive efficiency for five consecutive seasons.
 
Cooper became an assistant coach for the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2008 and guided the team to improvements in shot distribution performance. Minnesota improved from 11th to sixth in rim defense, 17th to sixth in corner three defense, and 11th to seventh in non-rim two-point defense.
 
In addition, the team improved from 17th to 12th in rim offense, 27th to 11th in corner three offense, and 14th to ninth in non-rim two-point offense.
 
He became a pro-personnel scout for the Timberwolves in 2009 before accepting a position as the Director of Player Development for the Portland Trail Blazers in 2010. Cooper returned to Houston as an assistant coach in 2012 and helped the Rockets finish inside the top six for offensive efficiency in 2012-13 and 2013-14 while improving defensive efficiency from 17th to 11th.
 
He moved to the NBA D-League – known now as the NBA G-League – to become the head coach of the Idaho Stampede and Salt Lake City Stars from 2014-17. His organization led the league in various defensive categories and produced the most call-ups of any D-League team over those three seasons.
 
The Utah Jazz added Cooper as a pro-personnel scout for one season before the Chicago Bulls hired him as an assistant coach. While in Chicago, the Bulls recorded the highest opponent turnover percentage in NBA history at 18.3 percent and led the league in deflections (17.4 per game), steals (10.0 per game) and points off turnovers (21.2 per game).
 
Cooper began his collegiate coaching career at Aquinas College from 1995-97 before moving to Division I at Buffalo. He served as the Director of Basketball Operations before receiving a promotion to assistant coach.
 
The Belding, Mich., native holds 12 years of experience as a camp director in the NBA’s Basketball Without Borders program and was a Game Plan Coordinator for Team USA at the 2006 FIBA World Championships.
 
Cooper earned his undergraduate degree in business administration from Aquinas in 1991.
 
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