PRINCETON: Cooper takes over at PHS

New lacrosse coach has wealth of experience

By Justin Feil, Assistant Sports Editor
   Christie Cooper has always been involved in lacrosse, first as a player and then as a coach for a variety of levels.
   Cooper is adding a new title as head coach of the Princeton High School girls team. She replaces legendary coach Joyce Jones, who she assisted the last three seasons. Jones asked her to be her successor before announcing her retirement.
   ”I was a little nervous,” said Cooper, who teaches at Princeton Charter School. “I had a lot on my plate, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s fun. I can always continue to learn. The game changes so fast. I love the game. I want other girls to love the game as much as I do.”
   Cooper played scholastically in Pennsylvania before starring at The College of New Jersey. She led the Lions on defense with 66 ground balls and 36 caused turnovers in her senior season. She was a Division III first-team All-America selection. She was a two-time NCAA All-Tournament team member.
   As nice as her individual success was, it was the team success that she enjoyed with the Lions that she would like to bring to PHS, particularly at the defensive end where she excelled.
   ”Everybody focuses on the offense,” Cooper said. “But there’s that saying — offense wins games; defense wins championships. I love defensive drills. You win by scoring more goals, but you have to be able to stop other teams.”
   She helped do plenty of that at TCNJ. TCNJ won more than 92 percent of its games in her career and was twice the national runner-up and twice a national semifinalist. She also played in three Division III field hockey final fours.
   ”Now that I’m the head coach, I want to make this my own program, just like Joyce did,” Cooper said. “I want to make a name for the program. I want to get the pride back in Princeton so the girls say they want to go to Princeton, not just come up and then go to Peddie or Hun or another school.”
   Cooper is plenty familiar with the talent in the area and beyond from her other lacrosse associations. She is a coach for Tri-State Lacrosse, which features teams of dedicated players from a broad area. This will be her fifth year with Tri-State.
   Cooper also coaches with PG Lax, the Princeton Girls Lacrosse program that is promoting the sport from kindergarten through eighth grade ages. She is in her fourth year with PG Lax.
   ”The freshmen I have now were in fifth grade when I started PG Lax,” Cooper said. With her years of experience of youth coaching on top of three years assisting Jones at PHS, Cooper enters her first high school head coaching position with plenty of knowledge of her players as well as opponents’ abilities.
   And though it is her first head coaching position at this level, she feels well prepared to take over for Jones. Jones helped her see all the ins and outs of the job.
   ”Joyce showed how to communicate with parents and about putting the player before your goals,” Cooper said. “You have to take into account how the girls are feeling before you make any decision. And she showed you have to stay on top of things, and be a role model.”
   Cooper appreciated what the last three years have done for her coaching future. Coaching high school is different from the other levels because of some of the extra responsibilities.
   ”I’ve gotten to learn a lot,” Cooper said. “I didn’t jump right in. Maybe people take it for granted with coaching, but a lot that goes into it. You’re making the team, dealing with parents, doing everything. To get a feel for it before having to take charge of it, I can put things into perspective from what I’ve seen in the past and make better judgments.”
   Cooper is getting to know the Little Tigers even better now as she puts her stamp on the program. She is hoping that the union brings something special in a game that has always been a big part of her life, and is even bigger now as a high school head coach for the first time.
   ”I’m very excited about this year,” Cooper said. “I have great leaders in my seniors. They’ve been waiting to be seniors for a while. They’re taking the role seriously. Even some of the freshmen playing up, everyone is a player. They disregard what class they are. You don’t want anyone to be intimidated or afraid of anyone on the team. The chemistry is really good. I hope that continues. I hope they pick each other up when they’re down and cheer for each other when they’re excited about something.”
   With Christie Cooper bringing her winning experience, there is plenty of excitement among the Little Tiger girls as they prepare for the official start of lacrosse season.