Former Auburn point guard Sharife Cooper is a Hawk. The Powder Springs native will stay local after the Hawks selected him at No. 48.

Cooper missed the first 11 games of the season due to an ongoing NCAA eligibility review, but changed the team entirely once he was ruled eligible.

After learning he was eligible the night before the Alabama game, he quickly burst onto the scene. He scored 26 points and added nine assists and four rebounds in his debut.

Cooper wouldn't really slow down from there, scoring 28 and adding 12 assists and five rebounds against Georgia in his next game.

Late in the season he went down with a sprained ankle in practice and didn't return from that.

The former No. 22 player in the class ended the season averaging 20.2 points, 8.1 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game while shooting 39.1% from the field. Cooper was named to the SEC All-Freshman team.

Cooper's court vision and passing ability were unparalleled in the draft, but his size and deep shooting — where he shot 22.8% from deep at Auburn — caused Cooper's stock to slip.

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