Ben Cooper played on the Hamline men's basketball team from 2012 to 2015, competing in 63 games throughout his career. After the 2015 season, Cooper earned a spot on the MIAC All-Academic Team, the first basketball player to do so since 2009.
 
Cooper was also a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee for two years during his undergraduate career and in the spring of 2015, he graduated with a degree in Finance.
 
He went on to become a financial planner, providing financial planning for individuals, families, and small business to help them gain clarity on their financial wellness and financial goals.
 
In his three years on the Hamline basketball team, Cooper started in over half of the games he played in, scoring a total of 403 points and collecting a total of 249 rebounds. He shot 55.0% from the floor in his career.
 
In his first season as a Piper, Cooper played in 13 games, making two starts. He shot over 63.0% on the season, scoring 51 points and nabbing 31 rebounds. The following year (Cooper's junior season), he appeared in all 25 games, starting in 20 and averaging 22.3 minutes per game.
 
Cooper's junior season was statistically his best, as he scored 198 points, averaging 7.9 points per game (which ranked third-best on the team), and added 121 rebounds. He had nine games with double-digit points, including scoring a career-high 16 points against both Cal Lutheran and Saint Mary's.
 
During his senior season, Cooper helped the Pipers to the best record they had had during his career, as the team finished with an 11-14 mark, going 8-12 in MIAC play. This put them in a three-way tie for seventh, one spot away from making the MIAC playoffs.
 
Cooper averaged 6.1 points and 3.9 rebounds per game that year, playing in all 25 contests. He shot over 56% on the season.

Since graduating, Cooper has remained active in his community, volunteering with Feed My Starving Children and Special Olympics regularly.
 
Take a look at what Cooper had to say about his time at Hamline. 
 
How did your Hamline experience prepare you for what you are doing now?
Being a student-athlete allowed me to gain skills such as time management, leadership, team mentality first, and organization. Additionally, the business school prepared me with applicable skills in the classroom that I utilize daily in my work.
 
Who was one of your favorite professors at Hamline?
All of them were extremely helpful.
 
What is one of your favorite memories as a student-athlete?
My favorite memory was being with my team and coaches - the road trips, the wins, the losses. I miss it every single day. I also miss the adrenaline rush from playing in games, the crowd, and the opportunity to go play basketball every single day, whether it was practice, workouts, or games.
 
What advice would you give to current student-athletes?
Focus on what you can control. In life there are three buckets - things you can't control, things you can control, and things you can influence. Put all your energy into the bucket you can control. If you can master that mentality early in the time you are in school, those skills will transfer extremely well into your years after being a student-athlete.