Hampton University Athletics

A three-time All-American, Anita (Cooper) Epps was a renowned basketball player at Hampton between 1982-86 who helped to put the Lady Pirates on the collegiate basketball map.

During her illustrious career, Cooper was a leader on teams that went 19-12 in 1982-83, 21-7 in 1983-84, 30-1 in 1984-85 and 26-6 in 1985-86. She helped lead the program to two Virginia Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (VAIAW) state titles, two CIAA regular-season championships, one CIAA tournament crown and to two appearances in the NCAA Division II national tournament.

In 1982-83, her freshman year, she burst onto the scene by posting an average of 10.8 points a game. As a sophomore in 1983-84, she increased that mark to 13.4 points per contest. In 1984-85, she blistered the nets with an 18.0 scoring average, following by a banner season as a senior that saw her average 19.0 points a contest.

Cooper was also a whiz on the defensive end of the court for the Lady Pirates with 885 career boards. As a senior, she was named a Kodak first team All-American and the American Women’s Sports Foundation’s regional player of the year. 

That same season, Cooper also was voted to the All-CIAA first team, she captured Kodak All-District III honors, she was tabbed first team All-America by the Black College Sports Information Directors Association (BCSIDA) and she made the National Association for Women’s Sports (NAWS) All-America team. She also made the NAWS All-America team as well as the NAIA All-America team as a junior.