Naperville Central senior guard Cooper Page’s game is played entirely below the rim.
Sometimes way below it.
“Cooper is one of the toughest kids I’ve seen,” Naperville Central coach Mike Wilson said. “He hits the ground more than any player I’ve ever seen.”
That’s not an exaggeration. Page’s teammates readily attest to his grittiness.
“It’s true,” Naperville Central senior point guard TJ Hillman said. “Even on Saturday mornings at practice, he’s the first guy to get on the ground.
“If there’s a ball on the ground, he’s going to get it, and that takes heart. That’s what you can’t coach.”
The 6-foot-1 Page said he models his scrappy style of play on his father, David, who played basketball and baseball at York and baseball at Valparaiso University.
“I take pride in my defense more than I take pride in my offense,” Page said. “My dad was the same, and I guess that’s who I got it from.
“He coached me growing up in YMCA and young travel. We’d always do rebounding drills, and there would be a no-fouls rule, so whoever gets the ball wins.”
Wilson said Page, who averages nearly seven rebounds, easily outrebounds his size.
“He’s always had the energy and that tenacity, but defensively now, he’s had stretches where he’s guarded Division I player, Division II player, Division I player,” Wilson said. “We know when we watch film that whoever the opposing team’s best player is, it doesn’t matter their size, that’s Coop’s matchup, and then we’ll figure it out from there.”
Page and the Redhawks had things figured out Wednesday. Hillman scored a game-high 22 points, while Page added three points, six rebounds and two assists and helped hold visiting Plainfield North to 17% shooting as the Redhawks snapped a five-game losing streak with a 48-28 win in Naperville.
“He’s been huge,” Hillman said. “His biggest improvement is on the defensive side of the ball. I know that’s hard to do, but he gets their best player every game we play, and he always stops them.
“Whenever he gets on someone, he’s not going to let them score.”
Hillman isn’t immune from Page’s tough-as-nails defense.
“He guards me every day in practice,” Hillman said. “It’s a tough day for me every day. He makes me better.”
As Page usually does, he focused most of his energy on defense. Early in the game, he got a defensive rebound, raced down the court, was fouled and split a pair of free throws to give the Redhawks (8-12) a 4-0 lead.
Page later assisted on Hillman’s layup that made it 9-2. It was part of an opening 17-4 run against the Tigers (4-15).
Page made his only shot of the game, taking a pass from senior forward Casey Cooperkawa and banking a short shot off the glass to extend the lead to 26-11 at the 6:11 mark of the third quarter. In an era when many players ignore the backboard, Page made good use of it.
“He’s definitely a throwback in that sense,” Wilson said. “He’ll do some things that we’ll say, ‘Oh, we used to do that in the ‘90s.’”
Page’s willingness to sacrifice his body by going for loose balls inspires the Redhawks the most.
“It gets the boys going,” Hillman said. “Obviously, scoring is good. Filling up the stat sheet is great and all.
“We just need a guy to put his heart on the line and go on the ground and get that ball. It means a lot to the guys on the bench and the guys on the court. It makes you want to play a lot harder.”
Although the Redhawks have struggled with inconsistency at times, Page said they have played hard, which has made his final season of basketball his most enjoyable one.
“It’s been real fun,” he said. “A lot more competitive games than last year, for sure. Everyone plays a lot harder this year. It’s like a butterfly effect — one guy plays hard and brings the energy, and then everyone else follows along.”
Page is that guy for the Redhawks.
“Our message is always ‘play as hard as you can, get better and enjoy the game,’ and I think he bought into the ‘enjoy the game’ part,” Wilson said. “There’s nothing he likes more than competing hard.
“When I’m saying, ‘Ouch,’ he’s saying, ‘This is a good time.’”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter.