“I was Skyping him beforehand and he said, ‘Dad, I want to see Cooper, so I just keep downing caffeine so I can stay awake to make it through this whole game.’ ”
While that meant the Raiders game lasted until just past 3 a.m. Denmark time, you hope Taylor made it.
He would have seen Wright State turn in a superb effort, coming from 14 down to edge Oakland 82-79. And he especially would have seen his brother play the grittiest game of his college career.
Land, the Raiders’ 6-foot-8 senior forward, hit four of seven 3-point shots for a career-high 17 points. And on defense he knocked heads all night with Oakland’s NBA prospect, 6-foot-11 Keith Benson and, at other times the Grizzlies 7-footer, Ilija Milutinovic.
As Raiders teammate Troy Tabler put it: “I thought he was the player of the game.”
Most impressively, Land played 33 minutes, and he did it on a right knee that had major surgery just nine months ago.
He tore the anterior cruciate ligament in practice last February and though he pushed himself to return, he had some setbacks once the team started practicing this season.
His dad said the knee still “pops” every now and then. Just to play, Land has to go through various procedures before games — compression boots, ice, electrical stim treatments — and then goes through similar routines afterwards.
So how will the knee feel this morning?
“Awful,” he said.
In the first half, Land had three turnovers. During the break Raiders coach Billy Donlon told him to “play within your skill set.” After that, Land had just one turnover.
“He was terrific,” Donlon said. “Walking back to the dressing room afterward I told him, ‘I’m so proud of you. A year or two ago, if you had a first half like you did tonight you never would have recovered.’ ”
Senior guard Vaughn Duggins, who led WSU with 23 points, praised Land’s defense: “He showed a toughness out there. Every possession he was going against a future NBA player, and he welcomed it.”
Benson did finish with 25 points, seven rebounds and five blocked shots, but Tabler said Land made him work for everything, and it took a toll on the big man’s defense.
Land smiled and shook his head: “I’ve played against a lot of good guys over the years — Kevin Love, several guys who made the NBA — and this guy was right up there with them. He’s the hardest guy I’ve ever had to guard since I’ve been in college.”
That brought a grin: “He exposed me ... The guy put on a show. ... I’m just happy to be in his highlight reel.”
But as they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and a lot of folks who watched this effort — at the Nutter Center and in Denmark — saw it as a Cooper Land highlight performance.
About the Author