Athlete Q&A: Get to Know Transfer Hooper Jacob Cofie

With a new-look squad hitting the hardwood in Galen Center this winter, House of Victory is introducing you to new athletes on the Men’s Basketball team. To start things off, take a moment to get to know transfer forward Jacob Cofie. Originally from Seattle, Cofie joins the Trojans after a freshman season at Virginia and is excited to be back on the West Coast.

 

House of Victory: First of all, welcome to LA and welcome to the Trojan Family! 

Jacob Cofie: Hey Trojan fans, glad to be a part of the Trojan Family!

HOV: What can USC fans expect from you this season? How would you describe your game?

JC: You’ll be getting a high-energy guy on the court, who makes high-energy plays and is active on the court. A great way to describe my game is that I’m a versatile player. You’ll see me do a little bit of everything: rebounding, defending, shooting, dunking, play-making. Just an overall versatile player who can do a little bit of everything. I pride myself the most on my defense. I feel like that’s the best attribute in my game. Growing up, I was always tall so I always had to do a little bit of everything for my team. At a very young age, I learned how to play multiple positions and growing up playing all those positions helped me be good at a little bit of everything. 

HOV: What is it about USC and Coach Muss that made you want to transfer here? 

JC: I liked how direct Coach Muss was throughout the recruiting process. And I thought it would be a great fit for me, especially having an assistant coach (Coach Conroy) who's from where I’m from. He’s recruited me since I was a freshman in high school so I’ve known him for a really long time. During the portal process, I wanted to come back to the West Coast and be closer to home. I liked the fit and USC has always been a dream school for me. 

HOV: Basketball is such a huge part of the Seattle culture - for Trojan fans who might not know, tell us about what it was like growing up in Seattle and how that has influenced your game?

JC: In Seattle, we have such a strong basketball culture. A lot of kids grow up watching Jamal Crawford’s Crawsover pro-am every year with NBA guys, college guys, high school players, all local talent. Seeing the pro-am has always been such a big thing for me, especially since we didn’t have an NBA team, it was our opportunity to watch our favorite NBA players in our hometown. 

Growing up I always wanted to play in the Metro League and it has had a lot of star players come through: Dejounte Murray, Kevin Porter Jr., Michael Porter Jr., Paolo Banchero, Mar Jon Beauchamp - just to name a few. Overall, I just always wanted to be up there with those greats. 

HOV: What are you most excited about now living in LA?

JC: So far, LA has treated me very well. The atmosphere has been great, we’ve been working to get better and that’s been great. I’ve been spending a lot of time with the development team in the gym and the development team has already helped me get a lot better and my game has been improving at a rapid rate. 

I’m still getting used to all the traffic and the angry drivers. I really enjoy going to the beaches and visiting all the different ones around LA: Manhattan Beach, Santa Monica. I’ve gone thrifting, which is really fun. I really enjoy that, I’ve found some good pieces that I can add to my collection, and I’ve also been shopping on Rodeo Drive. 

Quick Hits:

• Favorite basketball player: Kevin Durant

• All-Time starting five: LeBron James at point guard, Kobe at shooting guard, Kevin Durant is my small forward, put Wilt at power forward and Shaq at center

• What are you listening to on repeat right now: Kalan.FrFr

• Best advice you’ve ever received: Get 1% better every day
  
  

• Favorite thing about Seattle: Seattle in the summer is the best place to be

• Favorite thing (so far) about LA: Everything is at the tip of your fingers, there’s something to do every day, so many new things to try