TORONTO – All the hard work has paid off for Fairfield University Women's Basketball alum Samantha Cooper as the forward inked her first professional contract to be a part of the Grengewald Hostert in the Luxembourg Total League beginning in the 2018-19 season.
 
"I am very excited to have signed my first professional contract," Cooper said. "While I am sad my time at Fairfield is over, I am grateful for the opportunity to continue my basketball career in Luxembourg. I would like to thank my coaches, teammates, and the athletic training staff at Fairfield University for getting me to this point. From my challenging redshirt season to my senior year, they constantly supported me on and off the court and pushed me to improve as a basketball player and a leader."
 
Cooper ended her Fairfield career with her best season in a Stags uniform racking up career-highs with points (451) and rebounds (300). Those numbers helped her to a spot on the All-MAAC Second Team and a selection to the All-Met Writers Second Team. Cooper led the MAAC with 10.0 rebounds per game and was the only student-athlete in the conference to average a double-double. She finished her career with 1,294 points and is ranked fifth on the program's rebounding list with 996.
 
"We are super happy for Coop," Fairfield Head Coach Joe Frager said. "We are very proud of everything she accomplished here for our program, what she's meant to us and we know how hard she worked during her career here with the end goal to sign a professional contract. I know she's going to do a great job and the club that is getting her is getting a great worker. In fact, I think she's a professional already. She's a professional in terms of her work ethic and what she's going to bring to that club. I know she's going to have a great career and we wish her nothing but the best."
 
Grengewald finished the 2017-18 season in sixth place out of the 10 teams in the Luxembourg Total League.
 
For more information and individual box scores for Cooper throughout the season, please visit http://slansportsmanagement.com/samantha-cooper.