Prep Charter's Copper driven to succeed

Two years ago, Kahleah Copper had a decision to make. A star sophomore at Girard College, Copper was told the basketball program might shut down. She wanted to play somewhere with girls her size and athleticism, but more than that, she wanted to go home.

Kahleah's mom, Leticia Copper, was diagnosed with breast cancer in April 2010. Shortly after, Kahleah decided to transfer from the boarding school to be closer to her mother.

Now a 6-2 senior at Prep Charter, Copper recently had another decision to make. The Big East had come calling for the ESPN top-20 recruit, and the list was whittled down to DePaul, Rutgers, St. John's and Syracuse. Luckily, she had been down this road before.

Copper chose Rutgers in November.

"I was thinking about going as far as Chicago [to DePaul]," Copper said. "But it was just too far - too far from my mom and my family."

Prep Charter coach Paul Rieser said Copper loved DePaul, but the manageable hour-long drive from Philadelphia to New Brunswick, N.J., was the deciding factor. Copper is the youngest of three sisters and she also is close to her grandmother.

"She is very tight with her family," Rieser said. "With her mother being ill, she wants them to be able to see her play. She realized that she needed to be close to home."

On the court, Copper is a game-changer on both ends of the floor. She is rangy with off-the-charts athleticism. Her length enables her to be a force on defense and on the glass. But Rieser said Copper's rapidly developing outside game is what separates her.

"Her pull-up jump shot is lethal now," he said. "If you play off of her, she will pull up right in your face from 15 feet and bury it. If you run at her, she will go right by you and finish. She is that athletic."

Copper is averaging 18.4 points, an impressive number considering the Lady Huskies' dominance has led to frequent early exits for the starters. Prep Charter is 15-2 overall, 9-0 in the Public AAA.

Last year, Copper put on a show in the Public League championship game, scoring 19 points and pulling down 17 rebounds at the Liacouras Center to lead Prep Charter to its first league title, 49-39, over defending champion Central.

She attributes her improving pull-up game to her hard work in practice. That hard work, she says, is a product of determination she has drawn from her mother's illness.

"It has been more of a motivation thing," she said. "It never brought me down on the court. It made me go harder. Basketball is a good thing for me, because it helps me stay focused and keeps me going."

Copper has been nominated to play in the McDonald's All-American game. The teams will be announced at 5 p.m. on Feb. 9 on ESPNU. The game will be played at Chicago's United Center at 6 p.m. on March 28.

Leticia Copper has noticed a change in her daughter.

"That determination is exactly what I saw in her," she said. "She put all of that into her games. The girl lives and breathes basketball. When she is practicing or working out, you can see the difference in her. It makes her stronger."

With the commitment to Rutgers now in her rearview mirror, Copper has a new focus. She wants the state championship that eluded the Lady Huskies in 2011.

After falling to Archbishop Wood in the Class AAA state semifinals a year ago, Copper was crushed. According to her mother, when Kahleah thinks she has been outdone, her competitiveness intensifies.

"The state title is the goal this year," Kahleah said with confidence. "We should definitely win it."

With her skills on the court and her mother in her heart and mind, it will be tough for anyone to stop her.