NORMAL, Ill. – Zach Copeland, a 6-foot-4, 185-pound sophomore guard from the City College of San Francisco has signed a National Letter of Intent (NLI) to join the Illinois State men's basketball team, ISU head coach Dan Muller announced Wednesday.
"We are excited to welcome Zach Copeland into the Redbird basketball program," Muller said. "Zach is a big-time offensive player who is a threat at all times on the court. He is a lights-out shooter, a terrific finisher and will only get better. The thing I like most about Zach is his competitiveness. He competes on the defensive end and loves to take big shots. Coach Justin Labagh did a great job with Zach the past two years, and we can't wait to get him here and continue developing him. Zach will be a fun and exciting player for Redbird fans to watch over the next two years."
Copeland averaged 18.7 points per game while connecting on 103-of-216 (47.7 percent) shots from beyond the arc and 169-of-344 (49.1 percent) from the field as a sophomore at the City College of San Francisco. The Oakland, California, native shot 156-for-181 (86.2 percent) at the free throw line and averaged 3.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.8 steals per game while starting 30-of-32 contests. Copeland recorded double-digit scoring in 30 out of 32 games, including 12 contests with 30 or more points. He netted a season-high 36 points versus Las Positas College (Jan. 18).
As a sophomore, Copeland helped lead the City College of San Francisco to the Coast-North Conference regular-season title with an 11-1 league mark and a 29-3 overall record. For his efforts, Copeland was named Coast-North Conference Player of the Year and the California Community Colleges Men's Basketball Coaches Association Co-Player of the Year. With the No. 1 seed in the playoffs at stake and the Rams tied with Ohlone with less than three seconds remaining, Copeland found open space off of a screen and nailed a game-winning three-point shot (Feb. 17). CCSF advanced to the CCCAA Championships Semifinal.
As a freshman, Copeland led the Rams to the 2016 California Community College Athletic Association Men's Basketball Championship by scoring a game-high 18 points in the title game against Saddleback College. During the 2015-16 season, Copeland averaged 11.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.0 steals per game.
Copeland graduated from Berkeley (California) High School where he helped the Yellowjackets to a state championship in 2015.
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