In the Game

Ex-Cowboy Copeland signs with Houston

By Jim Gazzolo

Eighteen months ago, Quadir Copeland was as far away from his dream as possible.

It was the holiday season of Copeland’s only year at McNeese, and the transfer guard from Syracuse was struggling to fit into Will Wade’s system.

The Cowboys were also going through a rough spot, as Copeland and the head coach didn’t exactly see eye-to-eye. 

“He let me know he wasn’t always happy with how I was playing,” Copeland said at the time. “One thing about Coach Wade is that he lets you know what he’s thinking.” 

The two seemed destined for a split. Instead, they found common ground and the Cowboys took off, later winning the school’s first NCAA Tournament game with Copeland leading the way. 

Wade admitted he may have been part of the problem while moving Copeland around. That, however, changed, and the two became so connected that when Wade left after the 2024-25 season for North Carolina State, he took the 6-foot-6 point guard with him.

For the change, Copeland credited his time at McNeese.

“The place humbled me,” said Copeland. “The biggest adjustment was being at a smaller school. There were a lot more distractions at Syracuse. McNeese has settled me down, matured me.” 

After a breakout season at N.C. State, where he earned third-team All-ACC honors while scoring 13.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 6.5 assists, he was being talked about for the NBA draft.

Copeland had improved his shooting to 49.4 percent from the field and 39.7% on 3-pointers, an increase of just over 20% from the previous year at McNeese. 

“He’s hard to kill,” Wade said of Copeland after a win last season. “Every time you write him off, or every time you let him, he just comes back and comes back. He keeps coming. He’s got an unbelievable level of persistence to him.” 

While he didn’t get drafted this week, his NBA dream is still very much alive. The former Cowboy signed a two-way deal with the Houston Rockets and, according to Wade, has a real shot at making the NBA squad. 

He will likely split time in the G League with the Rockets’ affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, but don’t count him out when it comes to making Houston’s roster to open the season.

He is the second player with McNeese ties to earn a two-way contract in as many years. Christian Shumate spent last season in the G League for the New Orleans Pelicans’ team in Alabama.

The former McNeese teammates even spent some time recently working out together before the draft. Now they hope to make the NBA together. 

Jim Gazzolo is a freelance writer who covers sports in Southwest Louisiana. He is also the host of Poke Nation, which airs weekly on CBS Lake Charles.