South Carolina Basketball: Final senior decision is in; Zia Cooke’s WNBA Draft plans
By Kevin Miller
After South Carolina basketball’s season ended a little sooner than the team had hoped, five of Dawn Staley’s players had just a very short time to decide on their future plans. The WNBA Draft is on April 10th, and Aliyah Boston, Brea Beal, Laeticia Amihere, Kamilla Cardoso, and Zia Cooke all have one more year of eligibility remaining but also are draft eligible and are likely to be taken.
Over the weekend, Boston (the likely top pick in the draft) announced her intentions to move on to the pro game, and Beal and Amihere joined her earlier this week. Kamilla Cardoso also seemed to make her decision, mentioning her “comeback” via social media. That leaves Zia Cooke.
The Ann Meyers Drysdale Award-winner was the top shooting guard in all of women’s college basketball this season. Her offensive potential is extremely high as she, even in a system that doesn’t highlight scorers, scored 90 points in the NCAA Tournament.
Cooke’s ball-handling prowess and lateral quickness are some of her best tools, but her fearlessness with the basketball is what sets her apart. Watching Cooke play, one would likely have no idea if she has 4 points or 24 points. The 4th year player is always in attack mode and is both a solid shooter from outside and an excellent driver of the basketball
Late Tuesday, Cooke made public her decision to go pro.
Thank you to the FAMS, Coach Staley, and everyone who has supported me. I’m excited for what’s ahead as I enter the 2023 WNBA Draft!!! #forevertothee pic.twitter.com/AYbEqWVzeu
— Zia Cooke (@zia_cooke) April 4, 2023
Her decision makes sense as she has been mocked as a first or early second-round pick by most WNBA draft projections. As good as Carolina’s leading scorer was in college, she has a chance to be even better at the next level as the spacing is much more offense-friendly than in South Carolina’s post-centric system.
With Cooke joining Boston, Beal, and Amihere in the draft and Kierra Fletcher, Victaria Saxton, and Olivia Thompson also moving on, Gamecock fans’ favorite team will look very different next season. Coach Dawn Staley and her team will be in for a challenge to repeat their recent success, but if there is one basketball program in America that can feel good about handling this massive transition, it’s the South Carolina basketball program.