South Carolina basketball alum Zia Cooke was drafted in the first round by the Los Angeles Sparks in the 2023 WNBA Draft. She was the third of five Gamecocks to be drafted this past May, joining Aliyah Boston, Laeticia Amihere, Brea Beal, and Victaria Saxton.
Cooke finished her rookie year with the Sparks last week, and the former USC All-American and Ann Myers Drysdale Award-winner had an up-and-down first year in the league. At times, Cooke was an offensive spark (pun definitely intended) for LA, but she struggled with shooting efficiency.
This week, the Ohio native participated in the FIBA U23 3-on-3 basketball tournament as a member of Team USA. Frankly, the word “participated” doesn’t do justice to what the former South Carolina basketball star did in her four games in the tournament. In reality, Zia Cooke dominated in the U23 3-on-3 tournament.
The tournament was comprised of 3-on-3 games in which 21 points is the target score. Once a team reaches 21, they win the game. Unfortunately, Team USA finished their tournament run early when they were eliminated during pool play.
However, in the four games that Team USA was in the tournament, Zia Cooke was incredible. Despite the limited opportunities to score, Cooke scored 35 points across 4 games. That was almost 45% of Team USA’s baskets as they scored 79 total points.
The shifty guard got her buckets in a variety of ways. Cooke hit jump shots, got into the lane at will, pulled out some nifty stepbacks, and beat opponents off the dribble with her quickness and ball-handling prowess.
A quick highlight video shows just a taste of the tricks she pulled out of her bag.
🇺🇸 @LASparks guard Zia Cooke put on a clinic for @usab3x3 🤩🔥 #3x3U23 pic.twitter.com/tIQ0FJniAk
— FIBA3x3 (@FIBA3x3) September 29, 2023
Cooke’s Team USA was eliminated, but South Carolina basketball fans looking for a Gamecock fix can tune into the WNBA Playoffs.
Aja Wilson, fresh off of an MVP snub, is dominating for the Las Vegas Aces, and former Gamecock teammate Alaina Coates is also a member of the team one win away from the WNBA Finals. Vegas just clinched their spot in the WNBA Finals on Friday night.
Ty Harris, the league’s leader in 3-point percentage in 2023, plays for the Connecticut Sun, who trail the New York Liberty 2-1 in the semifinals.