No. 7 Signee Zia Cooke Joins Gamecocks
Staley adds third top-15 signee in 2019 class.
COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina head women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley announced that Zia Cooke has signed a National Letter of Intent to attend the University and play for the Gamecocks. The Toledo, Ohio, native will have four years of eligibility beginning with the 2019-20 academic year.
“Zia will join our program with a full toolbox and an eagerness to make an immediate impact on both sides of the ball,” Staley said. “She is an electrifying lead guard that can score with confidence and put our team in a position to win. She is the perfect balance of both her parents who modeled strength, hard work and confidence. She is a fighter and a competitor who Gamecock Nation will be excited to watch.”
Cooke is the No. 7 overall recruit in the 2019 class and the No. 2 point guard in the group, according to ESPN. She has a pair of international gold medals with USA Basketball in the 2017 FIBA U16 Americas Cup and the 2017 U17 World Cup. Cooke helped her Rogers High School squad to the 2018 Division II state championship, posting 33 points and 14 rebounds in the title game. On the season, which ended with her earning 2018 Toledo Blade Player of the Year honors, she averaged 21.7 points, 4.6 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 3.1 steals.
Cooke joins No. 13 overall recruit Brea Beal (Rock Island, Ill./Rock Island) and 10th-ranked recruit Laeticia Amihere (Milton, Ontario, Canada/Kings Way Christian) so far in Staley’s 2019 class.
