Cooke Named to Ann Meyers Drysdale Award Watch List
COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina junior Zia Cooke is one of 20 candidates named to the 2022 Ann Meyers Drysdale Award Watch List, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association announced today. In its fifth year, the award recognizes the top shooting guard in women’s NCAA Division I college basketball.
Cooke opens her third season in Garnet and Black with Preseason All-America and All-SEC honors after spending the last two seasons ranked among the Gamecocks’ leading scorers, including last season atop the team with 15.9 points per game. That number jumped to 16.1 points per game in the NCAA Tournament, helping South Carolina to a Final Four berth and herself to NCAA Hemisfair Region Most Outstanding Player status. With 25 points on 5-of-8 shooting from 3-point range against Stanford, Cooke was also on the Final Four All-Tournament Team. She scored in double figures in 27 of the team’s 31 games, including six 20-point outings.
A national committee of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates, and college basketball fans are encouraged to participate in the Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies in each of the three rounds. In late January, the watch list of 20 players will be narrowed to 10 and then to just five in late February. In March, the five finalists will be presented to Ms. Meyers Drysdale and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee where the winner will be selected.
The winner of the 2022 Ann Meyers Drysdale Award will be presented on a to-be-determined date, along with the other four members of the Women’s Starting Five. Additional awards being presented include the Nancy Lieberman Point Guard Award, the Cheryl Miller Small Forward Award, the Katrina McClain Power Forward Award and the Lisa Leslie Center Award, in addition to the Men’s Starting Five.
The Gamecocks will host Benedict in an exhibition game at Colonial Life Arena on Mon., Nov. 1, before officially opening the season at AP Preseason No. 5 NC State.
Fans interested in buying season tickets for the Gamecocks’ 2021-22 season can find more information at https://thegamecockclub.com/wbb/ or by calling the South Carolina Athletics Ticket Office at 1-800-4SC-FANS (472-3267).
Continue to check GamecocksOnline.com and the team’s social media accounts (@GamecockWBB) for the most up-to-date information on the women’s basketball season.
2022 Ann Meyers Drysdale Award Candidates
Kiersten Bell, FGCU
Katie Benzan, Maryland
Jakia Brown-Turne, NC State
Taylor Chavez, Arizona
Zia Cooke, South Carolina
Azzi Fudd, UConn
Jordan Horston, Tennessee
Lexie Hull, Stanford
Charlisse Leger-Walker, Washington State
Kiara Lewis, Clemson
Diamond Miller, Maryland
Sonya Morris, DePaul
Charisma Osbourne, UCLA
Sydney Parrish, Oregon
Destiny Pitts, Texas A&M
Taylor Robertson, Oklahoma
Kianna Smith, Louisville
Celeste Taylor, Duke
Elena Tsineke, South Florida
Christyn Williams, UConn
Cooke opens her third season in Garnet and Black with Preseason All-America and All-SEC honors after spending the last two seasons ranked among the Gamecocks’ leading scorers, including last season atop the team with 15.9 points per game. That number jumped to 16.1 points per game in the NCAA Tournament, helping South Carolina to a Final Four berth and herself to NCAA Hemisfair Region Most Outstanding Player status. With 25 points on 5-of-8 shooting from 3-point range against Stanford, Cooke was also on the Final Four All-Tournament Team. She scored in double figures in 27 of the team’s 31 games, including six 20-point outings.
A national committee of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates, and college basketball fans are encouraged to participate in the Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies in each of the three rounds. In late January, the watch list of 20 players will be narrowed to 10 and then to just five in late February. In March, the five finalists will be presented to Ms. Meyers Drysdale and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee where the winner will be selected.
The winner of the 2022 Ann Meyers Drysdale Award will be presented on a to-be-determined date, along with the other four members of the Women’s Starting Five. Additional awards being presented include the Nancy Lieberman Point Guard Award, the Cheryl Miller Small Forward Award, the Katrina McClain Power Forward Award and the Lisa Leslie Center Award, in addition to the Men’s Starting Five.
The Gamecocks will host Benedict in an exhibition game at Colonial Life Arena on Mon., Nov. 1, before officially opening the season at AP Preseason No. 5 NC State.
Fans interested in buying season tickets for the Gamecocks’ 2021-22 season can find more information at https://thegamecockclub.com/wbb/ or by calling the South Carolina Athletics Ticket Office at 1-800-4SC-FANS (472-3267).
Continue to check GamecocksOnline.com and the team’s social media accounts (@GamecockWBB) for the most up-to-date information on the women’s basketball season.
2022 Ann Meyers Drysdale Award Candidates
Kiersten Bell, FGCU
Katie Benzan, Maryland
Jakia Brown-Turne, NC State
Taylor Chavez, Arizona
Zia Cooke, South Carolina
Azzi Fudd, UConn
Jordan Horston, Tennessee
Lexie Hull, Stanford
Charlisse Leger-Walker, Washington State
Kiara Lewis, Clemson
Diamond Miller, Maryland
Sonya Morris, DePaul
Charisma Osbourne, UCLA
Sydney Parrish, Oregon
Destiny Pitts, Texas A&M
Taylor Robertson, Oklahoma
Kianna Smith, Louisville
Celeste Taylor, Duke
Elena Tsineke, South Florida
Christyn Williams, UConn
