TOLEDO, Ohio — A Toledo-area basketball star is heading to Los Angeles.
Zia Cooke was selected 10th overall by the Los Angeles Sparks in the first round of the WNBA draft Monday night. Her head coach will be Curt Miller, who coached the Bowling Green State women's team from 2001-2012.
Cooke was overcome with emotion after realizing she was fulfilling a lifelong dream.
"It means the most. I put in a lot of work since I was 6 years old," Cooke told ESPN's Holly Rowe. "I put my life into this. My dad has been here for me since I was a kid. This is something I dreamed of and now I'm finally here."
Cooke graduated from Rogers High School in 2019. She led the Rams to the Division II state championship as a junior when she scored 33 points and collected 14 rebounds in the title game.
As a senior, she averaged 21.7 points, 7.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game and led Rogers to another state championship.
Cooke was a five-star recruit and ranked one of the best high school players in the country. She committed to South Carolina and played there for four seasons.
She held scholarship offers from over 60 schools.
As a junior, Cooke helped the Gamecocks win the 2022 national championship. She averaged 15.4 points a game in 2022-23 and helped South Carolina reach the Final Four.
She was one of five Gamecocks drafted Monday night.
Cooke decided against returning for her optional fifth year of eligibility, which was granted to all active players during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Cooke is the first Toledo player to be drafted since Natasha Howard (Waite High School) was drafted fifth overall by the Indiana Fever in 2014.
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