{"id":63752,"date":"2025-07-14T02:27:12","date_gmt":"2025-07-14T02:27:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/63752\/"},"modified":"2025-07-14T02:27:12","modified_gmt":"2025-07-14T02:27:12","slug":"zia-cooke-remains-focused-on-growth-amidst-fresh-start-in-seattle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/63752\/","title":{"rendered":"Zia Cooke remains focused on growth amidst fresh start in Seattle"},"content":{"rendered":"

Cooke joined the Sparks after winning an NCAA national championship with South Carolina where she was a four-year starter and could count the number of games she lost on one hand. In Los Angeles, her minutes were wildly inconsistent, and her team finished in ninth place her rookie year, last place in 2024.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s extremely difficult. I would never sit here and say that it\u2019s easy,\u201d Cooke told The Next of the shift from starting her entire career to coming off the bench. \u201cIt\u2019s extremely difficult but you\u2019ve got to be locked in. You got to do all the little things that you have to do to keep your body ready for when you go in. And then sometimes you just got to keep up with the momentum. The tables always turn, it\u2019s crazy. \u2026 I\u2019ve just got to keep finding those little pieces to help me be ready.\u201d<\/p>\n

The biggest challenge Cooke feels she has faced in the WNBA so far has had nothing to do with the game itself but with willing herself to keep going.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a huge challenge to keep going, especially when things aren\u2019t going your way, when you feel like people don\u2019t believe in you and you know what you\u2019re capable of, it\u2019s easy to slip off,\u201d Cooke said.<\/p>\n

In Seattle, Cooke\u2019s role is not wildly different, but she feels like she is in the perfect environment to help her grow.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think I\u2019ve grown in a lot of areas when it comes to just being a pro, taking care of my body, watching film,\u201d Cooke said. \u201cAll of my coaches pour into me. They want to help me get better, and I just think I\u2019ve grown a lot. I think it hasn\u2019t shown as much as I would like on the court yet, but it\u2019s just all a part of the journey. But I\u2019m appreciative that this whole coaching staff is behind me. They want to help me get to where I used to be, and they just want the best for me. \u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cI think being here, it just makes it very hard to not keep going. I have great players ahead of me that I look up to and I see what they go through, and it just makes me motivated to just keep going because I know eventually it\u2019ll all pay off.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even though Cooke is hard on herself and doesn\u2019t feel like she has grown enough yet, her teammates from Los Angeles now in Seattle have noticed the difference in the 24-year-old.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s transformed as a person and player since she came to Seattle,\u201d forward Nneka Ogwumike<\/a> said of the player she mentored as a rookie in 2023. \u201cShe\u2019s totally locked in. She pays attention to everything; she asks the right questions. I have to say that she is kind of the energizer when she comes off the bench. It\u2019s very rare that she comes in and makes mistakes. She comes in and she can easily get a couple buckets here and there and is attentive to her defensive matchup. And I think it shows exactly how much she can grow in a system like this.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"SeattleSeattle Storm guard Zia Cooke drives against a New York Liberty defender in a game on June 22, 2025 at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Wash. Photo provided by Seattle Storm <\/p>\n

Guard Lexie Brown<\/a>, who played the previous two seasons with the Sparks and Cooke, has noticed a big shift in her confidence specifically.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that\u2019s something that\u2019s huge in the W is building your confidence and being in an environment that empowers you to be better, to come in here, work every day. I think the best thing for her is having access to this facility,\u201d Brown told The Next. \u201cFor a rookie, first year out of college, you come to a place that has no facility for you, you\u2019re probably like what am I supposed to do with this.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo just seeing her being in the gym all the time, I knew she was a gym rat, so I think that\u2019s been huge for her. \u2026 I mean, she\u2019s glowing. You can tell on the court. She\u2019s still really young in this league, still learning a lot, but just seeing her grow from year one to now has been really good for me to see.\u201d<\/p>\n

Erica Wheeler<\/a>, a guard who went through her own career tribulations as a player undrafted out of Rutgers and has played bench and starting roles alike, thinks Cooke has done a tremendous job transitioning from LA to Seattle and the role she has been given.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust being able to adapt, go from two minutes to 10 minutes [played], and just staying ready, I think she\u2019s been doing a good job of that,\u201d Wheeler told The Next. \u201cAll players have the lows, and all players have the highs, and she\u2019s one of those that\u2019s kind of up and down because you don\u2019t know where your minutes come from. So, it\u2019s just being staying ready, and she\u2019s been ready.\u201d<\/p>\n

Seven-time All-Star, Skylar Diggins<\/a>, also praised Cooke\u2019s work ethic and improvement after a June 27th\u00a0win over Connecticut.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s another young player on our team who wasn\u2019t even sure at the start of camp if she was going to make the team. But she worked her tail off, and she made this team. She earned her time,\u201d Diggins said. \u201cI was really proud of our young players \u2026 and just how they continue to get better.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not easy playing a role. It\u2019s not easy having to come off [the bench] and not be able to make a lot of mistakes. But hopefully we, as the starters, put our bench in positions to be successful. And I thought they capitalized off of it tonight, and not only sustained it, but made us go up.\u201d<\/p>\n

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An unexpected offseason move<\/p>\n

It was sort of serendipity that Cooke ended up in Seattle after the Sparks waived her in February. When she was waived, she called Ogwumike, not looking to join the team but rather to vent to someone she considers like a big sister. That\u2019s when Ogwumike told Cooke that she would love to play with her and would talk to the Storm about a possible opportunity.<\/p>\n

Two days later, head coach Noelle Quinn<\/a> called Cooke personally to tell her that she could give her a training camp opportunity while being transparent that Cooke could explore other places because she was going to be looking at other guards too. That was fine with Cooke.<\/p>\n

\u201cI told her I wanted to better myself,\u201d Cooke said. \u201cI wanted to play for [Noelle Quinn<\/a>]. I used to watch them when I was with the Sparks, I would watch how she coached, how she interacted with her players, and it was something I knew that I would want to be a part of but I was dedicated to the Sparks at that time. But once I got waived and I had the opportunity I wanted to take advantage of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"SeattleSeattle Storm guard Zia Cooke goes up for a layup against the Phoenix Mercury on May 23, 2025 at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Wash. Photo courtesy of Seattle Storm<\/p>\n

Since arriving in the Emerald City, Cooke has felt how ideal the environment is.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first day I got here I came in the facility, it was beautiful, and I was saying to my parents this is what the WNBA should feel like,\u201d Cooke said on media day. \u201cFor any young girls that want to get here like this keep going, because eventually you\u2019ll be able to experience something like this. The coaching staff, my teammates, the vets, everything is a dream come true. So I\u2019m happy I have the chance to be here and experience it all.\u201d<\/p>\n

During training camp, Cooke\u2019s entire focus was on making the final roster knowing that her spot was far from guaranteed. However, her mentality has not changed much since officially taking the position.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think now my biggest thought is how am I going to stay here? How am I going to get opportunities to be on this roster for a very long time,\u201d Cooke said. \u201cThis is somewhere that I would really like my career to be, so my main focus now is just to keep building a relationship. I understand it\u2019s a business at the end of the day but just doing my job to where I can be back here next year.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Defense first<\/p>\n

In Seattle, Cooke\u2019s primary role is to be an aggressive perimeter defender. While defense has always been a part of her game it was more of a given in college where she was needed more offensively, there was no focus on becoming a defensive stopper. With players like Ogwumike, Wheeler, Diggins, Gabby Williams<\/a> and Ezi Magbegor<\/a>, the Storm don\u2019t need Cooke to focus on scoring.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s something I\u2019ve always had, but I think since I\u2019ve been in the W that\u2019s something that they noticed about me, that can help me stick out from others,\u201d Cooke said. \u201cWe all can score, but not everybody can play defense and be a scorer, so I think they\u2019re just trying to help me tie that all together, be a defensive stopper and be an efficient scorer at the same time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"SeattleSeattle Storm guard Zia Cooke defends Connecticut Sun guard Lindsay Allen during the WNBA game between the Seattle Storm and the Connecticut Sun at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut on July 9, 2025. Photo Credit: Chris Poss | The Next<\/p>\n

Quinn has been challenging Cooke\u2019s defense since day one. The focus has been not only on defending physically but with her mind, understanding scout specifics, who you\u2019re on the court with, rotations and all of those system-specific elements.<\/p>\n

Shortly after making their final opening day roster decision, Quinn discussed Cooke\u2019s defensive ability as one of the skills that helped her make the roster.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Quantifying guard defense statistically can be difficult but multiple statistics via Genius Sports courtesy of Seattle Storm PR point to Cooke\u2019s defensive strengths showing through this season.<\/p>\n

Opponents have scored just 0.304 points per chance against Cooke\u2019s 26 closeouts this season, the second-lowest opponent efficiency among 154 WNBA players with at least five closeouts. On direct drives \u2014 the final action of a possession meaning that the drive ended in a shot, foul, turnover, or potential assist \u2014 Cooke has held opponents to just 0.82 points per chance, which ranks eighth\u00a0among qualified guard defenders this season. As the primary defender against opponent handoffs, isolations and post-ups, Cooke allowed the fourth-fewest points per direct action (0.57) \u2014 actions ending in a shot, foul, turnover or potential assist \u2014 among 108 players with at least 40 actions defended this season.<\/p>\n

Aside from the support of her coaches, Cooke\u2019s defense has also benefitted from the teachings of Williams, one of the league\u2019s best defenders this season and throughout her career.<\/p>\n

\u201cGabby helps me all the time with teaching me how not to use my hands so much,\u201d Cooke said.\u00a0
\u201cI\u2019ve always been physical, my whole career, but not using my hands like using my feet more or playing with my hands higher, using my hands to get deflections, rather than in people\u2019s bodies.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"SeattleSeattle Storm forward Gabby Williams and guard Zia Cooke walk off the court in a game against the Las Vegas Aces on May 25, 2025 at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Wash. Photo provided by Seattle Storm<\/p>\n

Offensive strengths<\/p>\n

While defense is her primary focus, still Cooke brings offensive gifts to the court<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously, her ability to, in transition, attack and get to the basket, get downhill, is very unique in this league, to turn the corner [too]. And now you saw her line up some spot up threes,\u201d Diggins remarked.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think her ability to get downhill,\u201d Wheeler told The Next of what impresses her most about Cooke\u2019s game. \u201cThen super explosive at the basket. And I think people underestimate her pull up shot, her being able to stop on a dime, going full speed and stop on a dime, to explode up, to elevate over taller guards, smaller guards. We just haven\u2019t seen it enough [in games]. But in practice, she is lethal.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brown similarly brought up Cooke\u2019s athleticism and quickness that\u2019s been on display since her high school and college days.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of also really high-level athletes, really good, high-level defenders in this league. So, it\u2019s just her continuing to build that confidence and take her level up a notch. And I think she\u2019s more than capable of doing that,\u201d Brown said.<\/p>\n

The speed and athleticism that Quinn calls Cooke\u2019s natural, God-given gifts are particularly able to shine within the Storm\u2019s offensive system. Seattle strives to get as many easy buckets in transition off their defense as possible, a style of play Cooke credited for allowing her to score so many points as a Gamecock.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt definitely helps me, especially when I\u2019m on the floor with Gabby. I know for sure she gets a steal I\u2019ve got to haul ass so I can go ahead and get me a quick, easy bucket,\u201d Cooke said.<\/p>\n

As much as Cooke isn\u2019t satisfied with her improvement this season, at least one area of her game has statistically improved and that is her three-point shooting.\u00a0In her first two seasons, Cooke did not shoot better than 30% from behind the arc, as low as 26.1% her rookie season, but this year she is\u00a0converting 33.3%<\/a> of her shots from deep, closer to her college-career percentage<\/a> of 34.1.<\/p>\n

\"SeattleSeattle Storm guard Zia Cooke takes a three point shot against the Connecticut Sun on June 27, 2025, at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Wash. Photo courtesy of Seattle Storm<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that she just has a really good all-around game. And you know, she wasn\u2019t really known for her three-point shooting, but I see her in here every day working on her outside shooting,\u201d Brown said. \u201cThat\u2019s something that\u2019s a hot commodity right now around the league and it\u2019s going to keep you employed for a long time so I\u2019m glad that she\u2019s locking in on that.\u201d<\/p>\n

The biggest area of growth that Quinn is focusing on for Cooke is for her to be steady and solid in her minutes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s a very quick athlete. She can get downhill, and I thought she utilized her strengths in transition to make really good reads,\u201d Quinn said after a June 27 win over the Sun. \u201cAll I\u2019m asking for her in her minutes is to be solid, and that\u2019s going to be a point of emphasis for her in her growth processes.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Different forms of veteran support<\/p>\n

Amidst Cooke\u2019s focus on growth, she has had support from a lot of different players.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think for Zia the biggest thing is environment, to be here and to be around vets,\u201d Quinn said on July 3 ahead of a matchup in Atlanta. \u201cHow to be a pro is exemplified every day for her, something that young players need, to be able to see how other veterans work in the game. And not just the game, but on the day-to-day basis, with their preparation before they even step foot on court, and their preparation before a game.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, I think she\u2019s really a sponge in this environment, and the biggest thing for her is having people who trust and believe in her, and I think she thrives with that thinking.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cooke confirmed as much, saying, \u201cit\u2019s very hard not to get better in this environment because of all the resources that we have and then all the good people that I have behind me that want to help me get better.\u201d<\/p>\n

On a team with a myriad of vets, they all support Cooke in their own ways.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Magbegor, who is her accountability buddy this season (assigned to all of the players on the team by Quinn), talks less about the X\u2019s and O\u2019s of basketball with her focuses more on the mental side of things, both able to go to each other for mental check ins.<\/p>\n

Wheeler has taken Cooke under her wing since she arrived in Seattle, answering her questions but also supporting her like an older sister.<\/p>\n

\u201cI call her my youngin because she always asks me questions,\u201d Wheeler said. \u201cZia is the type of person that\u2019s always asking questions. No matter what it is she don\u2019t care how she look or what question it is, she\u2019s always asking because she wants to be informed. And I tell people all the time, it\u2019s better to ask a lot of questions than not to ask questions. Because then it may seem like you don\u2019t care, or it may seem like you know it all when you really don\u2019t. So, she asks all type of questions. \u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want to always correct her when she\u2019s wrong, because she has to learn on her own in certain moments. But it\u2019s the moments when she drops her head, I just want to be there for to let her know, like, yo, you fine. Mistakes happen. However, do you want to be perfect so you can play more minutes? Yes. But mistakes happen. So, for me, it\u2019s been more like a bigger sister.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"SeattleSeattle Storm guard Zia Cooke stands in a the middle of a team huddle during a game against the Golden State Valkyries on June 14, 2025, at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif. Photo courtesy of Seattle Storm<\/p>\n

A lot of the game improvement comes from Cooke\u2019s own work ethic according to Quinn.<\/p>\n

\u201cZia is a student of the game,\u201d Quinn said. \u201cShe works really hard to work on herself, constantly watching film, or asking to watch film, constantly asking us, her coaches, [what] her focus is for games.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Cooke appreciated the praise and is fine with Quinn giving her credit, she still feels like she can do better.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to get better every day, period,\u201d Cooke said. \u201cI come in here, whether it\u2019s watching film, whether it\u2019s making sure I\u2019m getting on the court, whether it\u2019s in the weight room, everything that I do is intentional and I want to get better every day and I\u2019m striving to be better. What I\u2019m doing right now is not enough, what I do next week won\u2019t be enough. I\u2019m just going to continue to try to grow and succeed in the right direction.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cooke concluded with the following words encapsulating the mental struggle, her work ethic and dedication.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just want people to understand that being a pro is hard. It\u2019s not easy,\u201d Cooke said. \u201cI go about my job the way that I should. Basketball is my career. This is my life. This is my livelihood. And I don\u2019t take anything for granted. I\u2019m super excited to be here in Seattle, I want to make this my home for as long as I can. And I just want to win games, so that\u2019s that.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Cooke joined the Sparks after winning an NCAA national championship with South Carolina where she was a four-year…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":63753,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[1494,62,67,132,68,232,45506],"class_list":{"0":"post-63752","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-wnba","8":"tag-seattle-storm","9":"tag-sports","10":"tag-united-states","11":"tag-unitedstates","12":"tag-us","13":"tag-wnba","14":"tag-zia-cooke"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114849228234022943","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63752","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=63752"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63752\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/63753"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=63752"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=63752"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=63752"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}