WNBA contracts work a little differently than NBA contracts. Only about five players on WNBA 12-woman rosters come into training camp with what is called a veteran-protected contract. The rest are on essentially non-guaranteed contracts and have to make a roster. Such was the situation Sparks guard Zia Cooke found herself in as she was heading into her second season with the franchise.
It wasn't anything new though as Cooke was in the same situation last year when the Sparks drafted her with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2023 WNBA Draft. Both times, Cooke made it through camp and on the Sparks regular season roster. But playing time has been hard to come by at times.
Cooke's role fluctuated as a rookie in 2023 often being used as a scoring threat off the bench. She appeared in 39 games including four starts at a little over 14 minutes per game.
But this season, she's played even less clocking in at a little over eight minutes per game. It can be tough for young players to watch from the bench, but Cooke is staying prepared in the hope that her number will be called as this season progresses.
“It's just by understanding that adversity is something that happens to everybody, and then just understanding the player that I am,” Cooke told ClutchPoints in an exclusive interview. “Knowing that I just got to go through what I have to go through to be the player that I want to be. In the meantime, I just got to continue to work hard and know that my number will be called one day. And when it's called, I just can't fold. I got to be ready for it.”
In recent games, Zia Cooke has seen her minutes and role steadily increase for the Sparks. During the Sparks game against the Indiana Fever on May 24, she got an extended run in the first half knocking down a three-point shot and giving the Sparks a different look on the defensive end against Fever rookie sensation Caitlin Clark.
In the next game against the Dallas Wings, Cooke saw quite a bit of playing time matched up as the primary defender against Wings star Arike Ogunbowale. She played a season-high 15 minutes including a big part of the fourth quarter as the Sparks made a comeback from being down double-digits.
It's a bit of a different role than how Cooke was used last season. Cooke acknowledged that the Sparks coaching staff has asked her to be more of a defensive-minded player this season.
“They want me to be a defensive stopper, that's number one for sure. They believe that my defense will create offense for me which is something that I believe as well,” Cooke said, “And then just bringing that spark off the bench and also being able to find my shot and just letting it flow.”
During the Sparks most recent win against the Fever, Cooke's role was reduced again; she played only five minutes which was the least amount of minutes of any player off the bench. But there could be an opportunity looming for Cooke in the near future. The Sparks are currently without starting point guard Layshia Clarendon who is in league concussion protocol following a hit to the head she suffered against the Wings.
Clarendon has been the Sparks most consistent ball-handler and playmaker so far. Cooke's never been a high assist numbers player, but handling the ball is a role she's played at times going back to her college days at South Carolina. She's a combo guard who can play both the one and the two. Should she be asked to be a facilitator and primary ball-handler, she's confident she's up to the task.
“I think my ball-handling and playmaking decisions have definitely grown a lot,” Cooke said. “I'm way better than I was last year. I give myself a lot of grace when it comes to a lot of things because I know I have improved.”
Zia Cooke's preparedness for the WNBA began at South Carolina
When Zia Cooke was at South Carolina, she had arguably the best coach in terms of preparing players for the WNBA in Dawn Staley. An eight-year WNBA veteran and five-time All-Star, Staley has sent quite a few former Gamecocks to the pro ranks.
There are currently ten former South Carolina players in the WNBA who played for Staley. Those players are Cooke, the Las Vegas Aces' A'ja Wilson, the Indiana Fever's Aliyah Boston and Victaria Saxton, the Atlanta Dream's Allisha Gray, the Chicago Sky's Kamilla Cardoso, the Connecticut Sun's Tyasha Harris and Tiffany Mitchell and the Phoenix Mercury's Mikiah Herbert Harrigan. Only UConn has more former players in the WNBA at 16.
Cooke credits Staley with not only helping her develop as a player to ready skill-wise for the league, but also helping her develop mentally in order to be ready for anything such as a changing role and fluctuating playing time.
“It helped me out a lot, especially with the mental aspect of things. I think she helped me understand the type of player that I am,” Cooke said. “She put me through a lot of mental battles to prepare me for moments like this. There's nothing I can't get through because of the way that she coached me and helped me become the player that I am.”
It's still early in the Sparks season and Zia Cooke definitely has time to make her mark on the court in her second year. She's still under contract for next season as part of her rookie scale deal. No matter what happens this season for the Sparks, Cooke is anticipating getting an opportunity. In the meantime, she can be found putting in the work preparing for that moment.
“I'm just looking forward to winning a lot of games and being ready when opportunities are presented to me,” Cooke said. “Just becoming the best version of myself each year. I want to get better and I want to be able to see the progress in myself. Eventually, I think I'll be the player that I want to be as long as I work hard.”
Follow Us
Subscribe