Since Zia Cooke confirmed up at South Carolina, the Gamecocks have morphed into one of the crucial dominant groups in all of sports activities. A 3-year starter at level guard, Cooke has been the ground common for a program that has gone 85-7 since she confirmed up on campus.
The one factor lacking is a nationwide championship.
South Carolina went 32-1 in Cooke’s freshman yr however the NCAA event was canceled due to the beginning of the pandemic. The Gamecocks reached the Last 4 as a No. 2 seed final yr solely to lose by one level in a heartbreaker to eventual champion Stanford. All Cooke did was rating a game-high 25 factors within the defeat.
The Gamecocks have bounced again stronger than ever this season. They’re No. 1 within the AP Ballot as they enter the SEC event at 27–1 total. Whereas nationwide participant of the yr entrance runner Aliyah Boston will get many of the consideration, Cooke has continued to be a dynamic offensive guard who can rating off the dribble and get her teammates concerned. Head coach Daybreak Staley already gained a nationwide championship with this system behind A’ja Wilson in 2017, and this yr’s run by means of the nation’s most tough schedule once more places South Carolina in place to win all of it.
Earlier than Cooke leads South Carolina into the NCAA event, she’s working with H&R Block because the face of a marketing campaign to commit $1 million to ladies’s sports activities. Cooke chatted with SB Nation concerning the NIL, her standout profession at South Carolina, the legend of Daybreak Staley, and the strain of being the favourite within the NCAA event.
SB Nation: What’s it prefer to be concerned on this H&R Block initiative, and why is it so thrilling for you?
Zia Cooke: It’s really a blessing to be part of this, particularly understanding that H&R Block is shining a lightweight on ladies. And it’s a tremendous alternative for me to be a type of ladies that they will shine the sunshine on. With me not understanding a lot about taxes and them serving to me with my NIL earnings, it has really been a blessing.
SBN: How has the NIL modified issues for you? Clearly it’s a brand new expertise for everybody concerned. As a former five-star recruit and big-time school basketball participant, what have the advantages been for gamers like your self?
Cooke: The NIL has been good for me, particularly attending to have all the appropriate individuals round me, my agent, my mother and father, and even a few of my associates which can be right here for me serving to me do it. Nevertheless it’s additionally only a lot to handle. I’ve faculty, I’m a student-athlete, so generally it may be difficult. However with having these nice individuals round me that need the very best for me and in addition, like I mentioned, with H&R Block serving to me with my taxes, taking a load off for me positively helps me out so much.
SBN: I truly wrote an article about you in 2018 if you had been a recruit. You scored 43 factors in a highschool recreation and also you had Likelihood the Rapper and Dwyane Wade and all these well-known individuals tweeting about you. I famous began a Twitter account since you had been getting a lot publicity. What was that like pondering again to that second?
Cooke: That was positively a life altering second for me personally. I bought numerous recognition off that. Lots of people began to know who I used to be off that, it was positively a life altering second. I didn’t even count on what I did to explode the best way it did. I actually simply made an Instagram submit and lots of people had been reaching out to me about it. I bought numerous love from numerous celebrities and to today I nonetheless have relationships with nice individuals which have been there ever since that occurred. Nevertheless it’s actually loopy as a result of earlier than I went viral, I used to be sort of already doing the identical sort of stuff. It simply wasn’t caught on digicam. So positively that second was a life altering second for me.
SBN: You had been one of many prime recruits within the nation popping out of highschool. You select South Carolina over presents from many different massive time applications. In fact, earlier than Daybreak Staley got here to South Carolina, South Carolina was not like a powerhouse in ladies’s basketball however has since became one. So I’m curious, simply going again to your recruiting, what was it about Daybreak or about this system itself that attracted you to South Carolina?
Cooke: Oh, man, I’ve to provide all of the credit score to teach Staley. I feel she was the one that truly caught my consideration probably the most. In fact, I like the assistant coaches and the teammates that I had met throughout that point, however I truthfully fell in love with coach Staley and simply the whole lot that she informed me. She saved it actual with me about the whole lot, and I simply knew that she would have the ability to open up new doorways for me and assist me change into the participant that I wished to be.
SBN: I feel you began each recreation your freshman yr, and the workforce was large with just one loss. Then the NCAA event will get canceled due to the beginning of the pandemic. In fact, everybody in the entire world needed to take care of the pandemic, but it surely will need to have been a wild expertise for you and your workforce as a result of the group was having such a charmed season. What was it like going by means of that?
Cooke: That was positively actually powerful for me. However truthfully, I actually felt for seniors Kiki (Mikiah Herbert Harrigan) and Ty (Tyasha Harris) as a result of it was their final yr. I do know that was one thing that they actually wished to get finished and the truth that they couldn’t get it finished, that was what harm me probably the most. However positively that second was loopy for us. It was a surreal second as a result of we truthfully felt like we had the chance to win a nationwide championship. We thought we had all of the items to do it and we simply bought caught brief on that.
SBN: The following yr, final season, ended with a one-point loss to Stanford within the Last 4. That was such a tremendous recreation simply from a fan’s perspective to see two nice groups go at it like that. You performed rather well, main the workforce with 25 factors. What do you keep in mind about that recreation? How have you ever type of used that to gasoline your success this yr?
Cooke: It was a very good recreation. The entire expertise was actually good for us. I’ll say, as you mentioned, it was a fairly good recreation. For myself, that second simply confirmed me what we’re able to, to know that we are able to make it to the Last 4. We didn’t have Ty or Kiki anymore, and people had been the leaders for us. After they ended up leaving, we sort of didn’t know what was subsequent for us, however we simply stayed the course. We stayed collectively as a workforce and we did the very best we might to get the place we bought.
SBN: South Carolina has performed an excellent, tremendous tough schedule and nonetheless ended the common season at 27-1 and at No. 1 within the polls. You performed UConn, Stanford, Maryland, NC State, Oregon. And people are all video games you gained. And that’s all exterior of convention play. Have been you wanting ahead to the problem or sort of dreading it? It needs to be arduous to rise up each single evening like that. How do you assume that schedule goes that can assist you in March?
Cooke: Oh, man, I can’t lie. These video games that we did play prime 25 groups within the nation, I felt prefer it was again to again to again. It was positively arduous to do. However we got here out on prime of that. And like I mentioned earlier than, that simply reveals us what we’re able to as a workforce. Taking part in in opposition to a few of the prime groups within the nation and nonetheless popping out on prime. It simply ready us. I feel it’s greatest to play video games like that fairly than taking part in different groups that we all know will likely be to problem ourselves and present what we’re able to.
SBN: After which in fact there’s a single blemish in your file this yr. That’s Mizzou. It was an enormous upset as a result of Mizzou just isn’t thought-about a powerhouse workforce. However I’m simply curious what it’s prefer to have that one loss. Like does that eat away on the workforce? Do you are feeling like, hey, possibly it’s a superb factor so we don’t have the strain of an undefeated season in March? What do you type of take into consideration that recreation now wanting again?
Cooke: I gained’t say it was a superb factor for us however I’m joyful we bought that out early. I’ll say that and I feel it humbled us in a approach as a result of like I mentioned, we had simply bought finished beating Stanford. We had a bit of little bit of day off after which we went straight to taking part in Mizzou. We didn’t have the identical chip on our shoulder that was positively was a get up name for us to know that we are able to’t take any workforce calmly regardless of the place they’re ranked, regardless of who they’re. We bought to verify we go into each recreation with the identical mindset which is eager to win regardless of who steps in entrance of us. So I’ve positively bought that out of the best way and hopefully this complete run we are able to go along with no losses as a result of at this level the whole lot issues. In order that they gave us what we would have liked which was to place that chip again on our shoulder and put together us to win.
SBN: There have been so many nice gamers in ladies’s school basketball this yr. Inform me why your teammate Aliyah Boston must be nationwide participant of the yr.
Cooke: I feel it’s plainly as a result of the work she’s put in she dominates every time. She doesn’t take any of her opponents calmly. She’s that instance everybody ought to need to be. She places the work in every yr, and grows. She does all issues she must be doing to change into the participant that she is. I feel it’s actually only a lovely factor to look at the best way she’s grown over all these years. Yearly she is available in with one thing new. She’s constructing one thing for herself every yr, and it’s only a been a blessing to look at her and see all of the success she’s had.
SBN: As a guard, what’s it prefer to play with a dominant massive like that? It’s bought to make your life a lot simpler.
Cooke: It makes it simple. Whenever you miss photographs, you understand you bought a dominant submit participant who will choose up any missed layups or missed photographs. I’m fairly positive if I miss a shot I do know Aliyah has the rebound. One thing coach at all times tells us, ‘simply get it on the rim, and we bought nice rebounders. They’ll get the rebound and put it again up.’ Not even simply that although, she’s that teammate that you really want. She’s simply that chief that you really want on each workforce. Simply to maintain the workforce collectively and hold you uplifted.
SBN: Are you able to inform us something about Aliyah or coach that followers won’t know?
Aliyah is tremendous goofy off the courtroom. I really feel like she reveals that off the courtroom as nicely. It’s not probably the most thrilling, however truthfully they’re tremendous humble. Even with all of the accolades they’re getting, they’re nonetheless tremendous, tremendous humble. They arrive in and so they don’t act greater than anybody. They deal with us all the identical. Our coach being the SEC coach of the yr and Aliyah being the participant of the yr in our convention, they’re nonetheless the identical individuals. That’s what I like to see, individuals who don’t get massive headed and assume they’re higher than others. AB is actually that teammate that retains all people equal and doesn’t assume she’s higher than anybody.
SBN: I’ve seen your recreation could be very bodily. I discovered you performed soccer with the boys in fifth and sixth grade. How did that have form you as an athlete? There’s not numerous younger ladies who get to do this.
Cooke: It was enjoyable for me. It’s not frequent for a lady to play males’s sports activities, however that’s one thing I wished to do. It’s one thing I feel helped me out with my toughness and my IQ once I’m on the ground. It simply reveals that girls can do the identical factor males can do. Circling that again to H&R Block, they’re placing their gentle on ladies. We haven’t been getting the identical quantity of alternatives that males have gotten. I feel H&R Block is shining their gentle on us and giving us a good shot to indicate we are able to do the identical factor males do — and generally we would even be higher at it. Soccer helped me in numerous alternative ways. If I might I most likely would have went longer with it. However basketball was what I actually actually wished to do.
SBN: What’s it been prefer to play for coach Staley after spending three years along with her?
Cooke: Coach is a star no matter if we win a nationwide championship or not. She’s that voice. When she walks within the room, you’ll be able to inform she’s somebody helps her tradition and helps her group. And he or she needs what’s proper, needs what’s honest. That’s who she is. She’s a star. She offers us the facility and information of what it’s prefer to be a girl taking part in excessive degree sports activities. She’s positively somebody I look as much as. And I hope I can change into a frontrunner like she is on the ladies’s aspect of sports activities.
