Zia Cooke an early surprise for Storm, thanks to Sonia Raman's support

At the time, Zia Cooke didn't really know what to make of her first meeting with new Storm coach Sonia Raman.

But in hindsight, she believes: "It meant everything."

As Cooke was finishing her second season in Athletes Unlimited in February, Raman flew to Nashville, Tenn., to get to know the four-year WNBA veteran who played sparingly in Seattle last year.

"It meant a lot to me," Cooke said. "We didn't watch film that time, I don't think, but we went on a rooftop and had some good food and just a normal conversation. She was just telling me about herself, and I was telling her about me.

"We talked about what I want for my future. She asked me what type of coach I want to be coached by, what are the things that I like? And she remembered everything. Ever since then, everything I've asked for, she's just been able to give to me. And I make sure that I do my part on the court that way I can keep getting that trust."

Raman's trust in Cooke reaped early dividends Friday night when the 5-foot-9 guard exploded for a career-high 25 points in 24 minutes off the bench while leading the Storm to a 77-59 victory against the Connecticut Sun.

"Zia having a little experience under her belt (knew) what we needed coming off that loss," Raman said noting an 80-78 defeat on Wednesday. "(She made) that effort to come out and just really try to get us that early push is really important."

Cooke ranks eighth in scoring among WNBA reserves at 12.3 points per game and has been one of the Storm's most consistent offensive contributors while scoring in double figures in four of six games.

"Her coming off the bench, just giving us that spark, she's that girl," rookie guard Flau'jae Johnson said. "She's very confident and I learned that from her to just be confident. If the shot is falling, no matter what, she plays hard on defense. She's a pro's pro. That's a testament to the work she put in. I'm just proud to be next to her.

Cooke starred at South Carolina as a four-year starter, won a national championship in 2022 and was selected third-team All-American in 2023 before being taken No. 10 overall in the 2023 WNBA draft by the Los Angeles Sparks.

"I played against her in college," said Johnson, the former LSU star, when asked about Cooke. "She was like that. So, to see it translating, it's just beautiful."

Admittedly, it's taken Cooke a lot longer to find success in the WNBA than she expected.

After two years in L.A., she was waived by the Sparks and landed with the Storm last year, averaging 3.5 points in 10 minutes across 26 games as a reserve.

Cooke's career took a turn while playing in Athletes Unlimited where she averaged 16.1 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists while shooting 39.8% from the field in 24 games.

"It did a lot for me because if you know my journey, I haven't really had the opportunity to show myself," Cooke said. "The first time I went (in 2024), there wasn't as many W players as it was this past year. There were some WNBA starters and legends there. I played with Tina Charles, who just retired and is one of the greatest to ever do it.

"Tina instilled a lot of confidence in me. She was telling me, ‘You a dog. I didn't even know.' A lot of people don't know the game that I have just because I haven't had an opportunity. But at AU, I was able to prove myself."

In her first year as a WNBA coach, Raman has also given Cooke a chance at a fresh start.

"I can just feel that she believes in me," Cooke said. "I told a lot of people this, from the moment she got signed here, our relationship has become stronger and stronger. She showed her belief in me early. Watched film with me early, and all the little things that I asked for, she just made sure that she does it for me and vice versa."

Under new leadership and at the start of her second season with the Storm, Cooke has been one of the biggest surprises on a young and refurbished Storm team that's looking for its next generation of stars.

She was the team's second-leading scorer in the preseason while averaging 15.5 points per game, including a sensational 19-point outing on 5-of-12 shooting and four three-pointers in 17½ minutes off the bench.

Heading into Sunday's 3 p.m. matchup against the Washington Mystics (2-2) at Climate Pledge Arena, Cooke is averaging career highs in rebounds (3.5), assists (1.7), steals (0.7), minutes (19.3) and field goal percentage (37.7%).

Cooke believes her first three years battling adversity in the WNBA will help her navigate a personally prosperous season that hasn't yet directly correlated to success for the Storm (2-4), who are tied for next-to-last in the league standings.

"Just not getting too high and not getting too low," she said. "I've realized in the W, it can be a mental test a lot of times and I just can't let that test win. I got to make sure that I'm on my A-game at all times. Controlling what I can control and being where my feet is at.

"I've learned a lot in these last 3-4 years on just the maturity side of things, and just understanding I can't control what people do. I only can control what I do. So that's making sure I'm in the gym getting my work in, keeping my head high no matter if it's going good or going bad. And then just be ready when an opportunity comes."

Notes

* Rookie center Awa Fam, who is listed as probable, could make her WNBA debut Sunday.

* Forward Katie Lou Samuelson, who missed the first six games while recovering from a knee injury that kept her out last season, does not appear on the injury report for the first time.

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This story was originally published May 23, 2026 at 11:45 PM.