LOS ANGELES >> Zia Cooke said she’s ready to do whatever it takes to win with the Sparks.

“They have some good vets there that I know will put me under their wing and I’m just ready to learn,” said Cooke, a 5-foot-9 guard from South Carolina who the Sparks selected 10th overall in the first round of the 2023 WNBA Draft on Monday night. “I’m ready to win and do whatever I can do to help the team succeed and do what we know we can do.”

According to Karen Bryant, the team’s chief administrative officer/general manager and head coach Curt Miller, the feeling is mutual.

“Zia was really high on our list. We weren’t sure if she was going to fall to 10 or not,” Bryant said.

“We believe Zia grades out as one of the best two-way players in this draft,” Miller added.

Cooke averaged 15.4 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game last season while shooting 40.5% from the field and 34.6% from 3-point range and was a key starter on South Carolina’s 2022 national championship team.

Miller said Cooke’s path to making the Sparks’ season-opening roster is rooted in being herself.

“Zia has to come in and be herself and we have to put her in positions to be successful and to play her best while we continue to improve the growth areas in her game,” Miller explained. “I know that she can score at three levels. To us, what was impressive this senior season at South Carolina was her efficiency. She really improved her efficiency and so asking her to take good shots. She doesn’t have to force at this level. We have great players around her. For us, it is taking the shots she’s capable of making. Don’t force bad shots and then just continue to really dedicate herself to that efficiency, that’s really taken her game to a different level.

“Defensively, we want to see how she competed guarding some of the great wings during the NCAA tournament. She really competes and we get excited about that.”

During the pre-draft process, Cooke said she fell in love with the Sparks’ coaching staff and wants to learn from veterans like All-Stars Jasmine Thomas and Nneka Ogwumike.

“This is definitely a dream come true,” said Cooke, one of three South Carolina players selected in the first round along with Aliyah Boston (No. 1 overall, Indiana) and Laeticia Amihere (No. 8, Atlanta). “This is something I’ve prepared myself for since I was six years old.”

Cooke said she’s looking forward to training camp, which begins on April 30.

“I know the hard work won’t be a problem for me but for me, it will be making sure I’m asking questions,” Cooke shared. “I’m going to be a rookie but I’m going to use the vets in the best way possible by learning from them, asking them to watch film with me, asking them to workout with me and just taking it all in for those two weeks. Of course, I want to make the team but I definitely want to get as much knowledge as I can and hopefully when it’s all over I’ll be on the team.”

The Sparks also selected Shaneice Swain, a 5-9 point guard from Australia with their second-round pick (14th overall). The 19-year-old played for the UC Capitals in Australia’s Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL) alongside Sparks guard/forward Rae Burrell, who was the team’s first-round pick in the 2022 draft.

Swain is not expected to be invited to this year’s training camp but is slotted to be a promising draft-and-stash player for the Sparks.

In the third round (26th overall), the Sparks added Iowa’s Monika Czinano, a 6-3 forward, who averaged 17.1 points and 6.5 rebounds, while shooting 67.4% from the field.

“One of the most efficient post players in the country,” Miller said when asked about his early assessment of Czinano, who is expected to be invited to training camp.

The 2023 WNBA season tips off on May 19, when the Sparks host Brittney Griner and the Phoenix Mercury at Crypto.com Arena.