Sidney Cooks' name has been mentioned here in the yard daily the last few weeks.
Just who is Sidney Cooks?
"The former McDonald’s All-American from Kenosha, Wis., announced on her Twitter account Friday afternoon plans to leave the
Michigan State Spartans after two seasons. The
6-foot-4 Cooks just finished her sophomore year. She was a key performer off the bench and averaged 9.5 points and 4.5 rebounds while appearing in 30 games, which included eight starts. She shot 48.1 percent from the field and 40.7 percent from behind the 3-point arc this winter.
Cooks was a legit McDonald's All-American (St. Joseph Catholic Academy (Kenosha, Wisconsin), who also excelled with USA Basketball playing for Team USA in the 2016 FIBA 3x3 World Cup and starting for the U18 Team that won the 2016 FIBA U18 Americas Championship. She finished 2nd on the team in rebounding behind Lauren Cox and 4th in scoring behind Cox, Chennedy Carter, and Amber Ramirez.
During her recruitment period, she received in home visits from Minnesota, Penn State, UCLA, Florida, Marquette, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Pittsburgh, Purdue and Wisconsin. Parents are Sonya and Jimmie Cooks.
CAREER HIGHS:
Points: 21, vs. Central Michigan (3/23/19)
Field Goals: 10, vs. Central Michigan (3-23-19)
Free Throws: 5, vs. Rhode Island (12/9/17)
3-Point Field Goals: 3, four times, last vs. Toledo (3/19/18)
Rebounds: 12, vs Notre Dame (3/25/19)
Assists: 3, four times, last vs. Northwestern (1/3/18)
Blocks: 4, vs. Indiana (3/1/18)
Steals: 2, two times, last vs. Rhode Island (12/9/17)
Minutes: 37, at Michigan (1/23/18)
Stats for her last 10 games
[Link]
Cooks ended the year with a strong showing in the NCAA tournament. She scored 21 points on 10 of 14 shooting in an opening-round win over Central Michigan and followed with 17 points on 8-of-12 shooting in a season-ending loss to eventual national runner-up Notre Dame.
"After many thoughts, prayers, and of course talking to the people in my life that mean the most, I have decided that I will not be returning to Michigan State University," Cooks wrote. "I appreciate everyone who helped me throughout the journey. Thank you to the coaches and the MSU staff. I will forever be grateful for this opportunity. I'm going to miss my teammates who have become like sisters to me. I also want to thank the fans and little girls I've met always cheering me on."
"I think just showing what I can do and being consistent with it (was what I did)," Cooks told the Lansing State Journal just outside the locker room following the loss to Notre Dame."I came into here with a lot of things on my plate and then I got injured this year and it kind of slumped me down a little bit. But Sidney hasn't gone anywhere. It’s just a matter of me finishing and getting into a rhythm when I get in the game.
"Really, I just went into these (NCAA tournament) games with a clear mind to just go out there and hoop and have fun and it will all work out in the end, whether we win or lose. I’ll be proud of the things that I put in there."
We probably won't hear anything "official" coming out of the Cooks camp on potential landing spots until the present school year ends.