Sidney Cooks, a 6-foot-4 forward at Saint Joseph (Kenosha, Wisconsin) and the No. 5 prospect in the espnW HoopGurlz Top 100 for the 2017 class, has committed to Michigan State.
Cooks also considered Purdue, UCLA, Wisconsin and Michigan.
"It came down to Michigan or Michigan State," Cooks said. "This was tough for me to decide. I also pondered whether I should leave the state of Wisconsin or not. ... I want to credit former Michigan State assistant coach NcKell Copeland for building a friendship that stood strong. I built a good bond with her."
Cooks, who averaged 23.1 points, 12.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 4.1 blocks per game as a junior at Saint Joseph, spent the spring and summer collecting hardware with USA Basketball.
She teamed up with recent UConn signee Megan Walker and TCU freshman Amber Ramirez to win the USA Basketball 3x3 U18 national tournament. She then won a gold medal with Team USA at the FIBA Americas U18 championship in Valdivia, Chile, starting all five games and averaging 10.6 points and 7.8 rebounds per game.
Cooks, who was known to entertain college coaches with a piano concert during home visits, will bring versatility to East Lansing. She blends a stretch-4 game that brings defenders out to the arc with an interior game that creates spacing. She elevates in the key and consistently hits the shot.
"Sid is one of those bigs that when she grabs a rebound you are not afraid to have her lead the fast break," said Ralph Gesualdo, Cooks' coach at EYBL Midwest Elite. "You can also put her in the corner to shoot a 3. And she's a triple threat in the high post because she can shoot, pass or take you off the dribble."
Cooks joins Claire Hendrickson, a 5-foot-11 guard, in Michigan State coach Suzy Merchant's two-player class.
Cooks became the sixth and final top-10 prospect to sign in the past six days, following No. 1 Walker, No. 2 Evina Westbrook (Tennessee), No. 3 Rellah Boothe (Texas), No. 6 Chennedy Carter (Texas A&M), and No. 10 Michaela Onyenwere (UCLA).
The updated class rankings will be released Thursday.
