Zach Cooks

Zachery Deshon Cooks (born March 4, 1999) is an American professional basketball player for UBSC Graz of the Austrian Basketball Superliga. He previously played collegiately for the Hofstra Pride of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA), and the NJIT Highlanders in college.

High school career
Cooks began his high school career at Norcross High School. For his junior season, he transferred to Berkmar High School and led the team to the Georgia Sweet 16. Cooks averaged 11.4 points and 2.5 assists per game as a junior. He committed to playing college basketball for NJIT.

College career
Cooks averaged 8.5 points, 2.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game as a freshman. As a sophomore, he averaged 17.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game, earning Second Team All-ASUN honors. On November 20, 2019, he scored a school-record 35 points in a 77–75 loss to Binghamton. Cooks averaged 19.7 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game as a junior and repeated on the Second Team All-ASUN. He declared for the 2020 NBA draft after the season, but ultimately returned to NJIT. As a senior, Cooks averaged 17.1 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game. He was named to the Third Team All-America East. Following the season, Cooks took advantage of the additional season of eligibility granted by the NCAA and transferred to Hofstra. On January 22, 2022, he scored 19 points and passed the 2,000 career point mark in a 72–50 win over Northeastern. Cooks was named Colonial Athletic Association Sixth Man of the Year.

Professional career
Following his collegiate career, he signed his first contract as a professional basketball player with UBSC Graz of the Austrian Basketball Superliga in September 2022. In the 2022-23 regular season, he emerged as the league's leading scorer (23.2 points per game).