Wilson grad Zakiyah Winfield has taken her game to a higher level
By Sean McBryan — MikeDragoSports.com correspondent
Zakiyah Winfield has accomplished a lot on the basketball court: She scored 1,000 points at Wilson and won the 2022 NCAA Division II national championship with Glenville State, in West Virginia.
She isn’t finished. The fifth-year guard transferred to Division I Buffalo for her final year of eligibility and is putting up gaudy numbers as she closes in on her ultimate goal.
“I plan to play professional basketball,” Winfield said. “If it means entering the (WNBA) draft then so be it. If I’m given the chance to go overseas, then I’m going to take that opportunity.”
Winfield has sharpened the fundamental skills she displayed at Wilson, where she led the Bulldogs to a Berks County championship appearance as a junior, three straight district tournament appearances and a state tournament appearance her senior season. She averaged 16.8 points, fourth in the league, as a senior in 2017-18.
She worked her way into the starting lineup as a freshmen at Glenville State, finished her career as the fifth all-time scorer (1,760 points) and led the Pioneers to their first national title in any sport.
Buffalo first-year head coach Becky Burke remembered going up against Winfield and Glenville State when she coached at Charleston, which also plays in the Division II Mountain East Conference. Winfield went 4-1 against Burke’s teams.
“I spent two years at Charleston playing against her and obviously got a good chance to scout her and watch a lot of film on her and the team,” Burke said. “The same things are still impressing me to this day: Her elite athleticism, high motor, and ability to defend at any level.
“I just knew that her ceiling wasn’t the Division II level. I knew she had that extra year of eligibility and wanted to continue playing.”
Burke took over a Buffalo program coming off nine consecutive winning seasons under former head coach Felisha Legette-Jack, who led the Bulls to their only four NCAA Tournament appearances and the Sweet Sixteen in 2018.
Legette-Jack was hired by the Orange after the resignation of former coach Quentin Hillsman following inappropriate conduct and bullying allegations. Many Buffalo players transferred, including top scorers Dyaisha Fair — who is projected as a top pick in the 2023 WNBA Draft — and Georgia Woolley.
Burke needed to find players ready to contribute immediately to fill her barren roster. She recruited Winfield and her Glenville team Re’Shawna Stone, the NCAA Division II Player of the Year in 2022 and the Pioneers No. 3 all-time scorer. She and Winfield have played together every season of their college careers.
“It was a pretty easy transition,” Winfield said. “My coaches helped me learn some things at this level and how it would be different from the Division II level. But overall, I just think I had a nice and easy transition.”
The 5-7 guard is averaging 14.9 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.8 steals. Winfield leads the Bulls in minutes, points, rebounds and assists and is tied for the lead in steals. She’s been the perfect addition for a coach and team needing a ready-to-play leader; the Bulls are 9-9 with nine games to go.
Winfield is tied for 18th nationally in double-doubles and tied for 16th in rebounding average in Division I.
She is hoping to be one of 36 players drafted in the 2023 WNBA Draft.
“She’s got the potential to take this game as far as she wants to,” Burke said. “She has the talent and ability. I think the WNBA is actually the hardest league in the world to play in because of the limited number of roster spots.”
Winfield graduated from Glenville State with a bachelor’s degree in Biology and is working toward a master’s degree in Biological Sciences. Her goal is to become a dentist. First, she wants to give pro ball a shot.
“Seeing ‘Z’ playing professionally . . . I have no doubt that she could do that,” Burke said. “It’s about finding the right fit, the right place for her.”
