Cece Hooks Explained

Cece Hooks
Position:Point guard
Height Ft:5
Height In:8
League:WNBA
Nationality:American
Birth Date:30 May 1999
High School:Thurgood Marshall
(Dayton, Ohio)
College:Ohio (2017–2022)
Highlights:
  • MAC Player of the Year (2021)
  • 4× First-team All-MAC (2019–2022)
  • Third-team All-MAC (2018)
  • 4× MAC Defensive Player of the Year (2019–2022)
  • 5× MAC All-Defensive Team (2018–2022)
  • MAC Freshman of the Year (2018)
  • MAC All-Freshman Team (2018)
  • All-American Honerable Mention (2021)

Cierra “Cece” Hooks (born May 30, 1999) is an American basketball player who is currently a free agent. She played college basketball with the Ohio Bobcats of the Mid-American Conference (MAC).

High school career

Hooks grew up in Dayton, Ohio, where she attended and played basketball at Thurgood Marshall High School. During her sophomore year she was considered a likely top 30 recruit but missed much of the year with a torn meniscus.[1] She worked her way back to average 17 points, 12 rebounds and five assists per game her senior year. She also played AAU basketball for All Ohio Black. She was rated as a four-star recruit by Prospects Nation.[2] She took one visit to Ohio University and committed.[1]

College career

Hooks played in 30 games and averaged 13.5 points as a freshman.[3] She scored 406 points which was the second most for a freshman in Ohio history and her 100 steals were a program record at the time.[2] After the season she was named to the MAC All-Freshman Team, All-MAC Third Team and MAC Freshman of the Year.[4]

Her sophomore season saw her average 18.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.1 steals and 3.1 assists in 36 games as the point guard for an Ohio team that won 30 games.[3] She broke her own program record for single-season steals with 112 and her 251 field goals was also a school record.[2] She was named All-MAC first team and won her first MAC Defensive Player of the Year.[5]

As a junior she averaged 17.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.7 steals and 3.4 assists per game.[3] Her 106 steals led the MAC and were fifth in the county.[2] In a loss to Akron on February 22 she tied the school record with 41 points and was 17 for 26 from the field.[6] She was again named All-MAC first team and won her second MAC Defensive Player of the Year.[7]

During a senior season shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic, she averaged 25.1 points per game, good for third in the country, and was an honorable-mention All-American.[1] She also led her team in rebounds, steals and assists.[2] In the second game of the season she led Ohio with 32 points in an upset of national power Notre Dame.[8] On March 6, against rival Miami, she notched only the second triple double in program history.[9] She had 31 points on 14 of 19 shooting with 11 assists, 10 steals and four rebounds.[10] She was named All-MAC first team and MAC Defensive Player of the Year for the third consecutive year and also won MAC Player of the Year.[11]

After her senior season Hooks declared for the 2021 WNBA draft.[12] However, she removed her name and returned to the Bobcats for a fifth season as allowed by a temporary rule change as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.[13] [14] Prior to the season she was added to the Naismith watch list for National Player of the year and the Hammon watch list for mid-major player of the year.[15] [16] On January 30, in a win at Central Michigan, she scored 30 points and surpassed Caroline Mast as the leading scorer in Ohio basketball history.[17] Two games later, against Bowling Green, she passed Toledo's Kim Knuth as the leading scorer in MAC basketball history.[18] [19] She was named All-MAC first team and MAC Co-Defensive Player of the Year.[20] She is the only four time defensive player of the year in MAC basketball history. She finished her career 23rd in NCAA history in career points and 5th all-time in career steals.[21]

Professional career

On April 13, 2022, she signed with the Minnesota Lynx of the WNBA.[21] On April 28, Minnesota released her.[22]

Career statistics

College

|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2017–18| style="text-align:left;"| Ohio| 30 || 0 || 25.0 || .471 || .120 || .600 || 4.8 || 1.8 || 3.3 || 0.4 || 13.5|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2018–19| style="text-align:left;"| Ohio| 36 || 5 || 29.1 || .491 || .232 || .615 || 5.1 || 4.1 || 3.1 || 0.6 || 17.7|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2019–20| style="text-align:left;"| Ohio| 29 || 29 || 30.9 || .452 || .240 || .598 || 5.4 || 3.4 || 3.7 || 0.6 || 18.2|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2020–21| style="text-align:left;"| Ohio| 25 || 22 || 34.4 || .484 || .235 || .648 || 6.6 || 4.0 || 3.8 || 0.6 || 25.1|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2021–22| style="text-align:left;"| Ohio| 29 || 29 || 37.3 || .462 || .297 || .565 || 8.4 || 3.8 || 2.9 || 0.6 || 22.3|-| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career| 149 || 85 || 31.1 || .472 || .240 || .603 || 6.0 || 3.4 || 3.3 || 0.6 || 19.1Source:[3]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Archdeacon: Dayton Strong in sneakers. Dayton Daily News. 2022-02-23.
  2. Web site: CECE HOOKS . Ohio University Athletics. 2022-02-23.
  3. Web site: CECE HOOKS. ESPN. 2022-02-23.
  4. Web site: Hooks named MAC Freshman of the year. Athens Messenger. 2022-02-23.
  5. Web site: WOMEN’S BASKETBALL 2019 ALL-CONFERENCE AWARDS . Mid-American Conference. 2022-02-23.
  6. Web site: Hooks and Bussell Named MAC WBB Players of the Week. Mid-American Conference. 2022-02-23.
  7. Web site: MAC Announces 2020 Women's Basketball Postseason Awards. Mid-American Conference. 2022-02-23.
  8. Web site: Ohio women’s team beats #22 Notre Dame. WSAZ. 2022-02-23.
  9. Web site: Ohio Women’s Basketball: Hooks Records Triple-Double as Ohio Dominates Miami (OH). WOUB. 2022-02-23.
  10. Web site: Ohio 85 Miami 70 Boxscore. ESPN. 2022-02-23.
  11. Web site: Ohio’s Cece Hooks named MAC women’s basketball Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. Cleveland Plain Dealer. 2022-02-23.
  12. Web site: WNBA Announces Players Who Have Opted-In for Consideration for 2021 WNBA Draft Presented By State Farm. WNBA. 2022-02-23.
  13. Web site: Dallas Wings control WNBA draft with top two picks. WTNH. 2022-02-23.
  14. Web site: What Does the NCAA Extra Year of Eligibility Mean for Recruiting?. NCAA. 2022-02-23.
  15. Web site: Cece Hooks Named To 2022 Women's Naismith Player of the Year Trophy Watch List. Ohio University Athletics. 2022-02-23.
  16. Web site: Three Named To 2022 Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Award Watch List. Mid-American Conference. 2022-02-23.
  17. Web site: Happy and Humble: Cece Hooks shatters OHIO and MAC basketball scoring records. Ohio University. 2022-02-23.
  18. Web site: Women's Basketball: Cece Hooks shatters Mid-American Conference all-time scoring record against Bowling Green. The Post. 2022-02-23.
  19. Web site: Women's Basketball: Cece Hooks becomes Mid-American Conference all-time leading scorer. The Post. 2022-02-23.
  20. Web site: 2021-22 MAC Women's Basketball Postseason Awards Announced. Mid-American Conference. 2022-03-10.
  21. Web site: Cece Hooks Signs With Minnesota Lynx. Ohio University Athletics. 2022-04-29.
  22. Web site: Minnesota Lynx Waive Cece Hooks. Our Sports Central. 2022-05-06.