Zakiyah Winfield Continuing to Chase Pro Ball Dream While Giving Back to Berks

Zakiyah Winfield's basketball journey began on Grandview Boulevard in West Lawn, where she was a standout high school player at Wilson High School.

The game has taken her to Glenville (W. Va.), Buffalo (N.Y.), and across the Atlantic Ocean to Freiburg, Germany.

She's not quite ready to let a current injury hamper her quest to continue playing professional basketball, but right now her focus is giving back to the community that helped shaped her with her Then 2 Now Foundation, which she founded in 2024.

A 2018 graduate of Wilson, Winfield scored 1,144 points in her high school career, ranking 93rd all-time in Berks County girls basketball history.

She’s tied with Hamburg’s Ally Wenrich, just behind Exeter’s Donna Luft, and ahead of Berks Catholic’s Caraline Herb. At Wilson, she was the 10th-highest scorer in the school’s history and led the Bulldogs to a Berks championship appearance in 2017.

From there, she took her talents to Division II Glenville State in West Virginia, where she left an impressive legacy.

Former Wilson, Glenville State, and Buffalo star Zakiyah Winfield. (Photo courtesy of Zakiyah Winfield)

She is the fifth-leading scorer in school history with 1,760 points, 21st in rebounds with 601, 18th in assists at 282, and 14th in steals with 204. She helped the Pioneers go 35-1 and win the 2022 NCAA Division II national championship, a first in any sport for the school, with head coach Kim Caldwell (now at Tennessee).

Winfield transferred to Division I Buffalo for her final year, where she played under coach Becky Burke (now at Arizona). She averaged 14.8 points, 10.5 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.8 steals per game, leading the Bulls in nearly every statistical category.

Following her college career, Zakiyah took the next step by playing with Eisvögel USC Freiburg, a team in the top German women’s basketball league. The experience overseas was a valuable one, both on and off the court.

“After Buffalo, I played in the top division in Germany,” Winfield said. “It was a great experience. The people were really friendly, and I learned a lot about European basketball.”

Although the physicality of the European game was a challenge, she adapted and grew as a player. Now sidelined by a leg injury that she’s rehabbing, Winfield remains determined to return to the court and eventually aims to play at the highest professional levels, even the WNBA.

“I’m still really heavily in love with basketball and not quite ready to give it up yet,” she said. “I want to play with the best people in the world and am looking forward to the next step in my career.”

While injury recovery has kept her off the court, it has provided time for another passion to grow: giving back to the youth of Berks County through her non-profit foundation, which is committed to “enhancing positive change by offering necessary resources, support, and opportunities for many. While we are grounded in basketball, it goes way beyond the game. We want the youth to dream big all while helping them unlock doors never imagined.”

Zakiyah Winfield. (Photo courtesy of Zakiyah Winfield)

The foundation also hosts a women’s league and organizes other events throughout the year. One upcoming event is a back-to-school drive featuring free books and haircuts.

“We just wrapped up our summer league, which was a great experience for the girls to grow and compete,” Winfield said. “We’re launching a fall league next month to give girls more chances to play and improve.”

The centerpiece of Winfield’s community work is the annual basketball camp, which will be held this Sunday at Alvernia University. The third annual camp expects more than 100 participants, boys and girls ages 7 to 16, and features a day packed with skill stations, drills, games, and competitions.

“The camp is about learning and competing, but most importantly having fun,” she said. “When I was younger, I loved competing, so we try to bring that same energy to the camp with shooting games and contests.”

Zakiyah brings in counselors and guest coaches from her network, including former teammates and professional players, to mentor the campers. Past attendees have included some of the top young players in Berks County, like Kingston McKoy, Amaya Stewart, and Laila Jones, many of whom have aged out but now inspire the new crop of players.

“It feels good to be giving back to Berks in a way that I wish I had growing up,” Winfield said. “There’s so much talent coming up, and I want to push that narrative forward.”

Zakiyah stays connected with the Berks girls basketball scene, keeping up with games and players despite the distance and time zone challenges when she was overseas.

“My mom would keep me updated on what was going on,” she said. “I try to watch games online whenever I can. It’s important to me to stay involved.”

Her foundation’s leagues feature competitive play, culminating in championship games with trophies and medals, a special moment that motivates young athletes and builds community spirit.

“I love seeing the kids compete for those championships,” Winfield said. “It’s about more than basketball. It’s about teamwork, leadership, and growth.”

From her early days scoring points and leading Wilson, to collegiate success and the challenges of professional basketball abroad, she has never lost sight of the importance of community and mentoring the next generation.

With the upcoming camp and leagues, she continues to invest in the future of Berks County basketball, ensuring that her impact on the game will last well beyond her playing days.