The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1043000
88 ■ THE WOLFPACKER BASKETBALL PREVIEW 2018-19 ■ Erika Cassell 24 • Forward • 6-2 Junior • Marietta, Ga. Career Highlights: Made her first career start as a sophomore … Registered a double-double of 11 points and 11 rebounds at Miami … Had five games of double-digit rebounds, including a career-high 14 at Virginia Tech … Was named to the ACC Aca - demic Honor Roll … Played in 22 games as a true fresh- man and twice led NC State in rebounding … Logged double-digit minutes in nine contests … Rated as a four-star prospect and the No. 16 forward and No. 88 overall recruit in the class of 2016 by ESPNW HoopGurlz … Won a 2016 Georgia High School Association state championship at Holy Innocents Episcopal School … Was a 2016 honorable mention McDonald's All-American … Tabbed as a second-team all-state performer by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution … Named to the Georgia Athletic Coaches Association All-Star team as a junior, when she helped her team win a school-record 31 games … Also competed in track and field and spent significant time off the court participat - ing in charitable activities with the Atlanta Mission for Women and Children and both the Kay Yow Cancer Fund and Susan G. Komen Charity. CAREER STATISTICS Year GP PPG RPG APG 2016-17 22 2.1 2.5 0.3 2017-18 32 2.9 4.3 0.3 ■ Kai Crutchfield 3 • Guard • 5-8 Sophomore • Raleigh Career Highlights: Played in 28 games as a freshman … Scored a personal-best 11 points against David- son … Had eight points in 12 minutes against Mary- land in the second round of the NCAA Tournament … Rated as a four-star tal- ent, and the No. 24 guard and No. 82 overall player in the class of 2017 by ES- PNW HoopGurlz … Was an all-state selection by USA Today and the Associated Press, and a second-team USA Today All-USA North Carolina pick … Named the District 5 Player of the Year and the Cap-8 Conference Player of the Year … Helped Millbrook High School to a 28-4 record (14-0 conference mark) while advancing to the state's final four as a senior … Hit the game-winning shot during Millbrook's 2016 4A state championship win over Northwest Guilford … Se - lected as The Raleigh News & Observer's Girls Basketball Player of the Year after her junior season … Member of the National Honor Society. CAREER STATISTICS Year GP PPG RPG APG 2017-18 28 2.0 0.9 0.5 ■ Elissa Cunane 33 • Center • 6-5 Freshman • Summerfield, N.C. Career Highlights: Rated as the No. 5 center and No. 21 overall player in the country in the 2018 class by Prospects Nation … ESPNW HoopGurlz listed her as the No. 11 post prospect and No. 55 overall recruit na - tionally … During her senior year at Northern Guilford High, averaged 20.4 points, 12.6 boards, 3.1 blocks, 2.9 assists and 1.8 steals per contest for a 28-4 squad that won the 3-A state title … Was named the Associated Press Girls High School Basketball Player of the Year in the state … As a junior, averaged 20.3 points, 12.7 rebounds, 3.2 blocks, 2.7 as - sists and 2.2 steals per game for the 3-A state champions (31-1 record). ■ Kaila Ealey 2 • Guard • 5-8 Redshirt Junior • Raleigh Career Highlights: Started all 35 games last sea- son … Scored in double- digits 13 times and had a career-high of 22 points in a win over UNC … Her season total of 148 assists were the 12th most in a single year in school his - tory … Connected on 122 of 175 free throws (69.7 percent), the sixth most made and fourth most at- tempted in a single year at NCSU … Played in 29 games and averaged 13.2 minutes off the bench as a redshirt freshman … Logged at least 10 minutes in 20 contests and scored a season-high 12 points in the win over Maryland Eastern Shore … Twice grabbed nine rebounds in a contest, including in an overtime win at No. 7 Louisville … Played in four games before her true freshman season was cut short by an injury suffered in NC State's win at Liberty Nov. 2 … Aver- aged 26.4 points per game during her senior year at Broughton High School while helping the team to a 20-7 mark … Earned second-team all-state honors from the Associated Press … Picked for The Raleigh News & Observer's 2014 All-Metro Team … Rated as a four-star recruit, and the No. 16 guard and No. 75 overall prospect in 2015 by ESPNW HoopGurlz. CAREER STATISTICS Year GP PPG RPG APG 2015-16 4 2.0 2.0 1.3 2016-17 29 2.9 2.9 1.6 2017-18 35 8.9 5.3 4.2 ■ Armani Hawkins 50 • Guard • 5-10 5th-Year Senior • Mesa, Ariz. Career Highlights: Played 23 games after sitting out the fall semester per NCAA transfer rules … Twice scored a season-high 14 points in ACC action (home against Virginia and UNC) … Started the Clemson contest … Transferred to NC State after playing six games in her sophomore season at Arizona State … Began the campaign for ASU that year with 14 points in a season-opening win over Illinois State … Played 10 games as a freshman for the Sun Devils on a team that went 26-7 and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament … Was rated as the No. 22 guard and No. 100 overall prospect in the 2015 class by ESPNW HoopGurlz … Averaged 22.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.8 steals and 1.9 blocks a game as a senior at Mountain View High School and was named to The Arizona Republic All-Arizona Girls Basketball Team. CAREER STATISTICS Year GP PPG RPG APG 2015-16* 10 1.5 0.0 0.1 2016-17* 6 3.2 0.8 0.2 2017-18 23 3.4 0.7 0.4 * at Arizona State ■ Grace Hunter 23 • Guard • 5-9 Redshirt Junior • Raleigh Career Highlights: Redshirted last season after trans- ferring in from Charlotte … Led the 49ers in scoring (17.2 points per game) and rebounding (8.6 boards per contest) in 2016-17, while helping Charlotte go 21-10 overall and 12-6 in Confer- ence USA … Tied for the team lead in three-point shooting (35.8 percent, 24 of 67) and was second in field goal shooting (47.9 percent, 192 of 401) … Started 17 games as a freshman and earned a spot on the Conference USA Freshman Team after being voted the league's Freshman of the Week on five occasions. Meet The Pack Bios Of The 2018-19 Women's Basketball Team