The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1087622
MARCH 2019 ■ 67 CENTER STAGE From Sub To Starter, Pack Freshman Elissa Cunane Has Excelled Fortunately, for both Cunane and her teammates, the misses have been few for the newest addition to the starting lineup. Even before a season-ending injury to ju- nior starter Erika Cassell during NC State's 75-70 loss at Florida State Feb. 7, Cunane had already established herself as a force to be reckoned with in the middle. In the 23 games in which she came off the bench as the first sub inside, Cunane averaged 12.2 points and 5.1 rebounds in 20.5 minutes per contest. In her first four games as a starter fol- lowing Cassell's injury — during which she tallied a career-high 28 points in a 95- 72 loss to Notre Dame Feb. 18 — she aver- aged 17.8 points and 7.5 rebounds in 33.0 minutes per game. Overall, Cunane was averaging 13.0 points and 5.5 rebounds per contest through Feb. 27. Though turnovers remain one area that both she and the Pack coaches would like to see further improvement — Cunane led the Pack with 67 through 27 games — her level of play has been a pleasant surprise for a team that's been decimated by sea- son-ending knee injuries to four players, including three starters. "We knew through recruiting her that she could be a very good player for us," head coach Wes Moore said. "You never know how the transition from high school to this level is going to go. "Plus, Elissa had the setback of play- ing basically the second half of her senior year with a broken foot and missed all last summer. "In spite of all that, she was playing very well before we lost Erika, and she's even taken it to another level. I think she real- izes she's now our go-to person inside, and she's responded really well with that opportunity." A four-year starter for Northern Guil- ford High, Cunane helped the Nighthawks to three straight North Carolina Class 3A state final appearances, winning the title her final two years. She was ranked as the No. 5 post prospect in the country by ESPN HoopsGurlz. Cunane chose NC State over a final group that included Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, Georgia and South Carolina. "I really liked the coaches and players every time I visited, and just felt like this is where I wanted to be," she said of picking the Pack. "It's also only 90 minutes from home, and they offer the major [animal science] I wanted — I want to be a veteri- narian after I graduate." Like most freshmen making the switch from prep to college ball, Cunane found the mental and physical demands of ACC hoops a little daunting at first. "Even practices were an eye-opener," she admitted. "I didn't get to do much in preseason coming off the injury — so the first day I was basically just thrown in there. "I'd say the need to make quick deci- sions was the hardest part. Every player in the ACC knows what they're doing because the basketball IQ in this league is so high. You come in with a high school concept, and you're staring at the ball while every- one else is moving." Both Cunane and Moore feel that her role as a reserve for NC State's first 23 games has helped her smooth the transition from sub to starter. "People have asked me why I didn't start her sooner, but you have to remember we were 21-0 with her coming off the bench," Moore said. "Erika has three years of expe- rience, and that helped bring Elissa along. It was a good situation to be able to play both of them." "Erika definitely helped me a lot," Cu- nane agreed. "I had a lot of things to learn, and still do. In high school, I could pretty much just settle — you can't do that here." So far, Cunane has done anything but settle. Her scoring average is the highest for a Wolfpack post player since All-ACC first-teamer Markeisha Gatling's 17.4 points per game in Moore's first season (2013-14), and she's also the first Pack player to be named the ACC Rookie of the Week three times in one season since Marissa Kastanek in 2009-10. "Elissa's definitely earned and deserves the recognition she's received, as far as the value to our team and what she's brought to it," Moore said. "She's made that transi- tion from high school to this league in a very impressive way, and we're just excited that we're going to have her three more years." ■ After coming off the bench for 23 games, Cunane averaged 17.8 points and 7.5 rebounds in 33.0 minutes per contest in her first four starts for the Wolfpack. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN "I think she realizes she's now our go-to person inside, and she's responded really well with that opportunity." ■ Head coach Wes Moore on Cunane BY BRIAN RAPP E lissa Cunane isn't really sure when she first started the habit that's become a signature for NC State's 6-5 standout fresh- man center — a somewhat risky habit of sticking her tongue out of the side of her mouth as she begins her shooting motion. "I think it might have been in high school," the Summerfield, N.C., native said. "I had retainers then, and I'd play with them all the time. After that, it was a thing I'd do to focus — I didn't even realize I was doing it until my teammates started saying something about it. "If I miss a shot, DD [Pack senior DD Rogers] tells me, 'If you'd keep your tongue in your mouth, you wouldn't miss!'"