The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1306549
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020 ■ 31 BY JUSTIN H. WILLIAMS ess than a week after NC State won the 2020 ACC Tournament championship with a 71-66 vic- tory over Florida State, the team learned its postseason was over before the Big Dance even started. Destined to host the NCAA's first and second rounds for a third consecutive season after posting a 28-4 re- cord and winning its first conference title in 29 years, the Wolfpack found out the 2020 NCAA Tournament was canceled due to the impact of COVID-19 just four days after cut- ting down the nets in Greensboro Coliseum. Although head coach Wes Moore insists that the team has moved on from the disap- pointment of not having the opportunity to compete for a national title, the unforgettable week of mass cancellations in the world of sports still crosses his mind. "It was disappointing to not play in the NCAA Tournament because we had four se- niors that I felt were providing us great leader- ship and I would have liked to have seen how far we could have ridden that," Moore said. "There's a lot of worse things going on in the world right now, so we get over that, move on and start a new trip this year." Now that seniors Aislinn "Ace" Konig, Kaila Ealey, Grace Hunter and Erika Cas- sell have all graduated, NC State will have to rely on a new generation of upperclassmen to lead it back to where it was when last season ended. Despite the returning talent, it's a new team that doesn't want to dwell on the misfor- tunes of the past. Instead, the Pack wants to continue the mo- mentum those four seniors left behind. "Last year, we talked a lot about doing something special," Moore said. "We wanted to do something we hadn't done in a while and winning the ACC Tournament checked that box. But we're hungry and we didn't get to see how we would do in the NCAA Tournament. "This year, you want to try to build towards that and try to be playing your best basketball in March." Expectations are high. After finishing the past two years ranked inside the Associated Press top 10 — No. 10 in 2018-19 and No. 8 last season — the Wolfpack is ranked No. 8 entering 2020-21 according to NCAA.com's Preseason Power 10, which was updated in mid-October. Moore thinks this season's roster is off to a good start, but he also knows the success of last year won't just come naturally. "The preseason rankings are based on last year's team and obviously they did an awe- some job," Moore said. "We had four seniors that really were instrumental in our success and we definitely have a good nucleus back, but it's a new team. "I've loved the way they work. We just started official practice [the week of Oct. 15], but we've been working out for probably six weeks on a more limited basis. I love their work ethic, love their energy. Practices have been very competitive, workouts have been competitive, so I like all that." L Returning Leaders Points: Junior center Elissa Cunane (524, 16.4 per game) Rebounds: Cunane (308, 9.6 per game) Assists: Senior forward Kayla Jones (81, 2.5 per game) Blocks: Cunane (35, 1.1 per game) Steals: Sophomore forward Jada Boyd (32, 1.0 per game) Three-Pointers Made: Senior guard Kai Crutch - field (46, 1.4 per game) FG Percentage: Cunane (54.7, 174 of 318) FT Percentage: Cunane (79.1, 159 of 201) Minutes: Jones (928, 29.0 per game) UNFINISHED BUSINESS After Winning Its First ACC Tournament Championship Since 1991, The Wolfpack's Saw Its Magical March Ended Abruptly By COVID-19 Junior center Elissa Cunane was the only player in the ACC to finish the regular season averaging a double-double last year. She wrapped up the campaign by posting team-high clips of 16.4 points and 9.6 rebounds per game. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE ATHLETICS 2020-2021 WOMEN'S BASKETBALL PREVIEW