The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1318516
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2021 ■ 11 TRACKING THE PACK Wolfpack Basketball Signs Three In 2021 Recruiting Class NC State men's basketball earned signatures from all three of its commits in the 2021 class on this year's Nov. 11 signing day. Four-star guard Terquavion Smith of Farmville (N.C.) Central High, four-star forward Ernest Ross of Alachua (Fla.) Santa Fe High and three-star guard Breon Pass of Reidsville (N.C.) Senior High all inked their national letter of intent with the Wolf- pack. Ross is the highest ranked in the class according to Rivals.com, checking in as the No. 54 overall recruit nationally and No. 12 among forwards in the 2021 class. Head coach Kevin Keatts dubbed the 6-9, 205-pound combo forward "a physical speci- men" and "the guy you have get off the bus first." Smith, the first to commit in the group, is ranked No. 99 overall and No. 24 among shoot- ing guards according to Rivals.com. The two-time state champion, according to his new head coach, is "an intense competitor who doesn't back down from anyone." Pass was a two-sport athlete that received Power Five offers in football and basketball. He was offered to play both at NC State but decided he would play just basketball in college earlier this summer. He is ranked No. 34 among point guards in the 2021 class by Rivals.com, but Ke- atts called him an "incredible athlete" that will "take it to the next level" now that he is focused on just one sport. "These are three highly sought after young men," Keatts concluded. "Give my staff credit. They got on these guys early and did a great job of making them a priority." Dave Doeren Becomes Second- Winningest Coach In Program History Head football coach Dave Doeren earned his 53rd win at NC State with a 15-14 victory over Lib- erty in Carter-Finley Stadium Nov. 21. That allowed him to pass Dick Sheridan for the second-most wins among head football coaches in NC State history. Now with eight seasons under his belt, Doeren is the second-longest-tenured football coach at NC State. He trails only Earle Edwards in wins and ten- ure. Edwards coached the Wolfpack from 1954-70 and holds the all-time record with 77 wins. At the end of the regular season, Doeren is 55-45 overall since being hired in 2013. ■ RED AND WHITE NOTEBOOK C.B. Lee & Company Accountants, Consultants & Tax Advisors 4617 Western Blvd., Raleigh, NC 27606 919-851-2640 Fax 919-851-4577 Accounting & Tax Preparation Accounting & Business Managment Services Taxes Individual - Corporate - Partnership - Trusts - LLC's Proud supporter of "The Wolfpack" for over 30 years Elissa Cunane Scores 1,000th Career Point Women's basketball junior center Elissa Cunane scored her 1,000th career point in the Wolfpack's 2020-21 season opener, a 93-65 win over North Florida in Reynolds Coliseum Nov. 25. "It means a lot," Cunane said after the game. "Some people don't know when they're going to hit it, but I knew last year that I was close towards the end of the season. When COVID hit, I knew I wasn't going to get it [during the 2019-20 season]. "Coming into today's game, I was a little nervous because I was aware of it. All the points that I have just amount to how good my teammates are." Cunane became the 39th player in program history to score 1,000 points and the 20th to do so before the end of her junior year. The 6-5 center checked in at No. 6 on ESPN's preseason countdown of the top 25 play- ers in women's college basket- ball. She was also named to multiple prestigious preseason watch lists, including the John R. Wooden Award (for the most outstanding player in the country), the Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy (national player of the year), the Wade Trophy (the country's top player) and the Lisa Leslie Award (nation's best center). Cunane was a unanimous first-team All-ACC selection and a third-team Associ- ated Press All-American in 2019-20 after averaging 16.4 points and 9.6 rebounds per game. — Justin H. Williams Cunane was ranked as the No. 6 women's basketball player in the country this preseason by ESPN. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE ATHLETICS