The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1419104
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021 ■ 35 2021-22 WOMEN'S BASKETBALL PREVIEW messing up my senior year. So really just making sure everybody's on track for this year has been my biggest thing this offsea- son." Looking back at last season, Cunane cel- ebrates the accomplishments but can't help but think of the what-ifs had the Pack found a way to get past the Sweet Sixteen. She credits most of last year's success to the team's preparations in the preseason. With the expectation of better results, the team's focus has been dialed up a notch this fall as it tries to figure out the chemistry be- tween returning producers and new talent. "Last year, we were prepared, and through- out the season we were focused, but we defi- nitely had daily lapses where we might have a bad practice and just were OK with it," Cu- nane said. "This year, the biggest difference is going to be bringing it every single day and not having those lapses, so that at the end of the day it doesn't happen in games. "Everyone has pressure to perform better than they ever have because of the competi- tion that has come in with the freshmen and transfers." Coming off of an All-American campaign in which Cunane was a consensus first-team All-ACC selection for the second season in a row, she still sees room for improvement. Last season, opposing defenses began de- fending one of the league's and sport's stars with more physicality. While she admits it led to easy points from the free-throw line — where she made 84.3 percent of her 121 at- tempts — and open three-point looks for her teammates, Cunane worked on her strength and conditioning in the offseason to better prepare for the rigors of a long, physical sea- son ahead. "Over the summer, I've really been work- ing on my agility," she said. "Working on speed, moving my feet, the whole nine yards in that regard. I'm really looking to improve in stamina, reduce my turnovers, and make my shot a little bit more automatic and con- sistent." Already one of the most-decorated post players in the program's history, Cunane cur- rently ranks ninth all time in career field goal percentage (54.4 percent) and 13th in career rebounds (712). Once again the Pack's go-to option in the post, she'll have a chance to shoot up the pro- gram's all-time leaderboards even more than she already has with a full schedule ahead. In each of the past two seasons, Cunane 2021-22 NC State Women's Basketball Roster No. Name Ht. Pos. Yr. Hometown 0 Diamond Johnson 5-5 G So. Philadelphia A five-star recruit out of high school who was ranked third nationally among guards in the 2020 class ac- cording to ESPN's HoopGurlz. Earned second-team All-Big Ten and Big Ten All-Freshman honors last season at Rutgers. Her 45.5 three-point shooting percentage ranked seventh nationally in 2020-21. 1 Genesis Bryant 5-6 G So. Jonesboro, Ga. Appeared in 14 games and averaged 2.7 points and 1.5 assists in 10.9 minutes during her freshman season. She was a McDonald's All-American Game nominee and a two-time 6A first-team All-State selection by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. 2 Raina Perez 5-4 G 6th-Sr. Goodyear, Ariz. A new addition to last year's squad, she started in 23 of her 25 appearances and led the team with 810 total minutes played in 2020-21. She was named a top 10 finalist for the Lieberman Award, which annually honors the nation's top point guard, and hit the game-winning shot in the 58-56 win over Louisville in the ACC Tournament championship game. 3 Kai Crutchfield 5-9 G 5th-Sr. Raleigh Started in all 23 appearances and averaged a career-best 8.0 points per game. Named to the 2021 All-ACC Tournament team after averaging 7.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists in the Pack's three victories. 5 Jada Boyd 6-2 F Jr. Petersburg, Va. Was named ACC Co-Sixth Player of the Year last season after averaging 11.5 points and 5.9 rebounds in 21.7 minutes per game. Ranked second on the team in shooting percentage with a 50.5 mark. 10 Aziaha James 5-9 G Fr. Virginia Beach, Va. Ranked No. 21 overall and seventh among guards in the 2021 class according to Collegiate Girls Basketball Report. Named the 2020 All-Tidewater Player of the Year and was a 2021 McDonald's All-America Game nominee. 11 Jakia Brown-Turner 6-0 W Jr. Oxon Hill, Md. The Associated Press All-American honorable mention and a consensus first-team All-ACC honoree led the team with 40 three-point field goals. Started in all 25 contests and averaged 13.5 points with 5.0 rebounds per game. 15 Kendal Moore 5-6 G Jr. Fayetteville, N.C. Appeared in eight games and scored in three last season as a reserve. Completed a three-point play against Clemson, marking her season high for points scored. 21 Madison Hayes 6-0 G So. Chattanooga, Tenn. Transferred from Mississippi State in the offseason. Earned SEC All-Freshman honors after averaging 4.7 points and 4.7 rebounds per game in 19 appearances. Was a 2020 McDonald's All-American and ranked as the nation's No. 28 recruit by ESPN's HoopGurlz. 23 Jessica Timmons 5-8 G Fr. Charlotte Ranked No. 45 overall and 16th among guards in the 2021 class according to Collegiate Girls Basketball Re - port. Earned first-team All-State honors from the AP and NCBCA. Was a 2021 McDonald's All-America Game nominee. Surpassed 2,000 points in her career at North Mecklenburg High. 25 Kayla Jones 6-1 F 5th-Sr. Jamesville, N.C. Named first-team All-ACC by the league's head coaches. Ranked ninth in the league and second on the team with 7.1 rebounds per game. One of three players in the ACC to average more than 11 points, seven rebounds and 2.5 assists per contest. 32 Sophie Hart 6-5 C Fr. Farmington, Minn. Ranked No. 40 overall and fourth among centers in the 2021 class according to Collegiate Girls Basketball Report. A 2021 McDonald's All-America Game nominee and 2019 Team USA Trials participant, she surpassed 1,000 points and rebounds during her high school career. 33 Elissa Cunane 6-5 C Sr. Summerfield, N.C. Earned first-team All-America honors from ESPN as well as second-team laurels from the AP and USBWA. Led the team with 16.3 points, 8.3 rebounds and 53.3 percent shooting in 26.9 minutes per game. Among ACC players, she was sixth in scoring, fifth in rebounding, second in field goal percentage and third in free throw percentage (.843). 41 Camille Hobby 6-1 C Jr. Jacksonville, Fla. Appeared in all 25 of the Pack's games as the primary substitute for Cunane. Averaged 4.5 points and 2.4 rebounds in 11.4 minutes per contest. Scored a career-high 19 points in the road loss to Virginia Tech, the same game in which she hit the game-tying three-pointer at the end of regulation to force overtime. — Justin H. Williams