The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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portal but elected to stay for a second season under NCAA COVID allowances. Moore added Hayes, a Tennessee native who started out at Mississippi State, last season. She went on to play in 26 games in her first year with the Wolfpack, averag- ing 2.3 points and 2.9 rebounds. Coaches these days must always keep an eye fixed on the portal, and NC State has done that. As promised, Moore went to work immediately after the season ended to add his next two transfers, 6-foot-3 forward Mimi Collins from Maryland and 6-5 center River Baldwin from ACC foe Florida State. Baldwin, a 2019 McDonald's All- American with Brown-Turner, has two years of eligibility remaining, while Col- lins, who began her career at Tennessee before transferring to Maryland, has one. Moore's personality is to always be worried, to always be competitive, to always be unsure of what will happen in the next minute of a game, let alone what might happen after a full offseason followed by preseason practices. He's confident, however, that the process he and his veteran staff have put together to identify quality recruits has made the biggest difference in building his successful program. "We always try to recruit character," he said. "Then, if you can keep them around for a long time, like we did with the most recent team, they can continue to work hard and get better together. "I don't do a whole lot of projecting. I know it sounds boring, but I just get them together and keep working hard." Next Year's Opportunities What will it take for the Wolfpack to become the fourth ACC program to win four or more consecutive league championships? Duke won five in a row from 2000-04, and both North Caro- lina (2005-08) and Notre Dame (2014- 17) won four in a row. The Wolfpack will need the same kind of consistent leadership that Cunane and Perez supplied, sturdy contributions of the sort that Jones and Crutchfield offered, and the type of bench play that Johnson, Brown- Turner, Boyd and Hobby provided throughout the season. Johnson, who finished as the team's second-leading scorer despite coming off the bench last year, will take a lead- ing role, something Moore anticipated when he first recruited her. "What we have to do is keep it all going for the seniors that kept us going this year," Johnson said. "We're not go- ing to let them down. It's really up to us to carry it and keep it going. And I think that the talent is there for us to do that. "I think it's going to be pretty cool to see what next year holds. And I'm defi- nitely looking forward to it." ■ Every year is a rebuilding year now that the transfer portal has made it much easier for coaches to bring in talent, and also to lose it. Most of NC State's key losses this year have come the old-fash- ioned way: by graduation. But the portal has played a role in the Wolfpack's recent roster movement, costing the team a couple of players while also delivering a pair of potentially impactful newcomers to Raleigh. Here's a look at NC State's comings and goings as coach Wes Moore looks to replenish a roster that included 10 players as of early May: Departing Players Kai Crutchfield, G, 5-9, Sr. — Made 35 starts during her super senior season, aver- aging 6.4 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists … Started 109 games in five seasons at NC State. Elissa Cunane, C, 6-5, Sr. — Led the Wolfpack in scoring and rebounding as a senior with 13.7 points and 7.6 rebounds per game … Was named an All-American by the Associated Press and Women's Basketball Coaches Association and was a consensus first-team All-ACC choice … Was selected in the second round of the WNBA Draft by the Seattle Storm and cut by the team on May 2. Genesis Bryant, G, 5-6, So. — Entered the transfer portal in April and will continue her career at Illinois after playing in 20 games and averaging 2.1 points in her sopho- more season with the Wolfpack. Kayla Jones, F, 6-1, Sr. — Was a second-team All-ACC choice after averaging 8.7 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists during her super senior season … Chosen by the Minnesota Lynx in the second round of the WNBA Draft and was cut on May 3. Kendal Moore, G, 5-6, Jr. — Played in 23 games in her first three years at NC State before electing to enter the transfer portal in April. Raina Perez, G, 5-4, Sr. — Reached double figures in 17 of her 36 games this past season, all of which she started … Averaged 8.6 points, 3.1 assists and 1.1 steals … Started her career at Northern Arizona and later spent two seasons at Cal State Fuller- ton before arriving at NC State in 2020 … Was cut after tryout with the Seattle Storm. Returning Players* Jada Boyd, F, 6-2, Sr. — Reached double figures in eight games, including an 18-point outburst at Clemson on Dec. 30 … Shot 59.5 percent for the season, averag- ing 7.6 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. Jakia Brown-Turner, F, 6-0, Sr. — Scored 20 points in NC State's season-ending loss to Connecticut in the Elite Eight … Averaged 9.8 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists while playing 28 minutes per game. Sophie Hart, C, 6-5, So. — Averaged 4.4 minutes per game in the 20 games she played during her freshman season … Was the 40th-ranked player in the class of 2021 according to the Collegiate Girls Basketball Report. Madison Hayes, G, 6-0, Jr. — Played in 26 games and averaged 2.3 points and 2.9 rebounds in her first season with the Wolfpack … Began her career at Mississippi State, where she made the SEC All-Freshman team in 2021. Camille Hobby, C, 6-1, Sr. — Saw just over 12 minutes of action per game in 36 ap - pearances, averaging 5.1 points and 2.6 rebounds. Aziaha James, G, 5-9, So. — Named an ACC All-Freshman honoree after averaging 4.2 points and 1.6 rebounds in 25 games … Was ranked as the No. 21 overall prospect in the class of 2021 by the Collegiate Girls Basketball Report. Diamond Johnson, G, 5-5, Jr. — Named the ACC's Sixth Player of the Year after averaging 10.8 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.3 steals in her first season at NC State after transferring from Rutgers. Jessica Timmons, G, 5-8, So. — Played in 20 games as a true freshman, averaging 2.7 points in 7.5 minutes per game … Was ranked as the No. 45 overall prospect in the class of 2021 by the Collegiate Girls Basketball Report. Additions* River Baldwin, C, 6-5, Jr. — Comes to NC State from Florida State, where she made 18 starts last season and averaged 6.0 points and 4.8 rebounds … Shot 54.5 percent from the floor … Blocked 20 shots. Mimi Collins, F, 6-3, Sr. — Began her college career at Tennessee before moving on to Maryland for the past two seasons … Earned an honorable mention All-Big Ten nod last season after averaging 7.9 points and 4.8 rebounds as a junior. * Eligibility listed here is for 2022-23 season. Wolfpack To Bring A Revamped Roster Into 2022-23 Season Tim Peeler is a regular contributor to The Wolfpacker and can be reached at tmpeeler@ncsu.edu. MAY/JUNE 2022 ■ 39