The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1472609
TRACKING THE PACK 12 ■ THE WOLFPACKER New-Look Men's Basketball Staff Completed NC State head coach Kevin Keatts filled the final spot on the team's retooled coaching staff June 14 with the hiring of Arizona State coach Joel Justus. The ad- dition brings a wealth of recruiting and basketball analytics expertise to the Wolf- pack program. Justus, who graduated from UNC Wilmington, coached at Kentucky prior to his stop in Tempe, Ariz., and was con- sidered the lead recruiter for many of the Wildcats' five-star recruits during that time, helping them reel in the nation's top-ranked recruiting class in 2020. "I'm excited to welcome Joel to Ra- leigh," Keatts said in a press release. "He grew up in this state, knows it well and is aware of the great talent that exists here. Joel has a proven track record as a re- cruiter and teacher of the game, and I be- lieve he is a terrific addition to our staff." In addition to growing up and attending college in North Carolina, Justus is famil- iar with the state from his time at David- son Day School, where he worked as the head basketball coach. He also spent time as an assistant at Elon from 2004-2008. Justus was an assistant at Kentucky for five seasons and was even named to The Athletic's "40 under 40" list for men's college basketball in 2020. Justus is the third assistant coaching hire Keatts has made this year after com- pletely retooling his staff following a last- place ACC finish in the 2021-22 season. Clemson assistant Kareem Richardson and Ole Miss assistant Levi Watkins re- placed Mike Summey and Roy Roberson earlier this year, and a third assistant position opened up in May when James Johnson stepped down. Wes Moore Hires Familiar Name For Women's Basketball Staff NC State women's basketball head coach Wes Moore has turned to one of his former players in the Wolfpack pro- gram to fill a vacancy on his staff. Ash- ley Williams, a walk-on success story, has been hired to replace Erin Batth, who accepted a position at Michigan after the season was over. Williams, a Cary native, played in 117 games at NC State from 2014-17, Moore's first four seasons at the helm for the Pack. She started 61 times dur- ing her last two years and is fourth in NC State women's basketball history in career 3-point percentage (.376) and sixth in career 3-pointers made (168). As a senior in 2016-17, Williams av- eraged 7.8 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists while starting at guard for an NC State squad that advanced past the first round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 10 years. Following her playing career, Wil- liams completed a two-year graduate manager stint at Indiana and was hired as an assistant coach at Furman in 2019. After one season in that role, she re- turned to Bloomington as a full-time assistant, a position she held for the past two years. In her first season at Indiana, Wil- liams helped the Hoosiers upset top- seeded NC State in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. Indiana reached the Big Ten title game and Sweet 16 this season. Three Transfers Commit To NC State Baseball NC State baseball has made three transfer additions to its roster next sea- son. Oregon left-handed pitcher Rio Brit- ton, a 6-foot-2, 200-pounder from Ione, Calif., just completed his second season for the Ducks and threw 39.1 in- nings over 34 appearances, surrender- ing 25 hits and allowing a .188 batting average. Britton walked 20 but struck out 35. He had a 4-1 record on the mound with a save while registering a 3.20 earned run average (ERA). NC State is also adding Davidson outfielder Parker Nolan, who had a breakout campaign during his senior season in 2022. Nolan batted .310 with 15 homers and 50 runs batted in (RBI). He added 11 doubles and 5 triples and had a .663 slugging percentage. Nolan walked 40 times for a .442 on-base per- centage and stole 12 bases while helping Davidson win the Atlantic 10 regular- season title. The 6-4, 205-pound senior from Wilmington, N.C., is eligible for the MLB Draft in July. Earlier in the summer, former Colle- giate Baseball All-America utility player Carter Trice announced his commit- ment to the Wolfpack. In his sophomore year at Old Dominion, Trice played all over the field, starting 34 games in right field, 13 at second base, three in left field and one at designated hitter. Trice recorded a .288 batting aver- age, belted 17 home runs, including a pair of grand slams, and stole 18 bases. He added 49 RBI and 13 doubles while landing a spot on the All-Conference USA second team. Trice, a 5-foot-11, 190-pounder from Mechanicsville, Va., was named to the Collegiate Baseball All-America second team and the Freshman All-America team after leading the Monarchs in bat- ting average at .355 and hits with 83 in 2021. — Matt Carter ■ RED AND WHITE NOTEBOOK Former NC State player Ashley Williams is returning to the Wolfpack women's basketball program as an assistant coach. Williams played in 117 games for the Pack from 2014- 17, making 61 starts in her last two seasons. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE ATHLETICS