The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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JULY/AUGUST 2022 ■ 53 perience. They were almost like assis- tant coaches on the court helping young players. It's going to be a transition with these kids, but I'd rather do it with tal- ented players." Rivers may be the most hyped addi- tion. The former Gatorade and USA Today National Player of the Year in the 2021 recruiting class left after one year at South Carolina. A native of Wilmington, N.C., she picked NC State over North Carolina. As a freshman, the 6-1 Rivers averaged 2.3 points, 1.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists while playing 12.9 minutes per game in 27 contests for the national champion Gamecocks. "I think she still has some room to grow," Moore said. "It's a big jump from high school to this level. She made a dif- ference for them last year. I think she'll come in and make an impact here, but I think also she's going to grow and has a really high ceiling. "We have a lot of room to get better and make her the elite player she can be." Former NC State player, well-known college hoops analyst and Women's Bas- ketball Hall of Famer Debbie Antonelli agreed. "Saniya Rivers' upside is abso- lutely incredible," Antonelli said. "She'll definitely be a perimeter stop- per defensively. I think that's one of her best skills. She has the ability to put it on the floor and get to the basket. "She will need to improve her 3-point shooting, but I think she'll work on it. She was not a very good 3-point shooter [1 for 31] last year. She's not afraid to take them, which means she's going to have to work at it. I think she will. "This is a significant pickup for Wes because she is long and athletic, and a re- ally high-IQ player." Collins may have had the most success of the three in college. Two seasons ago at Maryland, the 6-3 Collins averaged 10.6 points and 6.2 rebounds while shooting 52.1 percent from the field and was named honorable mention All-Big Ten. She got off to a hot start this past season, averaging 15.2 points and 7.8 re- bounds through six games. Nagging in- juries then cut into her playing time and production, and she finished her redshirt junior year contributing 7.9 points and 4.8 rebounds. Antonelli sees similarities between Collins and returning NC State forward Jada Boyd, who has been one of the top re- serves in the ACC the past two years play- ing behind WNBA draft pick Kayla Jones. "She has great toughness," Antonelli said of Collins. "She is going to take the difficult defensive assignment and re- bound. "She's capable of guarding on the pe- rimeter. That allows Wes to change up his ball screen defense because she has the versatility defensively. She also can shoot the three. "I see her as somebody who can come in, provide great energy, rebound, defend and run the floor hard. She'll be a great offensive rebounder and a nice face-up addition as a post player." The 6-5 Baldwin will add depth and height to the Wolfpack post in Moore's four-out, one-in offense. Baldwin started 18 games and appeared in 31 as a junior last season for Florida State, averaging 18.2 minutes per con- test. She shot 54.5 percent from the field, contributing 6.0 points per game, while also averaging 4.8 rebounds and blocking 20 shots. Antonelli noted that Baldwin's impact extends beyond scoring, however. "She doesn't need the ball to be suc- cessful in Wes' system," Antonelli ex- plained. "He can move her around. Her 3-point shooting is going to have to im- prove also, but I think that is part of the reason if you're 6-5 you go play for Wes — because you know you are going to be able to play away from the basket a little bit. Similar to what Elissa Cunane was able to do. "River is a little bit stronger as a post player. She's a very good rebounder and a very good defender. "She doesn't need the ball to help you win. You've got plenty of offense around her already. I think she's a perfect fit for what Wes likes to do with the four-out, one-in offense." ■ Female Breakout Performer Of The Year After flashing her potential during her rookie season in 2019, women's soccer forward Jameese Joseph emerged as one of the top players in the country in 2021. Joseph had 3 goals and 3 assists while helping NC State to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament in 2019. The Wolfpack did not play in the fall of 2020 because of a shortage of available players, but in seven games during the 2021 spring season, she added a goal and 2 assists. Last fall, she became a star, scoring 9 goals and adding 2 assists to help the Wolfpack return to the NCAA Tournament before losing in the second round. Two of her goals were memorable game winners — versus No. 4 Duke and No. 3 North Carolina. That helped NC State defeat both teams in the same season for the first time in program history. Joseph was named second-team All-ACC and selected as one of the top 100 players in the nation (No. 81) by TopDrawerSoccer. Her performance as a sophomore also caught the eye of the United States National Team. She played two games for the Under-20 Women's Youth National Team in May in a pair of friendlies against Costa Rica in California in preparation for the Under-20 Women's World Cup. Jameese Joseph scored 9 goals as a sophomore, including the game winners against third-ranked North Carolina and fourth-ranked Duke. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE ATHLETICS