The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1519757
38 ■ THE WOLFPACKER BY ETHAN MCDOWELL ziaha James emerged as one of the nation's best guards during her third season in Raleigh. Her ascent to stardom is the product of years of hard work, commitment and a pivotal summer that cat- apulted NC State back to the national stage. James did not have to embrace her initial role at NC State, but she did. She was the No. 21 overall recruit in the country out of high school. If she had chosen to hit the transfer portal, the guard would have likely had plenty of interested programs after playing 9.6 minutes per game as a true freshman. When four of the Wolfpack's start- ers transferred or left the program fol- lowing the 2022-23 season, she stuck around after taking on an increased role as a sophomore. James took the roster attrition as an opportunity to establish herself as the leading scorer for a team that advanced to the Final Four. "It feels amazing," James said after the Wolfpack's Elite Eight win over Texas. "People doubted us, and we didn't care what the media had to say. We didn't care what anybody had to say. We showed up on the court every time, and we proved who we were." James capped her junior season with five consecutive performances of 19 points or more, all during the NCAA Tournament. She also won the Port- land 4 region's Most Outstanding Player award. Her season ended with a 20-point outing against South Carolina during NC State's national semifinal loss. An Underdog Mentality Long before the Pack cut down the Elite Eight nets in Portland, James made a statement in the first quarter of the season opener against Charlotte. She scored 19 points in the first 10 minutes of the showdown with the 49ers. The guard started the season com- pletely locked in, knocking down 5 of 7 shots and setting an NC State women's basketball record for points in a quarter. James ended the game with 26 points — a career-high at the time that she went on to surpass five times over the course of A A STAR A STAR IS BORN IS BORN Junior Aziaha James' Elite Play Propels Pack To The Final Four