The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1530878
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2025 ■ 37 WHERE ARE THEY NOW? BY ETHAN MCDOWELL he past couple of years have been a dream for Ashley Wil- liams. She was a star guard for Cary (N.C.) Green Hope High before signing with NC State as a part of head coach Wes Moore's first recruit- ing class in Raleigh. Just over a decade later, she's on the Wolfpack's bench as a member of Moore's staff. Williams played a key role in NC State's ascent into college basketball's elite class. She helped Moore set a foundation for his program as a sharp- shooting guard and, after a brief detour to the Midwest, landed her current job as one of the Pack's assistant coaches. "Wearing 'NC State' across my chest as a player for four years and playing on Kay Yow Court and being in Reynolds Coliseum in front of all those fans that I consider myself one of, it's awesome," Williams said. "And now I get to do that on the sidelines and do it with the people that I played for and that in- vested in me and gave me an opportu- nity to play here. It's really awesome." NC State's guards have received All- ACC and All-America honors over the past couple of years, and Williams is one of the staff members who works closely with the backcourt. She finished her college career with a 37.6 shooting percentage from deep — the fifth-best three-point average in program history. Now, she's a mentor for senior stars Aziaha James and Saniya Rivers, along with the rest of the team's backcourt. T LIVING THE DREAM Ashley Williams Finds The Perfect Fit On The Coaching Staff Of Her Alma Mater Williams has helped develop senior Saniya Rivers into one of the top guards in the ACC. Rivers was named the league's Sixth Player of the Year in 2023 and was a first-team all-conference selection last season. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE ATHLETICS W H E R E A R E T H E Y N O W ? ASHLEY WILLIAMS WOMEN'S BASKETBALL (2013-17) Age: 29 Living: Raleigh, N.C. Occupation: Assistant women's basketball coach at NC State Did you know: In two seasons as an assistant coach at NC State, Williams has seen her guards receive four postseason honors from the ACC. Then-juniors Saniya Rivers and Aziaha James were both named first-team all-conference in 2024. The year before, Diamond Johnson was a second-team selection, while Rivers was named ACC Sixth Player of the Year.