The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2025 ■ 39 ing her teammates and also for getting to the rim with ease. As a sophomore, she averaged a career-best 14.2 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.3 steals per contest. While Brooks is the main returning player, she is set to team up with an- other former McDonald's All-American in Jones, a knock-down three-point shooter. The Greenville, N.C., native burst onto the scene with 18 points on 7-of-8 shooting with a trio of three- pointers in just 20 minutes at Louisville last December. Even though a finger injury seemed to slow her down afterward, Jones flashed again in the postseason with a pair of 13-point performances, including one against third-seeded LSU in the Sweet 16. Moore and his staff are looking for that type of production on a nightly ba- sis from the Wolfpack's primary shoot- ing guard. While Brooks and Jones are a 1-2 punch capable of replacing James and Rivers, NC State is looking for a third guard to step up in Hayes' place. The candidates for that role are junior Qa- dence Samuels, a transfer who played on last season's title-winning Con- necticut team, and sophomore Devyn Quigley, who stepped up defensively in the postseason a year ago. Both are likely to see significant playing time, but Samuels can use her 6-foot frame to her advantage on both ends of the floor. She's a lethal spot-up three-point shooter, which she showed in the Pack's exhibition opener against High Point when she hit 3 triples in a 77-69 win on Oct. 18. And with her de- fensive prowess, she fits right in as a "three-and-D" type player for the Pack. In addition to those four guards, NC State expects its top-100 freshmen, Ad- elaide Jernigan and Destiny "Ky'She" Lunan, to provide good depth coming off the bench. Frontcourt It was one of the more unorthodox transfers of the offseason, but former Vanderbilt standout forward Khamil Pierre elected to join NC State in July shortly after parting ways with the Com- modores. Although her addition was un- expected, it was very welcome and raises the Wolfpack's ceiling. Pierre, who averaged 20.4 points and 9.6 rebounds as a sophomore last season, is an instant-impact player that NC State will be able to insert into the front line of its offense and defense. "Khamil is somebody who really fills a need for us," Moore said. "Rebound- ing is going to take a team effort, but we feel like she can carry some of that. She averaged almost a double-double. We feel like she's somebody who can hope- fully help us inside and on the boards. … I think she's going to do a lot of things well for us." Pierre will team up with Trygger in the paint. The 6-6 forward emerged as the Wolfpack's top post player by the end of last season and ended up starting the team's last 23 games while averaging 6.6 points and 4.9 rebounds. A native of Stockholm, Trygger rep- resented Sweden in the U20 EuroBasket Tournament, where she helped guide the team to a fourth-place finish after aver- aging 15.3 points, 10.7 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in seven games against Europe's top young talent. Moore was delighted to see his second- year star improve on the global stage. "She had a great summer," the coach said. "She looks a little bit stronger and runs the floor a little bit better. We're trying to get a lot out of her." Trygger flashed that improvement against High Point, finishing the ex- hibition contest with 15 points and 12 rebounds. She and Pierre will pace the frontcourt, while juniors Mallory Collier and Maddie Cox, and sophomore Lorena Awou are all critical bench players who will likely see action in the rotation be- hind the two stars. ■ NC State Women's Basketball Roster No. Name Ht. Pos. Year Hometown 0 Devyn Quigley 5-11 G So. Manchester, N.J. Saw action in 33 games as a freshman, averaging 2.5 points on 40.3 percent shooting in 8.3 minutes per game. 1 Lorena Awou 6-5 C So. East Moline, Ill. Averaged 3.2 points and 2.5 rebounds while playing 8.8 minutes per game in 31 contests as a true freshman. 2 Qadence Samuels 6-0 G Jr. Forestville, Md. Appeared in 33 games for NCAA champion Connecticut last season, averaging 1.3 points per contest. 3 Zamareya Jones 5-7 G So. Greenville, N.C. Made two starts and saw action in 30 games as a true freshman, averaging 7.1 points and 1.5 assists per game. 7 Destiny "Ky'She" Lunan 5-10 G Fr. Goodyear, Ariz. Averaged 20.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.2 steals and 3.1 assists as a senior at Millennium High. Lunan was listed as the nation's No. 65 overall prospect by ESPN HoopGurlz. 10 Adelaide Jernigan 5-11 G Fr. Winston-Salem, N.C. Finished with 2,528 points at Bishop McGuinness High to become the only girls' basketball player in school his - tory to surpass 2,000. Jernigan was ranked as the nation's No. 68 overall prospect by ESPN HoopGurlz. 11 Maddie Cox 6-2 F Jr. Flower Mound, Texas Played in 30 games as a sophomore, the last of which was against LSU in the NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16 when she tallied a career-high 8 points and 7 rebounds. 12 Khamil Pierre 6-2 F Jr. Phoenix Transferred to NC State this past summer after spending her first two seasons at Vanderbilt. Pierre averaged 20.4 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.9 steals per game as a sophomore and was named an honorable mention WBCA All-American. 18 Tilda Trygger 6-6 F So. Stockholm, Sweden Earned ACC All-Freshman recognition after starting 23 games and averaging 6.6 points, 4.9 rebounds and 0.6 blocks per game during her debut season with the Wolfpack. Trygger led the team in field goal percentage (.520) and scored in double figures in eight games. 35 Zoe Brooks 5-10 G Jr. Plainfield, N.J. Received first-team All-ACC honors, was named the league's Most Improved Player, and earned an honorable mention All-America nod from the WBCA following a sophomore season in which she averaged 14.2 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.3 steals per game. 42 Mallory Collier 6-3 C Jr. Millington, Tenn. Made 11 starts in 29 game appearances as a sophomore, averaging 3.1 points and 2.3 rebounds in 11.4 min - utes per contest.