The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1547338
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2026 ■ 41 points, 4.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.7 steals per game. She will once again be the maestro of the offense this year, leading the charge as the go-to ball han- dler for Moore. While Brooks is the leader of the squad, NC State dipped its toe into the transfer portal to take some pressure off her in the backcourt. The Wolfpack signed Colorado transfer Desiree Woo- ten, who averaged 13.4 points and 3.1 rebounds while earning All-Big 12 hon- orable mention recognition with the Buffaloes a year ago. Wooten turned heads this offseason, sparking plenty of buzz within the pro- gram based on her play. The 5-foot-8 guard will be a critical initiator of the offense when Brooks isn't on the floor, but she can also set the tone on the defensive end after posting at least 54 steals in each of the last two seasons. Additionally, senior wing Qadence Samuels, sophomore guards Ky'She Lunan and Adelaide Jernigan, and freshman wing Kamora Pruitt are all expected to be significant contributors this year. Samuels, a former UConn transfer, posted 6.4 points and 4.8 rebounds in her first season with the Pack a year ago, while Lunan's role expanded through- out her freshman campaign when she posted 4.5 points and 1.2 assists as the top backup point guard. Pruitt, mean- while, was the No. 27 recruit in the 2026 class and brings a scoring punch to the squad after averaging 18.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists as a senior at Dallas (Texas) Legion Prep Academy. Frontcourt NC State was the recipient of a unique transfer addition last summer after Khamil Pierre parted ways with Vanderbilt well past the portal dead- line. She applied to the Wolfpack as a student before joining the team, and she instantly became one of the top players in the ACC. The 6-foot-2 forward averaged 16.7 points and 11.9 rebounds while record- ing a league-best 22 double-double performances a year ago. Pierre, a first- team All-ACC selection, will be a focal point of the Pack's offense once again this season, even if she's going to be an undersized center compared to the rest of the league, after she improved her effort and energy consistency this offseason. But to complement Pierre in the post, NC State brought in Auburn transfer Khady Leye. The veteran power forward is more than capable of holding her own as a three-level scorer, while also serv- ing as an efficient rebounder on both ends of the floor. While Pierre and Leye will be the Wolfpack's go-to starters in the front- court, NC State will be able to roll through reserves to keep its up-tempo style of play as an effective tool this year. Senior forward Maddie Cox and fresh- men Annsley Trivette and Favour Ossai will be critical pieces off the bench. Cox, a four-year player like Brooks, is coming off career-best averages of 2.8 points and 2.8 rebounds as a key en- ergy player during her junior campaign, while Trivette was the No. 94 overall recruit in the 2026 cycle. Ossai, mean- while, arrived in Raleigh after spending her high school career in Japan. ■ 2026-27 NC State Women's Basketball Roster No. Name Pos. Ht. Cl. Hometown (High School/College) 2 Qadence Samuels G 6-0 Sr. Forestville, Md. (Bishop McNamara/UConn) Set career highs in points (6.4), rebounds (4.8), assists (1.2), steals (0.8) and minutes (25.8) in her first year at State after transferring from UConn. 3 Desiree Wooten G 5-8 5th Dallas (Mansfield Timberview/Colorado) Led Colorado with 13.4 points per game, while also averaging 3.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.6 steals per game in 2025-26. 5 Annsley Trivette F 6-3 Fr. Abingdon, Va. (Abingdon) Led Abingdon to a state title as a senior, and scored 2,411 points and pulled down 1,074 rebounds in her high school career. 6 Khady Leye F 6-2 Jr. Louga, Senegal (SPIRE Academy/Auburn) Started all 32 games at Auburn, averaging 9.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game last season. 7 Ky'She Lunan G 5-10 So. Goodyear, Ariz. (Millennium) Came off the bench in 30 of 31 contests last year and averaged 4.5 points, 1.4 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.8 steals and 16.5 minutes per game. 10 Adelaide Jernigan G 5-11 So. Winston-Salem, N.C. (Bishop McGuinness) Saw action in 15 games off the bench in 2025-26 and contributed 2.1 points and 0.5 re- bounds in 6.3 minutes per game. 11 Maddie Cox F 6-2 Sr. Flower Mound, Texas (Flower Mound) Contributed 2.8 points and 2.8 rebounds in 15.3 minutes per game in a bench role last year, while shooting 36.8 percent from three-point range and 88.2 percent at the free throw line. 12 Khamil Pierre F 6-2 Sr. Phoenix (Perry/Vanderbilt) Finished the 2025-26 campaign with 30 double-digit scoring games, nine 20-point games, 23 double-digit rebounding games and 22 double-doubles. 21 Audrey Ericksen G 6-0 Sr. Cary, N.C. (Green Level/Boston U.) Averaged 5.0 points and 3.0 rebounds in 25.5 minutes per game, while starting 85 of 93 contests for Boston University over the past three seasons. 24 Kamora Pruitt G 6-2 Fr. St. Louis (Legion Prep Academy [Texas]) Ranked No. 25 in ESPN's Top 25 Impact Players in the Class of 2026, after averaging nearly 18.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game during her senior year at Legion Prep. 35 Zoe Brooks G 5-10 Sr. Plainfield, N.J. (Saint John Vianney) The two-time first-team All-ACC performer averaged career highs in points (16.0), re- bounds (4.7), assists (4.3), steals (1.7) and minutes (32.9) per game in 2025-26. 77 Favour Ossai F 6-2 Fr. Delta, Nigeria (Fukushima Toryo [Japan]) Spent the last three years playing high school basketball at Fukushima Toryo High School in Japan, and averaged 25.3 points and 20.6 rebounds per game in the Winter Cup (Ja- pan's High School Championship). " We're going to have to play fast and hard, get in the passing lanes, apply ball pressure, and turn the heat up if we want to have a chance." Head coach Wes Moore on his team