The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1547338
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2026 ■ 37 self among the nation's leaders in re- bounding in her senior year. The focal point of her offseason re- volved around giving 100 percent effort for every second she's on the floor with the ultimate goal of hearing her name called as a WNBA first-round pick by April. Pierre, nicknamed a "walking double- double" by her head coach, appeared to be "nonchalant" on the court, at times, last year. Moore demanded more from her throughout games, growing frus- trated at times. He used the last six months as an opportunity to instill the desire to do everything with maximum buy-in ahead of what could be her final season of college basketball. So far, it seems that Pierre is well on her way to becoming even more of a force within the ACC — and a possible All-America candidate — by taking bru- tally honest coaching to heart. "She has aspirations of playing at the next level, and she definitely has the tal- ent to do that, but she's got to realize at that level you've got to be a dog," Moore said. "At this level, in the ACC and wanting to compete on a national level, you can't afford to relax. You've got to stay urgent, you've got to stay nervous." Pierre is well on her way to playing with a renewed mindset in her critical role for the No. 25 Wolfpack heading into a critical 2026-27 season. Getting The Most From Pierre Coming off her first season with the Wolfpack, Pierre walked into her end- of-season meeting inside the women's basketball offices at Reynolds Coliseum this past March, unsure of what to expect. On one hand, she felt like her first year with the Wolfpack went well after transferring in far past the portal dead- line, using an unorthodox approach of applying as a normal student and join- ing the team that way after parting ways with Vanderbilt in June 2025. But, at the same time, Pierre had a feeling that the staff wanted to get more out of her play. And the latter is exactly what played out after sitting down in a room filled with Moore and all of his assistants be- fore going into the offseason. "It wasn't like, 'You're so amazing, we love it,'" Pierre told TheWolfpacker. com. "It was hard. It was a really hard meeting for me. But I feel like you've got to go through hard things to understand how you can be better." Pierre isn't one to hide how she feels. She admitted that the meeting "hurt" and was "frustrating" to hear, but the straightforward coaching is the exact reason why she arrived at NC State. It's also why she didn't explore entering the transfer portal this offseason, where she could easily have commanded a signifi- cant amount of attention and NIL of- fers from programs all over the country. Rather, she understood what the staff was doing in an effort to get the most out of her play. Pierre was enjoying herself. But, from afar, it's easy to see why many around the program felt like there was more in the tank to get out of the 6-foot-2 standout. Most of it is a result of her facial expressions and how she carries herself up and down the floor. "On the court, a lot of people think I'm really nonchalant. I have this blank face, but I'm having a lot of fun. It just doesn't look like that," Pierre said. "I'm working on my face and my body move- ment. I felt like I didn't have to exert too much energy, and I still get things done, but it kind of bites you." Instead of running away from how NC State wanted her to grow and push herself, Pierre seemed to embrace it af- ter giving the feedback time to settle in. After all, this was the place she felt she could be developed the best with a coach with an 880-275 career record (.762 winning percentage) pulling the strings. "I think it just shows that he expects " She has aspirations of playing at the next level, and she definitely has the talent to do that. She's got to realize at that level you've got to be a dog." Head coach Wes Moore on Pierre Pierre averaged 16.7 points and a career-best 11.9 rebounds while earning first-team All-ACC honors in her first season with NC State. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE ATHLETICS