The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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54 ■ THE WOLFPACKER BY BRIAN RAPP D ominique Wilson is used to changes — often sudden ones. Three years ago, the oldest daughter of Damon and Chaleta Wilson was a freshman reserve guard play- ing for then-Arkansas Razorbacks head coach Tom Collen, following a highly suc- cessful career at McEachern High School in Powder Springs, Ga., outside of Atlanta. Now, 26 games into the 2014-15 sea- son, she's a redshirt sophomore starter for second-year head coach Wes Moore's NC State Wolfpack — the third change in her role on the court since she first put on a college uniform in Fayetteville, Ark., in the fall of 2012. Since senior Krystal Barrett's season- ending ACL tear in a win over Davidson Dec. 19, Wilson, who began the season as the Pack's first perimeter substitute, has been the starter at Barrett's wing position. By that point she'd already justified the year-long wait to get her on the court — she was averaging 13.2 points a game, second only to second-year starting sophomore guard Miah Spencer. She'd already scored in double figures nine times and had been the team's leading scorer in four games. Since then, Wilson has emerged as the young Pack's most consistent scor- ing threat, averaging a team-leading 13.9 points a contest to go along with 82.6-per- cent accuracy from the foul line (the best of NC State's five starters), 2.3 assists and 1.6 steals per game. Three of her 63 total steals came Feb. 22 when Wilson, who also contributed 18 points and four assists, helped the Wolf- pack upset then-No. 10 Duke 72-59 for NC State's first regular-season victory over the Blue Devils since 2001. Through 26 games, she'd hit double fig- ures 22 times, including three games of 20 or more points (with a career-best 24 against Virginia Tech Jan. 8). As far as Wilson was concerned, she's just making up for lost time. "It was terrible," Wilson said of the 2013-14 season she spent sitting after transferring from Arkansas. "It was the lon- gest I'd ever gone without playing — I'd be watching the game, starting to say to Coach Moore 'Put me in' … then I'd realize I'm not dressed because I'm sitting out. "I just took on the role of a cheerleader. And I'd spend time after practices with [Pack assistant] Coach [Gene] Hill and shoot extra, just trying to stay in shape." Wilson's rapid rise to become one of NC State's on-court leaders is no real sur- prise to Hill, who has known Wilson since his years as a Georgia Tech assistant and his relationship with Damon Wilson, a tight end on Tech's 1990 national championship football team. "I've seen Dominique grow up," Hill recalled. "I've known she has the ability to be a scoring threat. She's always in the gym working, whether it's by herself or with a coach. "She even calls us to watch game film. She always wants to get better. Plus, in our system, any one of our three guard posi- tions can potentially be a top scorer on any given night." "I had to come back and find a rhythm after sitting out a year," Wilson admitted. "It took me a while — and the way I'm scor- ing now is different. I feel like I'm rushing shots a little, and my legs are tired. Even with trying to stay in shape while I was sit- ting out, it's not the same as playing. I have to get used to playing a full season again." The oldest of two children in a very ath- letic family (her mother was a prep track standout; younger brother Damon Jr. is a highly ranked prep player who's committed to Pitt), Wilson actually began her sports career as a gymnast. "I've always thought my parents named me after [former Atlanta Hawks All-NBA forward] Dominique Wilkins," Wilson said, "but they keep saying they named me after Dominique Dawes [the first African-Amer- ican to win an Olympic gymnastics gold medal]. That was the first sport I did … but they kicked me out when I got too tall." Track, volleyball and softball followed, as did basketball when her father bought a hoop when she was 7. Rec and AAU hoops play soon followed, and by the time Wil- son was in middle school, she was helping lead a previously sub-par program to three straight undefeated seasons. Wilson then started four years for her McEachern Indians team, helping lead it to four straight Georgia state championship appearances, with a runner-up finish her junior year and the state title (and No. 2 national ranking) as a senior. By then, she'd attracted offers from most Division I pro- grams, including South Carolina in her freshman year of high school. "I was ready to sign right then," she said, "but my dad said I was too young, that I needed to wait and see what others came in." She chose Arkansas (despite recruiting efforts from Hill at Georgia Tech and from current Pack assistant Lindsay Edmonds, then at James Madison) over a final list that included Richmond, TCU and Duke. "I liked my teammates and the facilities, and I didn't think the distance would be a problem because of all the traveling I'd done in AAU ball," Wilson said. "But it's 12 hours away, and my parents were able to come to just two of my games." And despite becoming a starter for the final 14 games her freshman year for a Ra- zorbacks team that posted 20 wins and made the second round of the WNIT, Wilson ad- mitted she also wasn't comfortable with how the coaching staff was handling her. "I just didn't feel I was connecting," she said. Following the 2012-13 season, Hill, who with Edmonds had joined Moore on his first-year staff at NC State, ran into Damon Wilson while recruiting. "He told me Dominique was looking to transfer," Hill recalled. "I think the previ- ous relationships she had with me and with Coach Edmonds certainly played a factor in her coming to Raleigh." "I did know Coach Hill and Coach Ed- monds, so that helped," Wilson agreed, "but I hadn't met Coach Moore before I visited. He was very honest with me, and I liked that — plus, I liked the facilities here, and it being so much closer to home. And my dad loved it — I base a lot of my decisions on my parents' advice, especially my dad since he's been in my shoes [with college sports]." ROLLING With the CHANGES No Matter The Role, Guard Dominique Wilson Is A Proven Winner