The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/790572
MARCH 2017 ■ 73 "Being on the floor more gives us that much more time to find our rhythm. We just go out there and have a feel for the game and do what we do — and so far, it's been working for us." But another factor in Wilson's slow start this year was one that was not revealed publicly until now — a knee injury suffered in early summer. "I've had pain in my knee since high school, but I never thought much about it," Wilson said. "Then in May, it locked up and then unlocked, and it didn't feel too great, so I knew it wasn't normal. I went to Casi [NC State trainer Casi Dailey], and I could barely walk, it was so swollen. "She thought at first it was an MCL [tear], but it turned out I had torn my me- niscus." Wilson had surgery in early June to re- pair her damaged right knee, followed by massages, acupuncture treatments and pool workouts with Pack strength and condi- tioning coach Nate Brookreson. Without the usual time on the court typical of her offseason, Wilson admitted she began this year with questions. "I told myself to just go out and play the game," she said. "Just let it flow to me, and don't worry about all the extra stuff like people expecting you to average 20 points, or get ACC Player of the Week. "I think I told myself that because I didn't know what to expect — I'd never had surgery in my life, and I'd never come into a season without working out over the summer. So, I just gave it up to God — I pray every night and just tell Him to take control of my life. And I think that's been a factor in my being able to be successful this season because it's taken a lot of stress from me. "If I'd have come in thinking, 'Okay Dom, you have to score this much a game, or try to get these rewards,' and not done too good in the beginning, that would have messed me up mentally, and I think the slump would have been longer." Though Wilson's primary role since transferring from Arkansas four years ago has evolved into being NC State's starting shooting guard, she's seen minutes at all three perimeter positions. "In my eyes, they're all basically the same thing," she said. "On some teams the three spot is more a forward, but here we're all basically the same size. As a guard, you should be comfortable with the ball anyway, so I don't have a problem playing point. Put me in any position and I'm com- fortable — except maybe post." "I think she's been playing great," Moore said. "We ask a lot of her — she guards the other team's best perimeter scorer, we're asking her to score, we're asking her to attack the basket, shoot the three and re- bound. "But she's a competitor. That's the one thing I love about Dom — she wants to win, and she'll give you everything she's got." As with all his seniors, Moore feels Wil- son's game — and with it, NC State's suc- cess this year on the court — is the result of simply maturing as a player in the toughest conference in women's hoops. "She's done a really good job of know- ing when she needs to score, and when she needs to involve her teammates," he explained. "Her defense has gotten better, and she's a better, more consistent shooter. "Part of that is shot selection and being willing to, at times, just back it out and settle things down and make sure we get a good look." Maturity, Wilson agreed, has been a ma- jor reason why NC State is a 20-game win- ner for the third time in Moore's four years in Raleigh, and a possible top-four seed for the upcoming ACC Tournament. "I just feel like people know their roles better this year," she said. "A key is our bench players are scoring and playing good defense — we didn't have that all the time last year." That, Wilson said, was because despite having a 16-player roster, the most ever in Moore's coaching career, there was a lack of consistent focus. "People were coming in late to practice, or not getting there early to get shots up," she commented. "They were like, 'Hey, I'm in college now, I'm free, I can do a lot of stuff' — but you're also here to play bas- ketball, and they weren't focused on that. "But I feel this year has been a big turn- around; our freshmen [Aislinn Konig, Er- ika Cassel and Lucky Rudd] all came in very focused, doing all the little things, and that pushed the younger players." Though the Pack still tends to lose fo- cus — three of its four losses in ACC play through Feb. 22 were to unranked oppo- nents — Wilson adamantly believes this year's squad still has its best moments ahead of it — first in the ACC Tournament in Conway, S.C., and then in the NCAA Tournament — which, barring a string of losses the last few weeks, should be a lock after last year's still-surprising miss. "We've had some big wins this season," she agreed, noting the upset of then-No. 2 Notre Dame [NC State's first win over the Irish since they joined the ACC], the road win at then-No. 4 Florida State and the third consecutive defeat of then-No. 12 Duke. However, she pointed to the Pack's 72-70 buzzer-beating overtime win at then-No. 7 Louisville Feb. 2 — also a first for the program — as her most satisfying game to date, and not because of her individual numbers (15 points on 6-of-13 shooting). "Nobody lost focus," she explained. "No- body was like, 'I'm fatigued,' or 'Here we go again, like last year,' [when the Pack lost five games by four or fewer points]. The lead changed a lot, but we all went out and played really hard the whole time." On track to graduate in May with a de- gree in sports management, Wilson wants to play "as long as my body feels okay" professionally before becoming — hope- fully — an athletics director. "Some people want me to coach," she said, adding "but I don't think I have the patience for it." In the meantime, she'll continue to play all out at both ends of the court, mentor the Pack's younger layers — and try to find a movie her teammates can watch with her. "I like horror films, so my teammates hate it when I get to pick the film we watch," she said, laughing. "I usually end up watching by myself." As far as her legacy as a Wolfpack player, Wilson said, "I just want to be remembered as someone that worked hard, had a great work ethic and took the game seriously — that I did what needed to be done to help my team win. "If that means having 20 assists and just two points, so be it. I've never been some- one who looks at stats to see if I had a good game — everyone's going to have a night when you're not hitting. But you can still contribute by playing good D, or passing, or getting rebounds. "As long as we get a W, I don't care." ■ "I think she's been playing great. We ask a lot of her — she guards the other team's best perimeter scorer, we're asking her to score, we're asking her to attack the basket, shoot the three and rebound. But she's a competitor. That's the one thing I love about Dom — she wants to win, and she'll give you everything she's got." ■ Head coach Wes Moore on Wilson