The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/896287
86 ■ THE WOLFPACKER BASKETBALL PREVIEW 2017-18 work she's put in on shooting the three will pay off." The final frontcourt returner is sophomore forward Erika Cassell, who saw limited playing time, averaging 2.1 points and 2.5 rebounds in 7.7 minutes per contest in 22 appearances. "She could be the next Chelsea in terms of her aggressiveness," West said. "She can shoot the three, has good offen- sive skills, but needs to be able to improve her stamina and play a little harder, longer," Moore added. The lone newcomer is freshman Kayla Jones, who is capable of playing either the four or five position. "She can face up and attack on the block because of her quickness," West said. "She's got a good basketball IQ, but she is a fresh- man, so she's trying to just take it all in." With the bulk of the returning experience on the team coming from this group, both West and Moore realize the Pack's inside game may have to shoulder most of the scor- ing responsibility this season, especially in the early going as the team's backcourt play- ers settle in to their new roles. "We'll be competitive," West said. "I think we're going to bring a different type of en- ergy this year because we want to play a little more up-tempo than in the past, and we will play more pressure defense. "That may be the biggest difference from last year to this. We may take some knocks, but we'll be fine." Backcourt Prognosis For Pack assistant coach Gene Hill, who's had the luxury of proven veterans returning in the backcourt the last three years, it's now his turn to rebuild. "It's a daunting process any time you lose three starters," Hill admitted, "but I feel good about the talent we have." Hill is particularly excited about the pros- pect of putting guards on the floor that are bigger than any the Pack has featured in more than a decade. Of the seven players listed as guards, the smallest are returning redshirt sophomore Kaila Ealy and incom- ing freshman Kai Crutchfield, both at 5-8. Two backcourt players, redshirt junior trans- fers Armani Hawkins and Kiara Leslie, are 5-10 and 6-0, respectively. "We can't duplicate all the things that a Miah Spencer did, or Dom, or Ashley, but as a team I feel we have more multi-purpose players," Hill said. "There's more versatility at all the positions, and people with more overall athleticism than we've had since we've been here." Returning sophomore Aislinn "Ace" Ko- nig played in the 19 games in which she was healthy last season, and would probably have seen action in all 32 but for a stress fracture in her foot suffered last January, early in the ACC portion of the schedule. A British Columbia native and veteran of two appearances for the Canadian Ju- nior National Team (helping the squad to a bronze medal this past summer), Konig is the most experienced returning guard for the Pack after averaging 17.1 minutes a game, with 135 points (7.1 per game), 29 re- bounds, 23 assists and 12 steals in her debut season. She also is the Pack's top returning three-point shooter after making 30 of 84 (35.7 percent) last season. "She definitely has the ability to score," Hill said. "Her size at 5-9 gives us the abil- ity to have a big guard at the point who can shoot and swing to the two if needed. "What she lost with the injury, I think she made up playing for Canada over the sum- mer. She's lost weight and is in great shape." When Konig does play the two, or shoot- ing guard position, Ealy will likely play point after averaging 13.4 minutes in 29 games between both spots last year, when she spelled both Spencer and Wilson. Slowed by a season-ending injury two years ago as a freshman, Ealy is, in Hill's estima- tion, the fastest guard he's worked with so far at NC State. "Her ability to push the ball, get in the gaps and create shots for other players will be exciting," he said. "She also has the abil- ity to create havoc defensively. And she's a good rebounder for her size [2.9 a game last Assistant coach Gene Hill believes redshirt sophomore Kaila Ealy is the fastest guard he's worked with at NC State. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN ■ 2017-18 NC State Roster No. Name Pos. Ht. Class Hometown (High School) 1 Aislinn Konig G 5-9 So. Surry, British Columbia (Brookswood) 2 Kaila Ealy G 5-8 R-So. Raleigh (Needham Broughton) 3 Kai Crutchfield G 5-8 Fr. Raleigh (Millbrook) 4 Lucky Rudd G 5-9 So. Kernersville, N.C. (Forest Trail Academy) 5 Chelsea Nelson F 6-2 Sr. Antioch, Tenn. (John Overton) 11 Kiara Leslie G 6-0 R-Jr. Holly Springs, N.C. (Holly Springs) 21 DD Rogers F 6-1 Jr. Charlotte, N.C. (Myers Park) 23 Grace Hunter G 5-9 R-So. Raleigh (Athens Drive) 24 Erika Cassell F 6-2 So. Marietta, Ga. (Holy Innocents) 25 Kayla Jones F 6-1 Fr. Jamesville, N.C. (Riverside) 32 Akela Maize C 6-5 Sr. Greensboro, N.C. (New Hope Christian Academy) 44 Nae Nae Cole C 6-3 Jr. Gainesville, Va. (Paul VI) 50 Armani Hawkins G 5-10 R-Jr. Mesa, Ariz. (Mountain View)