The NC State women’s basketball team used the off season to add some new recruits. One of the new additions is a 5-foot-9, Canadian scoring machine Aislinn “Ace” Konig.
Konig is from Surrey, British Columbia and has been playing basketball for most of her life. Although basketball is not extremely popular in Canada, Konig’s family is deeply involved in the sport.
“Basketball is pretty big in the rec sense,” Konig said about Canada. “There are a lot of young programs. But overall, sports in Canada are not as important as they are here. My dad coached basketball, and my entire mom’s side of the family plays. Even my grandfather plays in an over-75 league so basketball sort of runs in my blood.”
Though Konig is a freshman on a deep team, she feels that she can still contribute a lot to the upcoming season. Most would agree with that when they hear that she was the ninth-ranked guard in her recruiting class, she once scored 35 points in a championship game and that she was named British Columbia player of the year in 2015.
“I think that I can provide some energy and up the tempo of the team this year,” Konig said. “I’m a point guard, so I can help bring control to the team and help to open up the post and other players with my shooting.”
Konig does not lack playing experience at all. Along with playing in high school, during which she won three straight championships, she also played with some Canadian National teams.
“I played with them when I was a freshman,” Konig said. “I also played with them last summer in Chile.”
Some may wonder how the Pack was able to land such a talented recruit. Sometimes a player decides to go somewhere based on how they perceive they will fit the system and mesh with the other players.
“It came down to Stanford and State,” Konig said. “It ultimately was that State is a much better fit for who I am as a person and who I am as a basketball player”
Many fans argue that last year’s team was snubbed by not getting a bid in the NCAA tournament. Even Wes Moore, the head coach of the team, said he felt that the squad was going to receive a bid.
During the Primetime with the Pack event, Moore stated that the girls are hungry this season. This means that confidence is key. Konig shows her extreme confidence in herself and in the team in her list of personal goals and goals for the team this season.
“I definitely want to make the ACC All-Freshman team,” Konig said. “I want to help the team get to the Final Four. For the team, our goals should be to win the ACC championship and to go to March Madness because we have a lot of talented girls and a lot of potential so we have a good chance to reach all of those goals.”
Konig compares her game to that of Golden State Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson. Anyone who has ever watched him play should instantly understand what this means. Konig is a shooter and a scorer.
Thompson once scored 37 points in a quarter. Konig once scored 32 points in the first quarter of a game. Thompson’s career high is 52, and Konig once scored 56 in a game. Perhaps State fans will begin to call her the female T.J. Warren.
Speaking of NC State men’s basketball, Konig had a good answer to who would win in a game between the men’s and women’s teams.
“Girls’ and guys’ basketball are so different from one another,” Konig said. “Women’s basketball is a lot more skill, and men’s is a lot more athleticism. They could probably jump over top of us. We would probably hit some shots though, but I definitely could not guard Dennis [Smith Jr.]. The guys would probably win but I think we could give them a run for their money. We get a little feisty out there.”
Konig plans to give her all every time she touches the court this season in order to reach her personal goals and to help the team take the ACC by storm. With senior point guard Miah Spencer around to mentor her this season, Konig has the potential to be a star for the Pack for several years.
