There was a myriad of emotions and riveting action this season for the N.C. State women’s basketball team. It was a stark contrast to the prognostications prior to the start of the campaign, which predicted the Wolfpack repeating the mediocrity of recent years. In head coach Wes Moore’s first season at the helm, and with a veteran team eager to leave its stamp on the program, the Wolfpack exceeded expectations and finished fourth in the ACC en route to a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament, its first trip to the event since 2010.
But that came crashing down as the Pack fell hard on Saturday in Los Angeles. Brigham Young, the 13th seed, blocked N.C. State from advancing, both literally and figuratively. The Cougars, who rejected 15 Wolfpack shots in the 72-57 victory, had the one type of experience that the Wolfpack did not — postseason experience. BYU was making its third consecutive tourney appearance.
For N.C. State, as wonderful a season it had, there will always be a lingering regret that the team could not finish at full strength. Seniors Myisha Goodwin-Coleman and Lekeesa Daniel suffered season-ending injuries on consecutive days. Both would have been useful against BYU. Goodwin-Coleman, a deadly 3-point shooter, could have helped alleviate the burden of the interior players and Daniel, a forward with a soft touch, could have cleared the lane by receiving the ball on the exterior.
The silver lining to the loss of the two seniors is that it gave Moore a chance to give significant playing time to freshmen Miah Spencer and Jennifer Mathurin. Spencer moved into the starting lineup for Goodwin-Coleman and averaged 14.3 points per game over the final seven contests of the season.
Mathurin posted a double-double at Pittsburgh immediately after sliding into Daniel’s role and has shown an inclination to step outside. In that regard, outgoing senior forward Kody Burke is the perfect example of someone to emulate, as she expanded her game over her four seasons in Raleigh to become a dual threat who was a lethal shooter from behind the 3-point arc.
The potential growth of the remaining players will go lock-step with the pending renovations of Reynolds Coliseum and Moore’s vision of developing the program. For all of its heritage and charm, Reynolds is a relic. The investment into the fabled arena should prove attractive to incoming recruits, who will likely have little interest in what has already happened at State and more of a concern as to where the program is headed. N.C. State is three seasons away from playing in one of the better gyms in the ACC, if not the nation.
With the renovations and the loss of six players due to graduation, N.C. State will be at a crossroads entering next season. If there were any doubts whether Moore could coach, he should have definitively erased them this past season with his in-game strategy and overall improvement of the team. He had a slew of Coach of the Year awards prior to coming to Raleigh and it looks as though he will add to that collection at State.
The only burden of proof now would be if Moore has the ability to recruit and consistently bring in top-tier talent. The Wolfpack have to compete in the Triangle, the ACC and the nation. If the foundation is laid now, over the next few years N.C. State can be a school that wins titles in women’s basketball.
