The spring of 2024 will forever go down in Wolfpack history as one of the best times to be a member of the red-and-white faithful. With both men’s and women’s basketball in their respective NCAA Final Fours, things were looking better and brighter in the City of Oaks. The NC State women’s basketball team looks to repeat this dream run during the 2024-25 season, and they have just the team to do so.
The Pack will tip the season off on Tuesday, Nov. 5 with a matchup against East Tennessee State University and then will hit the ground running with some tough opponents before ACC play begins in December. Despite the loss of center River Baldwin and forward Mimi Collins, the NC State roster looks familiar to many fans and is ready to dominate.
Centers
With Baldwin playing professionally overseas, the red-and-white have a large hole to fill in the front court.
Graduate center Lizzy Williamson transferred to NC State before the 2023-24 season from Southern Utah and lived in Baldwin’s shadow all season. Williamson, who was the Western Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year in 2022-23, played in 19 games, all off the bench, and finished the season with 21 points. Head coach Wes Moore has another option though with sophomore Mallory Collier looking to make her big break onto the court.
Collier made her collegiate debut when the Pack took on UNC-Charlotte, logging three points, four rebounds and two blocks in 10 minutes. Ranked the No. 55 player in the class of 2023 by ESPN, the young center could be a breakout player for NC State throughout the season.
If either Williamson or Collier are struggling to put up points, freshman center Lorena Awou could become a good addition off the bench. Ranked No. 5 in the State of Illinois in the Prep Girls Hoops Rankings, Awou provides the Pack with the ability to run the floor and chase down rebounds while putting a lot of pressure on defenses.
Guards
The dynamic trio graduate Madison Hayes, senior Saniya Rivers and senior Aziaha James are all returning to Reynolds Coliseum. The three were practically unstoppable last year. Hayes was one of two on the team to start and play in all 38 contests and averaged 10.2 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game.
River and James have accolades to their name that would strike fear into any opponent; Rivers was named an All-ACC First Team and All-Defensive Team selection, as well as an AP All-America Honorable Mention choice, and James logged 31 double-digit scoring games, 12 20-point games and two 30-pieces.
Coming in as a five-star recruit, sophomore Zoe Brooks had one of the best freshman campaigns in Wolfpack women’s basketball history. Playing in all 38 games — mostly off the bench — Brooks averaged 9.0 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game. She became the second-ever player in program history to record a triple-double, doing so in her first career start.
After being named to the ACC All-Freshman Team, Brooks improved her game in the team’s postseason run proving to be crucial against big-time opponents. As the facilitator of the offense when she’s on the floor, Brooks will look to build off her first season and avoid a sophomore slump as she takes a larger role on this year’s team.
A new piece to the Wolfpack program is freshman guard Zamareya Jones from Greenville, North Carolina. The McDonald’s All-American was ranked No. 17 in the 2024 ESPNW 100 HoopGurlz Recruiting Rankings at the time of her signing and was regarded as a five-star recruit with a 96 scouts grade.
Wings
After losing Collins during the offseason, Moore has a few options to choose from when filling her spot. Sophomore forward Maddie Cox was able to get some experience during her freshman season, scoring in 12 games, along with six outings with over four boards. She also played all five NCAA Tournament contests, averaging 8.6 minutes per game in the run to the Final Four.
What Cox lacks in experience can be made up by graduate forward Caitlin Weimer. In her time at Boston University, Weimer earned First Team All-Patriot League and was named to the Patriot League All-Defensive Team her senior year, following a season in which she averaged a double-double with 18.7 points and 10.6 rebounds per game along with 88 total blocks. While she is currently dealing with a hip injury, she is hopeful to take the court early this season.
