Junior guard Aziaha James is back for round three with NC State women’s basketball, and this year, she’s ready to lead. After patiently waiting her turn and coming in off of the bench to give the lead scorers a breather, her time has finally come.
James cast herself into the spotlight toward the end of last year, when the Pack battled then-No. 19 UNC-Chapel Hill for the second time in 2023. Alongside former Wolfpack guard Jakia Brown-Turner, James led the team with 18 points, most of which were scored in the fourth quarter and the overtime session. The then-sophomore sent the game into overtime with just 13 seconds remaining and went on to score eight of NC State’s 15 points in the extra period.
Many might’ve considered this a fluke, but James quickly silenced any doubters when she put up a career-high 20 points against then-No. 11 Virginia Tech. After not starting a single game before playing the Hokies, James went on to start every game for the remainder of the season.
Despite the significance the UNC game may have held for Wolfpack fans, for James it was just a game like any other — her breakout performance was a matter of her being ready to seize the opportunity when it presented itself.
“I tend to just forget what I’m thinking and forget that I was a sophomore, forget who I am,” James said. “I’ll just go out there and play for my team. We’re just going out there playing to win; that’s all we care about.”
James said even though her end to last season was trending in the right direction, there was still work to be done. Despite her impressive offensive production in the last stretch of the 2022-23 season, she still made her share of errors that hindered the team’s success.
“I’m older now,” James said. “So I have to really think about the decisions on the court and off the court as well.”
This year, she said she recognizes that her role on the team has evolved, and now that she’s an upperclassman, it’s her responsibility to clean up her act and lead the way for the newcomers.
“I really have to look out for the five young girls that we have now and transfers that don’t know how we play,” James said. “Being a role model for everybody around me, it’s a big change.”
James is well-versed in head coach Wes Moore’s coaching style and the ins and outs of NC State basketball, which makes her an ideal candidate for a team leader. The 2023-24 season will mark her third with the Wolfpack, a rare occurrence nowadays given the transfer portal’s heavy influence on college basketball. For James, transferring to somewhere she’d get more playing time or have a better chance at winning a championship was never in question.
“As a player, I’ve always been like this,” James said. “It doesn’t matter who leaves or who stays or anything like that. I love to, you know, stay where I’m at, progress with how I’m doing. My freshman year, I really didn’t play, but it really didn’t faze me. It really gave me that hunger to keep pushing myself outside of the court, stuff that people don’t see. So when it’s my time to shine, I’m ready for it.”
James’ three years playing under Moore have allowed her to become fluent in his expectations and the way he runs his program, as well as how he defines the team’s identity. This year, he went a bit out of the box with his analogy.
“I want us to be like McDonald’s french fries,” Moore said. “You know, anywhere in the world, you walk into McDonald’s, you know what you’re getting. … I want us to be like that. Every night no matter where we are, where we’re playing and where we walk in. You know what you’re gonna get? You get a team that’s mentally and physically tough, that’s gonna compete and play with urgency.”
Throughout the offseason and into the preseason, James has done all she can to commit her game to that analogy and uphold Moore’s standard of excellence.
“I try to come out here and just be 100% every day; 110%, actually,” James said. “Just you know, so like I keep saying the same for the younger people, just do the same thing. No coming here sluggish or anything, just be on your toes every practice and every game.”
James and the rest of the Pack are set to open the 2023-24 season at Reynolds Coliseum on Tuesday, Nov. 7. Tip-off against the UNC Charlotte 49ers is set for 7 p.m.
