How WNBA GMs view NC State standout guards Aziaha James, Saniya Rivers ahead of draft
Seeing WNBA scouts at NC State games became second-nature this season. Wherever the
Wolfpack went, professional talent evaluators followed.
NC State had to reserve an entire row of courtside tables as No. 1 Notre Dame visited Reynolds Coliseum in late-February with the number of potential professional players on the court at the same time, while scouts flocked to Chapel Hill to see the Wolfpack inside Carmichael Arena.
And each time representatives from the 12 WNBA franchises saw the Pack play, they seemed transfixed on NC State guards Aziaha James and Saniya Rivers.
That duo, which is inseparable off the court, helped propel the Wolfpack into the Sweet 16 for the sixth time since 2018 — in addition to standout play from senior wing Madison Hayes and young guards Zoe Brooks and Zam Jones.
But it was Rivers and James that left the professional coaches and general managers salivating at the opportunity to select them in Monday’s draft (7:30 p.m., ESPN). Rivers stuffed the stat sheet with 11.9 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.3 blocks a night, while James was more than capable of filling the bucket as NC State’s leading scorer with 17.9 points an outing.
That has vaulted both into WNBA mock drafts. Rivers is the more consistently projected first-rounder, while James is expected to be picked in the second round. ESPN currently has Rivers as the No. 11 overall pick to the Minnesota Lynx, while CBS Sports and USA Today have the two-time All-ACC First Team selection going 12th to the Dallas Wings.
“I think the program at NC State, and Saniya and Aziaha are great examples of talent in this draft,” Washington Mystics General Manager Jamila Wideman said in a media Zoom availability Thursday. “I think we watched that team really find some tremendous chemistry towards the end of the year.”
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“Both are just really exciting players that I think are examples of where the game is going. Both are incredibly athletic, both able to get up and down the court and play with speed. Both are able to play a couple different positions. I think both of them are examples of the versatile outside talent that we’re just beginning to see more consistently and spread across the NCAA.”
While Wideman raved about the duo, which appeared to somehow get increasingly better and better as the year went along to help NC State finish with 24 wins in its last 28 games, Chicago Sky General Manager Jeff Pagliocca thought highly of Rivers.
Pagliocca, whose team holds the 10th overall pick, believed Rivers could play any guard spot with some time at small forward in the WNBA with her skill set. And he didn’t stop there. Instead, he crowned Rivers as one of the more intriguing players available in the draft.
“[She] may be the best overall athlete in the draft, and she’s got a lot of length, too,” Pagliocca said. “She’s proven she can guard multiple positions, which always matters in our league. With length, you can cause some problems with point guards and wings. You’ve got to pay attention to players like that.”
The WNBA has paid plenty of attention. Now, it seems likely that Rivers will hear her name called in the league’s opening round as she looks to kick start her professional career in the U.S.
