NC State women’s basketball lands 3 on All-ACC First Team, collects pair of major awards
After NC State raced to the finish line as winners in 20 of its last 22 games en route to the top seed of the ACC Tournament, the Wolfpack cleaned up in the league’s postseason awards
NC State landed three players on the First Team All-ACC squad — senior guards Aziaha James and Saniya Rivers, and sophomore guard Zoe Brooks — while Wes Moore was named Coach of the Year. Brooks also earned the Most Improved Player award.
James, an uncommon four-year player in this age of collegiate athletics, has emerged as one of the top players in the ACC thanks to a breakout final season. The Pack’s leading scorer averaged 18 points with 4.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists in her final collegiate regular season campaign to earn first team honors for the second consecutive year.
Rivers, a do-it-all guard, averaged 11.8 points with 6.5 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.3 blocks for the Wolfpack. She earned a spot on the first team for the second straight season, while Rivers was named to the league’s All-Defensive team in back-to-back campaigns.
The former South Carolina transfer has flirted with a pair of triple-doubles over the last three games. Rivers logged 14 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists in the double-overtime win over then-No. 1 Notre Dame, while she posted 4 points with 13 rebounds and 11 assists in the regular season finale at SMU on Sunday.
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Brooks, meanwhile, was named a first-team selection for the first time in her young career. The former McDonald’s All-American was on the All-Freshman Team last season. She was able to follow that up with 14.5 points, 4.6 rebounds and a team-leading 3.9 assists this season.
In addition to the Wolfpack’s top three guards, freshman forward Tilda Trygger received All-Freshman Team honors. A converted small forward to center, Trygger helped unlock NC State’s potential with 6.6 points and 4.8 rebounds as she emerged in the Wolfpack’s front court.
Moore, the Pack’s 12th-year leader, ran away with his fourth ACC Coach of the Year award as he received 306 points, while Notre Dame’s Niele Ivey had 184 and California’s Charmin Smith recorded 99. Moore guided NC State to its second ACC regular season title in the last four years, including six wins over Associated Press Top 25 teams this year.
NC State opens its stint at the ACC Tournament on Friday afternoon in Greensboro. The Wolfpack awaits the winner of Georgia Tech/Virginia Tech in the quarterfinals.
