NC State women's basketball roster outlook for 2023-24: First look

NC State women’s basketball endured an inconsistent season in 2022-23. The Wolfpack defeated four teams that are currently in the Sweet 16, two of them on the road. Yet, NC State also finished 20-12 overall, with several inexplicable losses mixed in, and was bounced in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

That sets up for an interesting offseason, where the roster could, theoretically, return intact.

Guards

Some of the first decisions that need to be made in the offseason are with those who have the extra season of eligibility left from the Covid pandemic season. Will they choose to use that option, and if so will they play at NC State?

Jakia Brown-Turner is facing that choice. Over the past four seasons, Brown-Turner has started 123 of 124 games played and has a career scoring average of 10.3 points per contest. She was first-team All-ACC and honorable mention All-American selection in 2021. However, this past year saw Brown-Turner average a career-low 9.1 points per contest. She shot just 30.1 percent on threes, her worst percentage in four seasons for the Wolfpack.

Brown-Turner also chose to participate in Senior Day festivities.

Diamond Johnson elevated into a starting role after being the ACC Sixth Player of the Year in 2022 and was NC State’s leading scorer this past year at 12.3 points per game. However, Johnson missed 10 contests with a nagging ankle/foot injury, including the entire postseason. She shot 47 of 130 on threes, or 36.2 percent, but struggled with her jumper in ACC play, perhaps an indicator of the effects of her injury. She made just 20 of 78 (25.6 percent) beyond the arc in 12 league games.

South Carolina transfer Saniya Rivers became the primary ball handler with Johnson out. The former blue-chip prospect provides high-level athleticism on the court and the versatility to impact the game in multiple ways. Rivers led NC State in assists (91), steals (57) and rebounds (5.2 per game). She also averaged 8.6 points, but made just 14 of 65 threes (21.5 percent) and was only a 62.5 percent free throw shooter.

Aziaha James was a last-season emergence. She averaged 6.8 points per game overall for the year, but James scored in double figures in 4 of 7 contests to end the season, including a career-high 20 points in a loss at ACC champion and No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament Virginia Tech.

Two touted freshmen will hope to add depth for NC State.

Zoe Brooks averaged 23.0 points, 6.6 rebounds, 5.8 steals and 4.2 assists per game to lead Plainfield (N.J.) St. John-Vianney to a state title. Brooks was selected as the New Jersey State Player of the Year by both MaxPreps.com and NJ.com, and she was also chosen to play in the prestigious McDonald’s All-American Game. ESPN.com ranks Brooks the No. 9 prospect nationally in the 2023 class.

Laci Steele from Guthrie (Okla.) Edmond North High comes in at No. 56 in those rankings, and she has also signed with NC State. Steele averaged 21.3 points per game in leading her team to a second straight state title and went over 2,000 career points during the year. Like Brooks, Steele was chosen as her state’s player of the year by MaxPreps.com.

NC State’s Backcourt Roster For 2023-24

Name	Year*	Height	Hometown	2022-23 Stats
Zoe Brooks	Fr.	5-10	Plainfield, N.J.	—
Jakia Brown-Turner	5th-Sr.	6-0	Oxon Hill, Md.	32 starts, 9.1 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 34 threes
Aziaha James	Jr.	5-9	Virginia Beach, Va.	32 games, 6.8 ppg
Diamond Johnson	Sr.	5-5	Philadelphia, Pa.	21 starts, 12.3 ppg, 3.5 apg, 47 threes
Saniya Rivers	Jr.	6-1	Wilmington, N.C.	31 games, 8.6 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 2.9 apg 1.8 spg
Laci Steele	Fr.	5-11	Guthrie, Okla.	—

* — Year is based on what their classification would be in 2023-24

Forwards And Centers

Similar to Brown-Turner’s decision, several performers from the NC State frontcourt face choices.

Jada Boyd and Camille Hobby both walked on Senior Day. Each have been with the program for four years but could return for the extra season of eligibility provided by the NCAA during the Covid pandemic.

Boyd, the ACC’s co-Sixth Player of the Year in 2020-21, briefly left the team in the preseason before deciding to return to NC State. She started 23 of 27 games played and averaged 9.2 points and 4.6 rebounds, but for the first time in her career shot less than 50.0 percent (88-of-192 shooting for 45.8 percent).

Hobby, who patiently waited her turn behind former NC State All-American Elissa Cunane, started all 32 contests. Only Brown-Turner could also claim that. Hobby averaged 8.8 points and 4.2 rebounds while shooting a team-best 51.8 percent from the field.

Two transfers that joined the NC State women’s basketball program last summer also could theoretically return for an extra year.

River Baldwin, an arrival from Florida State, ending up being in a platoon at the center position with Hobby. Baldwin played 14.5 minutes per contest and averaged 5.7 points and 4.0 rebounds while shooting 50.7 percent. She joined Hobby as the only players to make at least half their shot attempts (minimum 10 attempts).

Mimi Collins, a Maryland import, played all 32 contests and made nine starts. She averaged 6.9 points and 4.0 rebounds.

Madison Hayes emerged as a primary starter after spending last season, her first after transferring to NC State from Mississippi State, as a reserve on a loaded roster. Hayes averaged 7.0 points and 3.8 rebounds and made 32 of 88 threes, or 36.4 percent. She also tied Boyd for a team-high 22 blocked shots.

NC State women’s basketball made two additions to the frontcourt via the recruiting class in November.

Mallory Collier, a 6-foot-3 center from Millington (Tenn.) Bartlett High, is rated the No. 55 prospect nationally by ESPN.com. She averaged 11.5 points and 7.1 rebounds per game on a team that reached the state title game and was a finalist for Tennessee Miss Basketball.

Maddie Cox from Flower Mound (Tex.) High is the young sister of former Baylor All-American and WNBA draft pick Lauren Cox. Their parents both played collegiate athletics, too. Maddie Cox checks in at No. 71 in the ESPN.com rankings and averaged a double-double of 17.2 points and 11.9 rebounds per game as a senior on a team that went 27-7 and reached the state playoffs.

NC State’s Frontcourt Roster for 2023-24

Name	Year*	Height	Hometown	2022-23 Stats
River Baldwin	5th-Sr.	6-5	Andalusia, Ala.	31 games, 5.7 ppg, 4.0 rpg
Jada Boyd	5th-Sr.	6-2	Petersburg, Va.	23 starts, 9.2 ppg, 4.6 rpg
Mallory Collier	Fr.	6-3	Millington, Tenn.	—
Mimi Collins	R-Sr.	6-3	Slidell, La.	25 starts, 6.9 ppg, 4.0 rpg
Maddie Cox	Fr.	6-2	Flower Mound, Texas	—
Madison Hayes	Sr.	6-0	Chattanooga, Tenn.	25 starts, 7.0 ppg, 3.8 rpg
Camille Hobby	5th-Sr.	6-3	Jacksonville, Fla.	32 starts, 8.8 ppg, 4.2 rpg

* — Year is based on what their classification would be in 2023-24

NC State Scholarship Count

The NC State women’s basketball roster for next season is currently sitting at 13 players. Teams are allowed 15 scholarships on the team, giving head coach Wes Moore leeway to make more additions where he should see fit. That number is likely to go up as some of the decisions about using extra seasons of eligibility are made.