NC State announces 2 additions to women's basketball staff
NC State women’s basketball announced a pair of additions to its 2023-2024 coaching staff. Kevin Leatherwood, a former Navy assistant, is joining the program as an assistant. Former Wolfpack star Kayla Jones also accepted a graduate assistant job.
Leatherwood coached the past three season with Navy before previously working at Georgia State. Per the NC State press release, he helped develop four All-Patriot League players during his tenure. Navy made the conference tournament semifinals in 2022.
The Wolfpack assistant is from Charlottesville, Virginia, and played college basketball at Carson-Newman University.
“Coach Leatherwood is a great new addition to our staff,” head coach Wes Moore said in a press release. “He’s really strong on the court and with player development, and he has a passion for teaching players the finer points of the game. He brings an upbeat personality that makes him an excellent communicator both on and off the court. His previous Division I experience will also be an asset in all phases of our program’s preparation and planning for the upcoming season.”
“I want to thank Coach Moore for this opportunity to join his staff and Wolfpack Nation,” Leatherwood said in the press release. “I am honored to learn from Coach Moore and this amazing coaching staff every day. My goal is to bring value each day and build on the already successful tradition of NC State women’s basketball. Go Pack!”
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Jones played five seasons with NC State and received All-ACC honors twice. The forward made the all-conference first team after averaging 11.9 points and 7.1 rebounds per game during the 2020-2021 campaign.
During her career, she also won three ACC Tournament rings and helped the program reach the 2022 NCAA Tournament elite 8 as a graduate student. The Minnesota Lynx drafted Jones in the second round of the WNBA draft.
“It’s special to have KJ back with the Pack,” Moore said in the press release. “She was a great leader on the court for three-straight ACC Championship teams, so it’s exciting to have her on the sideline passing that knowledge on. Having played for five years in the program, she’ll be a great resource for the talented young players who are new to our system. She’s also been a pro herself and will be able to get on the court and demonstrate the skills needed to play at the next level.”
“Being able to return to my alma mater as a member of the coaching staff is such a blessing,” Jones said in the press release. “I want to extend a thank you to Coach Moore and the entire staff for believing in me as a player and for this incredible opportunity to come back home as a graduate assistant. The experiences and lessons I gained during my collegiate career at NC State have shaped me into who I am today, and I’m excited to pay it forward and help mentor this next generation of players on their own incredible journeys with the Pack.”
