NC State women's basketball roster for 2022-23: Updated edition

For the past two seasons, each of which resulted in ACC titles for NC State women’s basketball, head coach Wes Moore has been able to use the same four out of five starters.

That’s about to change dramatically.

Here is how the NC State women’s basketball roster is currently configured for the 2022-23 season after news following the season’s completion that two reserve guards were transferring out while three former McDonald’s All-Americans would be joining the team — the latest being South Carolina freshman guard and former top-five national recruit Saniya Rivers.

Guards

Moore prefers to use what he calls a one-in, four-out offense. That means a post player anchoring around the paint with four perimeter performers spreading the court out.

This lineup typically has three guards on the court at the same time. For the past two years, the starting trio has been Jakia Brown-Turner, Kai Crutchfield and Raina Perez, and the former two have been three-year starters. Crutchfield and Perez, however, were super seniors in 2022 and thus have exhausted their eligibility.

That leaves Brown-Turner as the only returnee.

Perez only played at NC State two years but nevertheless created a lasting legacy. She averaged 8.6 points and 3.2 assists per game this past season. Crutchfield’s knack for making key plays earned her the nickname “Clutchfield.” She averaged 6.6 points per game, but she was a strong shooter, making 44.4 percent of her threes, and arguably NC State’s best defensive player.

Brown-Turner, a junior, was an All-ACC performer in 2021 and also selected honorable mention All-American by the Associated Press after she averaged 13.5 points per game. In a more balanced and deeper Wolfpack attack, Brown-Turner’s average slipped to 9.8 points this past season, but that was still third best on the team.

NC State’s bench has players potentially ready to step up and replace Perez and Crutchfield as starters. Sophomore Diamond Johnson was the ACC Sixth Player of the Year and second on the team in scoring at 10.8 points per game. The Rutgers transfer and All-Big Ten performer in 2021 also led the Pack in three-pointers (58) and steals (47) and was second to Perez in assists.

One key for Johnson will be to cut down on turnovers. She had a team-high 71, almost matching her 78 assists.

Aziaha James made the ACC All-Freshman team despite limited playing time on a crowded roster. She played in 25 games and averaged just 9.5 minutes, but in that limited opportunity contributed 4.2 points per contest.

James was the most highly touted prospect in a well-regarded three-player freshman class. Also in that group was Jessica Timmons. She played 20 games as a rookie and averaged 2.7 points. Timmons was a prolific scorer in high school, scoring over 2,000 career points at North Mecklenburg High near Charlotte.

Then there is the addition of Rivers. She was rated the No. 3 prospect in the country in the 2021 class by ESPN. As a freshman, the 6-foot-1 Rivers averaged 2.3 points, 1.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 12.9 minutes in 27 games for the national champion Gamecocks. She played the third most among reserves on the squad.

Two NC State guards have entered the transfer portal and are leaving the program with eligibility remaining.

Sophomore Genesis Bryant carved out a role as a rotational player during her rookie season, averaging 10.9 minutes per game, but the arrival of Johnson may have caused her minutes to drop this past year. Bryant played in 20 games and saw 5.5 minutes per contest. She averaged 2.1 points and 0.5 assists.

Bryant recently announced her intention to enroll at Illinois.

Junior Kendal Moore, who received limited playing time as a reserve in her first two seasons, redshirted in 2021-22.

NC State’s Backcourt Roster For 2022-23

Name	Year*	Height	Hometown	2021-22 Stats
Jakia Brown-Turner	Sr.	6-0	Oxon Hill, Md.	35 starts, 9.8 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 42 threes
Aziaha James	So.	5-9	Virginia Beach, Va.	25 games, 4.2 ppg
Diamond Johnson	Jr.	5-5	Philadelphia, Pa.	36 games, 10.8 ppg, 2.0 apg, 58 threes
Saniya Rivers	So.	6-1	Wilmington, N.C.	27 games, 2.3 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 1.4 apg (at S. Carolina)
Jessica Timmons	So.	5-8	Charlotte, N.C.	20 games, 2.7 ppg

* — Year is based on what their classification would be in 2022-23

Forwards And Centers

Moore has to say goodbye to two of his best players in Elissa Cunane and Kayla Jones.

Cunane is a multiple-time All-American and two-time ACC Tournament MVP and has a case to have her name honored in the rafters at Reynolds Coliseum among the other greats from NC State women’s basketball.

She was selected in the WNBA Draft with the 17th overall pick by the Seattle Storm. Jones went five picks later to the Minnesota Lynx.

Jones was a two-time All-ACC performer touted for her leadership and versatility. Moore repeatedly referred to Jones as the “glue” of the team.

Likely replacing Jones as a starter will be junior Jada Boyd, who was the ACC Co-Sixth Player of the Year in 2021 when she averaged 11.5 points and 5.9 rebounds. Like everyone else on the roster, Boyd’s numbers slipped a little this past season to 7.6 points and 4.4 board a contest, but her talent is obvious. She scored 14 points in 16 minutes in the double-overtime loss to Connecticut in the Elite Eight.

Junior Camille Hobby has patiently waited her turn behind Cunane for a larger role in the post. Hobby averaged 5.1 points and 2.6 rebounds per game this past season. She also has shown her capability when Cunane either missed a game or was in foul trouble.

With Cunane out due to COVID-19 during the 2020-21 season, Hobby earned her only career start against Virginia Tech and its star post player Elizabeth Kitley, the 2022 ACC Player of the Year. Hobby had 19 points and nine rebounds for a shorthanded Wolfpack that lost in overtime on the road. Kitley had 17 points and 11 boards.

Depth and height was the question mark. Hobby (6-foot-1) lacks the length that Cunane (6-foot-5) provided. To that end, NC State first added an addition from the transfer portal in 6-foot-3 redshirt junior Mimi Collins from Maryland.

Collins, a former McDonald’s All-American who spent one season at Tennessee before transferring to Maryland, was honorable mention All-Big Ten in 2021 when she averaged 10.6 points and 6.2 rebounds while shooting 52.1 percent from the field. This past year, Collins contributed 7.9 points and 4.8 rebounds per contest. Collins will be a fifth-year senior next season, but because eligibility was frozen in 2021, she technically has two more years remaining should she choose to use them.

Then NC State women’s basketball landed River Baldwin, a 6-foot-5 junior center from Florida State. Baldwin started 18 of 31 games she played for the Seminoles last season, averaging 6.0 points and 4.8 rebounds per contest while also blocking 20 shots. She shot 54.5 percent from the field.

Like Collins, Baldwin was a former McDonald’s All-American. Although she may be listed as a senior next season, Baldwin technically has two years of eligibility remaining.

Two other NC State returnees could see increased roles.

Sophomore Madison Hayes was a highly touted recruit when she signed with Mississippi State. Hayes made the SEC All-Freshman Team and then transferred to NC State. She played 26 games in her Wolfpack debut, averaging 9.5 minutes per contest. She contributed 2.3 points, but she also was strong on the boards, grabbing 2.9 per game.

Freshman Sophie Hart has height at 6-foot-5, but played the fewest minutes on the team in 2021-22 while yielding playing time to the duo of Cunane and Hobby. She averaged 4.0 minutes, 1.2 points and 1.0 rebounds in 20 games. Hart was considered a top-75 recruit coming out of high school.

NC State’s Frontcourt Roster for 2022-23

Name	Year*	Height	Hometown	2021-22 Stats
River Baldwin	Sr.	6-5	Andalusia, Ala.	31 games, 6.0 ppg, 4.8 rpg (at Florida State)
Jada Boyd	Sr.	6-2	Petersburg, Va.	31 games, 7.6 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 59.5 percent FG
Mimi Collins	R-Sr.	6-3	Slidell, La.	32 games, 7.9 ppg, 4.8 rpg (at Maryland)
Sophie Hart	So.	6-5	Farmington, Minn.	20 games, 1.2 ppg, 1.0 rpg
Madison Hayes	Jr.	6-0	Chattanooga, Tenn.	26 games, 2.3 ppg, 2.9 rpg
Camille Hobby	Sr.	6-1	Jacksonville, Fla.	36 games, 5.1 ppg, 2.6 rpg

* — Year is based on what their classification would be in 2022-23

NC State Scholarship Count

NC State women’s basketball roster breakdown did not include any freshmen newcomers. That’s because as of yet, none have been added to the team. Baldwin, Collins and Rivers, to date, are the only additions to the roster.

The NC State women’s basketball roster for next season is currently sitting at 11 players. Teams are allowed 15 scholarships on the team, giving Moore leeway to make more additions where he should see fit.

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