NC State seniors say a grateful goodbye to the Wolfpack

“I think I’ve learned patience. Playing for Coach Moore is not easy,” Rivers began before head coach Wes Moore jokingly interjected with a request for the next question. Rivers laughed right back, “no, no this is my chance. I’m just kidding. But no, playing for him isn’t easy, but it’s only because he cares, especially when he has high standards and high expectations that we set … I wouldn’t want to play with anybody else, play for anybody else.”

Guard Aziaha James played all four years of her college career for NC State. Though James is disappointed that this was her last game, she gave a lot of credit to the program for her development on and off the court.

“I have been here for four years and since freshman year, Coach Moore pushed me. And I became a sponge my freshman year. I soaked up all information from all my upperclassmen, which made me the person who I am today,” James said. “So I’m glad I stayed here for all my four years. I’m glad I grew as a person, as a woman.”

Similar to Rivers, forward Madison Hayes transferred to NC State after playing her freshman year with another program, Mississippi State. Hayes was still wiping away some of her tears from earlier but managed to hold back any more as she thanked Moore and the team.

“I didn’t start here, but I’m just really glad [Moore] gave me that second chance to be a part of this culture, a part of this program with these special girls, special coaching staff,” Hayes said. “So I just love everybody, and I wouldn’t want to play for any other team in the nation. I love these girls.”

Because of the success the team had last year making it to the Final Four, Moore and his players had high expectations for this season. As disappointing as the loss was, the message across the team was clear: it neither defines their season, nor undoes all the good from throughout the year.

“It’s hard when your expectations and all are really lofty,” Moore said. “But at the same time, it doesn’t diminish what they accomplished this year. Again, I’ve said it several times. We started the year 4-3, and then we went 24-3 before we got here. So it’s pretty amazing the turnaround they were able to make happen.

“And all they have done — not only this year, but Madison four years, Aziaha, four years, and Saniya three years — have represented this program unbelievably, both on the court and off. So couldn’t be prouder of ’em. Love ’em. We’re going to miss ’em. We’re still trying to get an attorney and see if we can get fifth years for ’em, but, yeah.”

The positive vibe around the team despite the loss was plainly visible, and James thinks that says a lot about the team.

“It says the strength we have, no matter lose or win, we’re still sticking together,” James said. “In the locker room, Saniya told us to keep our heads up, and that loss hurt but it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t define us, it doesn’t define our season. We worked so hard since the summer and just because we lost, it don’t take away what we did all year.”

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To commemorate the Sweet 16 appearance, all three seniors made sure to take their March Madness-branded nameplates with them as they left the dais. Even if it isn’t technically as impressive as last year’s trip to the Final Four, it means something. Before departing entirely, Rivers ensured that the team gleefully posed for a .5x selfie with their nameplates and head coach Wes Moore. Taking one last moment with their coach, each player individually gave Moore an emotional hug, expressing their gratitude and love as they left Moore to address the media.

“It’s tough right now seeing [Rivers, Hayes and James] walk out the door. It’s a lot of talent, but it’s happened, we’ve done it before,” Moore said. “And culture doesn’t graduate. So hopefully we can keep it going.”

Beyond all the games won, a conference championship and multiple deep tournament runs, James, Rivers and Hayes have been just as important to this NC State program off the court as they were on.

“They represent our program, they’re ambassadors for our program in an unbelievable way,” Moore said. “So, very blessed. It makes the journey a lot more fun when you have players and people like that.”

This game, however, does not mark the end of these seniors’ playing careers. All three hope to play professionally in the WNBA.

“That’s the next chapter for us, so we’re not done yet,” Rivers said. “It’s time to retire these jerseys, but, you know, one day we have to grow up and move on.”

Young stars shine

The impact of NC State’s graduating seniors will be felt for a long time, but Friday’s game also showcased the next generation of Wolfpack talent. Two underclassmen guards — sophomore Zoe Brooks and freshman Zamareya Jones — led NC State’s scoring on the night with 21 and 13 points respectively.

“I think us leaving is big shoes to fill,” Rivers said. “But the way they played tonight and the way they played all season, they’re definitely not going to have a problem filling those shoes.”

Rivers gave Jones a lot of credit for the way she impacted the team off the bench. At the end of the first quarter, NC State faced a 23-15 deficit. Having not played any of the first quarter, Jones started in the second. Within two and a half minutes, Jones hit both of her 3-point attempts and tied the game at 25.

“Zam, literally, as soon as she came in, I was like, Okay, this is the time to be Zam Jones. If there was no other time this season, this is the time. Next thing you know, back-to-back threes,” Rivers said. “She flipped the script for us tonight.”

At multiple points in the game, Brooks scored two or more buckets in a row to keep her team within striking distance, either with a driving layup or smooth jumper. In her sophomore season, Brooks averaged 31.7 minutes per game and started all 32 games she appeared in. The guard shot 46.2% from the field while averaging 4.8 rebounds per game, 3.7 assists, 1.3 steals and 14 points.

“Zoe was just being Zoe, the Zoe she’s been all season,” Rivers said. “I definitely think she’s been more aggressive as far as scoring and looking for her shot this season, and she definitely showed that tonight as well.”

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Brooks and Jones highlighted the young scorers in the game, but the game also featured other young post players who are poised to make an impact in the future. It was a difficult game trying to defend Aneesah Morrow in the paint, but two freshman in 6’6 Tilda Trygger and 6’5 Lorena Awou gained a ton of experience throughout the season.

James specifically highlighted 6’2 sophomore Maddie Cox for her big performance off the bench. Cox averaged just 0.6 points on 25% shooting and 1.5 rebounds in 7.4 minutes played throughout the season. On Friday, she played 21 minutes and scored 8 points on 3-of-4 shooting and grabbed 7 rebounds. The younger sister of former Baylor star Lauren Cox hit two massive three-pointers, one each in the third and fourth quarters after not scoring in the first half.

“Maddie Cox, she came in here and busted down two threes, she was handling the paint with Morrow, and that’s hard to do,” James said. “Ups to Maddie, she was being really strong tonight.”

Of course there is still room for improvement. Rivers pointed out that the team will definitely have to be more vocal after the senior captains depart. On the floor, Rivers said that the young guards, because they are smaller (Brooks at 5’10 and Jones 5’7), need to lock in on defense, rebounding and “keeping the margin of error slim.”

But the departing seniors do not plan to stop mentoring their younger players.

“I just hope they know they can always reach out to us at any time,” Rivers said. “Even though we’ll be going on with our lives, [I hope] they just know that we’re just a call away and really care for them.”

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