NC State was able to host one of the elite guards in the class of 2025 this past weekend.
Senior guard Destiny “Ky’She” Lunan officially visited the Wolfpack, which in turn gave her time to spend with her grandparents, who live in Charlotte, N.C.
The 5-foot-9 lefty Lunan was joined on the trip by her parents and grandparents, and it was the first time seeing coach Wes Moore’s program.
“I liked it a lot actually,” said Lunan, 17. “I loved their campus. Their campus was beautiful with all the scenery, and it was really diverse. I got to go around and see the academic buildings and the statues that they have. The history and background of the school is cool.”
NC State doesn’t normally recruit too many players from the West Coast, but Lunan has a unique tie-in for colleges on the East Coast.
Lunan was born in Minneapolis where her parents met, but moved to Arizona when she was 2 years old. The Goodyear (Ariz.) Millennium standout has never seen snow since moving from Minneapolis, adding another layer of intrigue with some of her college coaches.
“I have family all over, and family actually in Charlotte,” Lunan said. “I have family in New York and family in Virginia, literally all over the East Coast. I wouldn’t mind going away from home [for college]. I’d still have a support system there.
“My grandparents moved there two years ago. They were living here with us [in Arizona]. Their whole family tree on my mother’s side is from North Carolina.”
Lunan, who is getting getting recruited by Moore and assistant coach Ashley Williams, is ranked No. 57 nationally by ESPN’s HoopGurlz. She is interested in NC State’s entrepreneurship program, or majoring in sports psychology.
“I’ve been talking to Coach Ash since last year,” Lunan said. “Our relationship is pretty tight. On the official visit, I got to know the other assistant coaches. Coach Moore had come here [to Goodyear] for a home visit. He watched practice and all that good stuff.
"Coach Moore would say the whole visit, 'Join the Pack, baby.' Then he'd howl [like a wolf]."
Lunan was selected to the Under Armour-sponsored Elite 24 in New York City this past August. She’s traveled the U.S. for various basketball events and camps, and has gotten to know NCSU freshman point guard Zamareya Jones and sophomore point guard Zoe Brooks at various stops.
Lunan keenly watched NC State’s NCAA Tournament run to the Final Four, with wins over Tennessee-Chattanooga, Tennessee, Stanford and Texas, before falling 78-59 to South Carolina in the semifinals.
The Wolfpack finished the year 31-7 overall and 13-5 in the ACC.
“That [Final Four run] is a big thing for me,” said Lunan, who is a big fan of point guard Kyrie Irving of the Dallas Mavericks. “My family and I love watching basketball. We were on them heavy in the NCAA Tournament. My first time watching them, play, I was like, ‘Oh yeah.’”
Moore told Lunan she could fill the role of senior guard Aziaha James, who averaged 16.8 pints and 2.9 assists per game last year.
“The team plays around their guards and that stood out to me,” Lunan said. “Their intensity, I like that.
“The way she [James] plays, they literally see me. When she goes out as a senior, I’d go in. We play similarly.”
Lunan enjoyed the Louisiana Tech at NC State football game Saturday. She hopes to bring a versatile approach to the college level and has WNBA aspirations.
"I can get flashy at times," Lunan said. "I love to entertain the fans. I love playing defense, and I'm a dog on defense. I take pride in that. I'm a distributor and get my teammates involved.
"I'm the battery of the team, the energy."
Lunan previously officially visited Colorado, and has a back-to-back trip coming up with Virginia Tech and West Virginia this upcoming weekend. She plans to officially visit Tennessee in October. She hasn’t scheduled an official visit yet to Syracuse or Texas Tech.
NC State, Arizona, Colorado, Syracuse, Tennessee, Texas Tech, Virginia Tech and West Virginia, make up her current top eight. Lunan is weighing her options vs. signing in the fall or the spring. Other than Arizona, she didn’t see the various schools unofficially, so the official visit are everything.
“I want to try and see almost all the schools that made the top eight,” Lunan said. “I want to do a top four in November. I want to do a late signee — maybe.”
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