After winning the 2020 ACC Tournament, the NC State women's basketball team solidified itself as a top-tier program in one of the most competitive leagues in the nation.
This offseason, the Wolfpack program has secured three five-star commitments for the 2021 class including center Sophie Hart, guard Aziaha James and guard Jessica Timmons. It's a good sign that the recent success is likely to continue for the foreseeable future.
NC State is already considered a perennial preseason Top-10 team entering the 2020-21 season with the return of first-team All-ACC junior center Elissa Cunane, senior forward Kayla Jones and All-ACC freshman forwards Jakia Brown-Turner and Jada Boyd.
An automatic qualifier to the 2020 NCAA Tournament before it was canceled within a week of winning the league title, the Wolfpack appeared destined for a No. 2 seed in this year's would-have-been Big Dance. The team will likely face similar expectations once they take the court for the 2020-21 season.
But with the recent additions of three national Top 50 recruits in the 2021 class according to ESPN, the roster looks destined for a potentially special season in 2021-22. Here is a look ahead at what the roster could look like:
The Wolfpack will have one of the nation's top frontcourts in 2021-22 led by senior Elissa Cunane, who has already achieved All-American status as an underclassman and was in the thick of last season's ACC Player of the Year conversation until late February.
NC State's starting frontcourt will be rounded out by returning ACC All-Freshman team selections Jada Boyd at power forward and Jakia Brown-Turner on the wing. By then, they will be considered upperclassmen leaders on the team and could easily return as All-ACC selections in the upcoming campaign.
The biggest variable will be the talented, but young pair of starting guards in point guard Genesis Bryant, an incoming four-star that will be a sophomore in 2021-22, and combo guard Aziaha James, the nationally highest-ranked of the three five-stars arriving in 2021. James is considered the No. 21 overall prospect and the No. 8 guard nationally in the 2021 class according to ESPN.
Kendal Moore will be the lone upperclassman in the backcourt in 2021-22 and could compete for the starting gig at point guard. She averaged nearly seven minutes per game in 2019-20 and should expect to see an uptick in minutes this coming season.
Dontavia Waggoner is an incoming four-star in this year's freshman class that should expect to play a role off the bench in her first season in Raleigh. Jessica Timmons is one of the five-stars arriving in 2021 that will arrive as a more-than-capable scoring combo guard and should immediately find a role in the rotation.
Not only will the Wolfpack have a talented starting frontcourt in 2021-22, it will have plenty of depth as well. There shouldn't be any issues at the center position behind Cunane with upperclassmen Camille Hobby and Jada Rice along with the addition of the most recent five-star pickup, 6-5 center Sophie Hart.
Among the reserves listed, Elle Sutphin will likely find the most playing time as a contender to crack the starting five at times. Sutphin will receive her first minutes on the floor in 2020-21 after redshirting last season. She was part of the loaded Top-10 overall 2019 Wolfpack class along with Brown-Turner, Boyd and Moore.
——
• Talk about it inside The Wolves' Den
• Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes
• Learn more about our print and digital publication, The Wolfpacker
• Follow us on Twitter: @TheWolfpacker
• Like us on Facebook
