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By many measures, NC State’s last season wasn’t a failure. The Wolfpack finished fourth in the ACC and won an NCAA Tournament game.
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Coach Wes Moore said many other programs would have been satisfied with the year his team had. But for his Wolfpack — which has reached the Final Four and won the ACC Tournament three times since 2020 — it simply wasn’t passable.
“We have raised the bar to such a level that I’m not really happy being in that neighborhood,” Moore said Wednesday. “We’d like to be better.”
A little more than 100 days away from the 2026-27 season, NC State is feeding off last year’s disappointment to transform back into hardware contenders once again.
Senior forward Khamil Pierre — a reigning first team All-ACC selection — said this Wolfpack team has been her favorite one yet, as they always arrive at the gym with high energy and a strong work ethic. She said some days they are just scheduled to run at 7 a.m. and then lift, but players will stay after the mandatory work to get in a few extra shots or practice on another part of their game.
Pierre said the way the previous season ended, a 92-63 loss to No. 2-seeded Michigan in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, has motivated returning players to work harder. Meanwhile, the transfers and freshmen have fed off that hunger to win games.
“We all get along very well,” Pierre said. “We always come in with good energy.”
Pierre said she wasn’t proud of her body of work last season, despite winning several accolades and displaying rebounding prowess, which she called her biggest strength, by averaging 11.9 per game. She said she still wants to improve her leadership, motor and defense.
Across the roster, 3-point shooting has been an emphasis for NC State, which shot a middle-of-the-pack 31.5% from long range last season. Moore said the team is planning to play faster this year without a true center on the roster following Tilda Trygger’s transfer to Washington.
Junior forward Khady Leye — a starter at Auburn last season — and Pierre have been working on their 3-point shooting, in particular, Moore said. He wants them to be a threat from beyond the arc to open opportunities for them to more dangerously use their quickness.
“We’re going to have to play different,” Moore said. “We’d love to get them to a place where they’re a threat at the 3-point line.”
In the transfer portal, competing for titles at NC State has gotten harder in the name, image and likeness era of college sports, Moore said. In compiling the roster this season, he said he discussed finances with recruits and transfers early in the process to avoid wasting time on players whose offers might turn them off.
In the past, Moore said he would still bring far-fetched prospects to campus and show them the team’s facilities and culture in an attempt to persuade them to Raleigh. But with money such an important factor in the recruiting process nowadays, he said he’s done that less to avoid wasting resources on a player that NC State might not have a high chance of recruiting.
Recently, though, Moore said NC State has benefited from its history of developing guards in persuading recruits. He said the success of Aziaha James and Saniya Rivers, who were both first-round picks in the 2025 WNBA Draft, has appealed to prospects who want to develop into professional players.
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One such talent is transfer Desiree Wooten, who was an All-Big 12 honorable mention selection last season after leading Colorado with 13.4 points per game. With one year of eligibility left, Moore said she “checked a lot of boxes.” as a combo guard.
“We really felt,” Moore said, “like we needed another guard that can score the ball (and) handle the ball.”
Moore also said senior guard Zoe Brooks — who made the first-team All-ACC last season — and Pierre could have received more money if they transferred to a different university. Still, their willingness to play at NC State with a smaller offer has allowed him to construct a competitive roster this season.
Brooks, he added, grew into a leadership role last season, which will benefit the team this year. On the court, he said she’ll need to shoot the 3-pointer at a higher clip after finishing just 23% from long range last season. But Moore said she knows from practice she is more than capable.
“Those are two All-ACC players who could demand a lot,” Moore said. “But they wanted to be here.”
Freshman Kamora Pruitt and Annsley Trivette will also try to carve out roles as newcomers, while senior guard Qadence Samuels, sophomore guard Ky’She Lunan and sophomore guard Adelaide Jernigan seek to make a greater impact.
Pruitt, a four-star recruit who went to high school in Texas, can shoot the 3-pointer well, and her 6-foot-2 size offers positional versatility. Meanwhile, Trivette, a four-star recruit from Virginia, is more likely to be an undersized post player at 6-foot-3, but her “blue collar” work ethic and physicality could provide her an edge.
Moore said both freshmen have struggled with college-level conditioning early on, but have made strides. As schools become increasingly reliant on older players and transfers, he said it’s still important to bring in younger players to provide energy and allow more experienced players to re-hear fundamental lessons.
“We had one year where we had no freshmen,” Moore said,” and it just wasn’t good … Hopefully, they’ll be a big plus for us.”
While NC State didn’t spend the offseason trying to lure players in with huge sums of money, Moore is still confident in the team’s ability to compete for the ACC title, and more.
Or else, he said, he would be working a lot on his “sucky golf game.”
“We’re not satisfied,” Moore said. “We want to continue to strive to be champions.”
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