MCLAMB: The Pack Flows With Rivers

With less than seven minutes remaining and a one-point lead in a rivalry game with much at stake, Saniya Rivers took control. 

This game was not the first rodeo for Rivers. She has guided NC State all season (when her body would allow) and as a freshman was a reserve for a national champion at South Carolina. Big games are a part of her life.

But the moment of truth against North Carolina was different. 

Rivers was vocal. Rivers was demonstrative in telling her teammates what she wanted. Rivers was a leader. 

After forcefully telling her teammates what to do -- to be fair, a requirement since Reynolds Coliseum sounded like an airplane in departure -- Rivers fed Madison Hayes at the three-point line off a curl behind a double-stack. The result was glorious for NC State. Hayes squared up and shot the ball without a hint of interference or a threat of being rushed.

Swish. 

North Carolina never got within one possession for the remainder of the game. 

She does not always play on the ball. Indeed, one benefit to the emergence of freshman Zoe Brooks is that it allows Rivers the freedom to drift to a wing position in offensive sets. 

But make no mistake, NC State is her team. Rivers is coming to grips with the responsibility. 

"I don't like yelling at people -- I am a very calm and monotone person-- but when it comes to crunch time and I have to get my teammates in order, I will do what I have got to do," Rivers said. 

Rivers is unique, and her understanding of the game is growing to reflect the skill sets that she has possessed. The level of comfort Rivers has running the show is at its apex. 

"It is very high right now," Rivers said. "A year ago, two years ago, if somebody wasn't in their spot,  I wasn't gonna make 'em do it, but now ... I'm just like, go."

The role is one that her teammates want and expect from Rivers. Her growth is celebrated. 

"I told her to do it," NC State forward Mimi Collins said. "I am like 'You have got the ball in your hands 99 percent of the time', I say you need to do it. Plus we have so much faith and trust in her. I tell her to go get the ball. She got us in order." 

Last season, after a solid start in non-conference play, NC State faltered once the calendar year flipped over to 2023. The Wolfpack was good enough to beat Iowa and Louisville on the road, but could not handle Boston College at home. Losses at Virginia and Georgia Tech were vexing. 

"A year ago, for whatever reason, we didn't play as well," Moore said. "Maybe together, you had a good core group of veterans back. Some of 'em had been on three straight ACC championship teams, and then we brought in three McDonald's All-Americans. We hadn't had many of those here straight out of high school, and we got three in one summer, so at that point, I loved the [transfer] portal, but, for whatever reason, it didn't add up."  

Among the critiques that NC State head coach Wes Moore made was a concern over leadership. Players were not maintaining the standard that led to the Wolfpack becoming a three-time ACC champion and a fixture in the national polls. Moore expects his leaders to embark on a championship lifestyle and not just punch a clock. To be elite requires work and sacrifice, along with the abilities one is blessed to have.

Rivers has done the off-the-court bit throughout 2023-24, and that has led NC State to defy preseason expectations so far. The extension to leading on the court was a natural step.

"She's been a leader for us all year and she's worked hard in the summer and in the off-season, still coming in extra," Moore said. "You need your best players to be your leaders. You can talk all you want about this or that, but you need your best players to set a great example, get there early, put in the extra shots, put in the extra time, and then do the little things out there on the court so that you can then hold other people accountable.

"Saniya is a special talent. She can go get rebounds. She can make plays on defense, and get steals.”