Wes Moore: "We Still Have A Long Way To Go"

NC State head coach Wes Moore met with the media to discuss the start of the season, his team's goals, the new players, and much more.

NOTE: Click the video above to watch the interview.

Hey, Coach. I was just wondering what your thoughts were on the progression of the post players over the course of practice. 
Yeah, we still have a long way to go. You know, we've got a couple of returners and Lizzy Williamson and Mallory, both of them, you know, trying to maybe step up to another level. Mallory Collier. So, you know, hoping they can, again, take on a bigger role. Then Lorena and Tilda are options as well as freshmen, excited about what they bring. But again, they're freshmen, so they're going to have some growing pain. So a long way to go there. I mean, again, River Baldwin and Mimi Collins are both playing professionally in Europe. They both had unbelievable years a year ago. And so it makes a big difference. We definitely miss them right now. 

Madison expanded her game last season. She rim-runs. She did things the team needed aside from sort of standing out in the corner, which is what she had done in the previous years. How can she continue to expand her game? And what areas does she have the talent to help you? 
Yeah, I think it starts with rebounding. Because, again, if we play four guards, I think River and Mimi average about 13 rebounds a game. That's a big hit. So I think, you know, it's going to take the whole team to make up the difference there and what we lost. But I think Madison at the four, if she's in there as a fourth guard, I think she's going to have to step up and continue to rebound and maybe get a few extra. And, you know, defensively, again, if she's matched up with someone a little bit longer or stronger, she's going to have to be, you know, physical and compete in that area too. But I think it starts with rebounding. 

You talked about playing guards. Eventually that means when you do get the rebound, you have a lot of players you can kick it out to initiate the fast break. And you said you probably would have to play fast if you played smaller. Do you have the wherewithal to do that? And how would that affect you guys defensively? 
Well, I think it starts with the defensive end. You know, I think we've got to do a better job guarding the ball. You know, we got to do a better job just getting down in a stance and keeping our player in front of us. I don't think we're doing a very good job of that right now. So it'll start with that. And then before you can run, you also have to get a rebound. So you can run a lot better when you're not having to take it out of the net and take it out of bounds. But you can also – you won't run at all if you don't get a rebound. So I think those things are critical. And then just from a speed standpoint, you know, we're trying to have Zoe and Zamareya, you know, run the point and try to push tempo. And we'd like to get Saniya and Aziaha down the floor and get them – hopefully get the ball up to them ahead before the deacon gets set and give them opportunities to score early in the offense. 

You have a couple of talented freshman guards coming in, and Devyn and Zamareya. When you have a player like Zoe Brooks, who last year got thrown into the fire as a freshman guard and played really well. How viable is her kind of perspective to be able to pass that on to the freshman this year, what that experience is like, and be able to help them along with that transition? 
Yeah, I think some. But I think you also got Saniya and Aziaha who have – and even Madison, even though she's not really a point guard or anything like that. But you've got those veterans that have been around. And Zoe does a good job of trying to help people. But she – you know, she's a sophomore. So you probably lean more on those three that have had four or even five years of college experience. 

I noticed when you were talking about the post players, you didn't mention Caitlin. I know she's dealing with a hip. Any update on that? 
Yeah, I mean, she, you know, has an issue there, a couple of things going on. So she is scheduled to have surgery next week. And I guess I'm okay saying that much anyway. And we'll see how that recovery goes. But, you know, we're going to have to make plans to do it without her for the time being, for sure.  It's disappointing because, you know, she was the veteran grad student that we had hoped could come in and take on a major role with the loss of River and Mimi. So, yeah, it's definitely a setback for us. 

Wanted to ask you about the challenge of the ACC in the preseason poll. There are six teams from the ACC there, three in the triangle alone, and then plus the addition of the three new teams. What does the challenge of the conference look like just with all of that and then also with the addition of those new teams? 
Yeah. You know, obviously it's been very strong. I think last year... I guess we had eight or nine that made it in the tournament. So, you know, over half the conference made the NCAA tournament a year ago and obviously our quality teams, unbelievable players, great coaches, and then you throw three new ones in there. So now you have 18 teams competing for one crown. So, yeah, it's a challenge. Obviously, Stanford's had a storied history, and that's who we played in the Elite Eight or to get to the Elite Eight. So they come in with a lot of success in women's basketball, but Cal and SMU also add to it. So it's unbelievable. You know, when I look at the players that are returning, a lot of really, really good guards, for instance, throughout the league. It's a challenge. I mean, every night, every game, you have to be ready to play and you have to play well or you're going to take a hit. 

Coach, in addition to losing River and Mimi's great play on the court, that also leaves a leadership void often on the court as well. Who have you seen kind of step up during practice and take on that role? 
Well, I think Saniya and Aziaha, you know, really have tried to be probably more vocal. I kind of agree. Madison's more of a lead by example. I think  Saniya and Aziaha have tried to talk to the young players and pull them along a little bit. Definitely good having veterans like that on the court, almost like having an extra set of assistant coaches that can help with drills and different philosophy things that you want to get done. So definitely great. And then I agree too with Madison. I think our freshmen have picked stuff up unbelievably well because, you know, you throw a lot at them, try to get everything in before your first game so you're somewhat prepared for any situation. And so at times it's like taking a sip of water out of a fire hose, but I think they've handled it really well. All right. Go ahead.

Wes, when you talk about the great programs in college basketball, women's college basketball, State's now in that conversation. How cool is that? How hard was it getting to this point? And what will it take to stay in that conversation? 
Yeah, great point. You know, we had that group that won three straight ACC championships and made it to the Elite Eight before losing in double overtime to go to the Final Four. And then now you kind of got a new group that obviously took this program to the Final Four. But every year is a new year. You know, last year when you take into consideration who all we had in that starting lineup, we were, you know, picked a little bit lower than we should have been, obviously. I think this year, and it's always based on the year before, let's face it.

So now this group is probably picked too high because I think people are undervaluing what River Baldwin, Mimi Collins did for us in every aspect. Scoring, like you said, leadership, toughness, rebounding. You know, again, experience-wise, they both had five years of Power Five experience playing at a high level. And now we're going to ask players that either have been, you know, role players or players that are freshmen, new players. So, it's a big ask of them to try to step in and fill those roles. But to maintain that, you have to keep winning. You know, you've created a monster, and now you've got to feed it. And that's the tough part. So, again, we've got a lot of question marks, a lot of things to address and to fix. So, you know, I know it could be coming out of the gate. We're going to have our challenges.

You mentioned going to be without Caitlin on the court for the time being. But if she can be able to help, possibly take on kind of a coaching role as she is a veteran player, once she can still be around the team and kind of pass on a lot of knowledge she has. She's played a lot of college basketball as well. 
Yeah, I mean, again, Caitlin can be at times kind of quiet. And obviously, she's going through. I know this is disappointing for her as well. It's disappointing for us to be without her. I know it's disappointing for her to come in here excited about playing at this level and on a big stage and now to have that taken away. So, she's looking at a pretty long road of recovery and rehab and all those things. But it's always great to have a fifth-year player around that can maybe help the younger players with some advice or maybe they see something that they can pass on for sure. But I'd much rather have her on the court playing.

I think this question kind of piggybacks off Gibby's question a couple questions ago. Ten years ago, you were preparing off of WNIT to go play games in Broughton High School. And now you're here. And the other day, two people – I guess two tickets were sold, $5,000 at NIL to go see you play your first ACC game. I know it's hard to be sentimental when you're immersed in what you're doing. But the growth of ten years, how proud are you of that? And, I mean, I guess does that motivate you at times? You know, obviously, you may get tired and you're worn out or whatever. But you think of the enthusiasm the program has generated, does that kind of motivate you in the hard times to keep grinding and chasing the goals? 
Well, I mean, I think, first of all, you got to, you know, salute our players, our student-athletes that have helped us get this far, you know, from the first ones that were kind of laying the foundation and then the next group or two that have carried the torch on. So you look at them. And also our fans, you know, we're selling out about every game. And I made the joke when I first got here, I'm looking forward to the day that we have scalpers. And now when you go on SeatGeek or StubHub or whatever, it's pretty neat to see, you know, see how popular those tickets are or how much in demand they are, I guess. So it is cool, but I agree with you also. You don't really have a lot of time to sit back and, you know, think about it, reflect too much because you have to move on, move on to the next step. And there's always something going on, whether it's, you know, preparing for the season or, you know, high school recruiting. And then when the season's over, portal recruiting. And it's just constant. So don't really have a time, really a lot of time to sit back and reflect. But again, I'm more thankful than anything that our fans and the community is supporting us the way they do. And I know it's great for our players also, even when you come back, like we said, come back from Portland at 3.30 in the morning and there's thousands of people there to welcome you back. It's pretty humbling and pretty cool. Like I said, it's kind of fun being a rock star in Raleighwood, right? Yeah.

Quick follow-up, sir. When you're at these AAU events, I know they have the events in Chicago and stuff, you got NC State across your chest. What's the difference between people recognizing that now as opposed to maybe ten years ago? 
Yeah, it's definitely better. You know, I think when I first got here, the Wolfpack Club had Linda and I host a trip to the Kentucky Derby and I think one couple signed up. So we didn't exactly have a whole lot of popularity going at that point. And then just when you go to a football game or you're out around town, it's pretty neat for people to come up and, you know, compliment on what the team's doing and things like that. And then, of course, there's the other side. You lose a game or two and people are wanting to know if you're going to be able to fix this mess or whatever. So it works both ways. But definitely it's a lot of fun. And like I said, we owe a lot of it to the community and our players too. I mean, I think part of it is we're winning, but part of it is I think our players are such good ambassadors that fans are, you know, excited about pulling for them and getting to know them a little bit. Trayvon. 

I think you're coming up on about 40 years of coaching. 
Not quite. Come on, not quite.

You've been at it for a while, Coach. I'm just curious, with the landscape that's changing so much, and what seems like every few months or every few weeks in college sports is, what is it that keeps you motivated? What is it that keeps you wanting to come back for more and do this thing over and over? You know, it's changing in the form of you've got to go recruit the portal now. Some coaches say you've got to recruit your own players to keep them. Like what is it about you, and you know how the landscape is, and we see different coaches, you know, getting out of this. What is it that kind of keeps you here?
Yeah, it is a challenge, no doubt. You know, again, I think the NIL idea was great. I mean, I love the concept that was originally designed for, and that's if you come in freshman year or maybe two years and you play well, a local car dealership would like to take advantage of your name, image, and likeness or whatever and let you use a car or a company wants to, you know, give you a little bit of money each month. I think that's great.

But for it to be the way it is right now, the collectives and using it in recruiting, it's tough. There's no doubt. And so just trying to navigate all that. I could definitely relate to Tony Bennett the other day and how it's just, you know, it is tougher. It's different. You're just, you know, not used to having to be a general manager also. So it is different.

But I still love the game. I still love being around the young ladies in our program and their personalities.  I've always said we try to recruit good people and hire good people and make the journey fun. And so I'm selfish. I want the journey to still be fun. And then I want our players to also feel like, hey, that was four of the best years of my life. So, you know, I don't know. I guess that's the biggest thing. And like I said, it's also great to be at a university that supports you and, you know, an AD in Boo Corrigan and all the support staff and administration that, you know, are behind you and give you an opportunity to compete at a high level. And winning helps too, for sure. 

You could say the landscape of Reynolds Coliseum is changing too with a banner going up this coming season. Just how much are you – what are you envisioning that moment will be like? And just what's it going to be like having fans back in front of you in Reynolds Coliseum for a new season? 
Give them something more to cheer about. Yeah, you know, pretty awesome. You know, again, we've got a lot of banners hanging in there. And I was an assistant coach when we recruited the kids that were seniors when they went to the Final Four. And so I felt a little bit of connection with those players and the success and obviously Kay Yow. But for this group to do it, I wish we could have done it two years ago when we got beat in the Elite Eight with that group because most of them had been here four or five years. But it was awesome. It was an unbelievable experience. And I've got to say NCAA, both, you know, Portland and Cleveland, host cities, everything was so unbelievable. You know, again, and Adidas, their campus is in Portland. So going there was cool. And then going to the Final Four. And it's just special. I mean, I joke, you know, it only took me 35 years to get there. And this summer my buddies were calling me finally four more. But it was pretty special. And I think part of it too, like I mentioned earlier, we were just enjoying the journey so much. We were having so much fun. We didn't want it to end. And, you know, when it does end, you're not going to have exactly the same team ever again. So but to go through the people we went through, Tennessee, Stanford, Texas, I mean, that's a pretty juggernaut list of strong women's programs. So that made it kind of cool too.