Saniya Rivers: Finalizing a Wolfpack Legacy
Saniya Rivers surveys the scene as it is developing. Four teammates on the court cluttered with five defenders.
Each member of her squad has a task, including herself. Rivers probes the defense from the wing. Leery of the outside shooting abilities and potential of dribble drives to the basket, the defense chooses to cling tight to her teammates and does not collapse inside.
The defense is now telling her how they are to be defeated. Sun Tzu would be proud. In an attack that resembles something derived straight from “The Art of War,” Rivers slashes, goes directly to the rim and finishes the basket as she draws contact.
Natural Instincts
“[Basketball] is natural,” Rivers said “It was always natural. At first, I was just playing because my parents played and it was just fun, but it started getting a little more serious as I got older.
“I have always played up my whole life. I think when I was in middle school, I was one of the only middle schoolers on the high school team, so I was comfortable with playing up. I played with boys growing up. I was used to being looked at like, ‘You're a girl or you're younger,’ so it's never really phased me too much.
Game for a Challenge
Confident that she could play at the next level, when it came time to pick a college the young lady that seemed destined to join the Wolfpack took off in a different direction.
“Who wouldn't want to play for Dawn Staley?” Rivers said. “She is an amazing person on and off the court. She was definitely the reason I went there. Obviously, I wanted to play for a winning program, a winning coach, and the culture there was just amazing. I remember my first game there, 10,000 fans as a freshman. It was nervous, but it was fun.”
South Carolina claimed the national title and Rivers was playing for a head coach that she held in high regard. Yet, something was missing.
The trips from Wilmington, North Carolina to Columbia, South Carolina were not impossible, but they were more arduous than a simple jaunt from the beach to the capital.
Enter NC State.
“My sister played at NC State back in like 2003, graduated in 2004 or something like that, so, I would say she is a big role model in my life, along with my mom,’ Rivers said. “I am a momma's girl. I am just a big family person. They have supported me throughout my whole career, my whole life, so I just want to be able to give back to them one day for all their sacrifices and all they have done for me.
“That is why I wanted to come back home so badly. They are two hours away from me, so they get to be at every game. It feels amazing being able to see them there, just seeing all my hard work, for them to sit courtside right behind the bench. It is just an amazing feeling.”
A Legacy to Leave for Others
Coming off three straight ACC Tournament titles and the school’s first Elite Eight appearance under Wes Moore (and second Elite Eight in program history), the 2022-23 version of NC State seemed loaded.
While it certainly was loaded with talent, the bigger abundance came in selfishness. The Wolfpack slipped to 9-9 in league play and bowed out of the NCAA Tournament with an inexplicable first-round loss to Princeton.
The reserves and role players from that squad, including Rivers, Aziaha James, and Madison Hayes, were then asked to become the leaders in the program beginning the following season.
For Rivers, her ability to play anywhere on the court and use the skills that allow her to see plays develop had to be properly utilized. Instead of NC State searching for where to peg her in the lineup, the wing player suddenly became someone who opponents had to figure out.
Rivers played the point, yet she jumped center at the beginning of the game. Rivers held the ball in her hands, but it sometimes found its way to her via Zoe Brooks instead of her handling all playmaking responsibilities. The burden of figuring out how Rivers would execute shifted to the opposition.
“I take pride in my versatility,” Rivers said. “I feel like I'm a very versatile player, very unselfish, so that helps a lot. I can run the point, but I can also go to the four. I want to fill up a stat sheet. I gotta play on both sides of the ball.
“Obviously, I'm long. Teams should be afraid when I have to guard them, but I have to make them feel my pressure, so I'm playing on both sides of the ball this year, making it a focus point. I have goals to go into the next level, next season, so I have to make strides.
It was important to reach the Final Four last season for NC State.
“I still can't put it into words,” Rivers said, “I've been asked the question since the day we made it to the Final Four, and I just can't put it into words. It was a very special season. We were happy, we were having fun, and we didn't want it to end.
“When we went back home and the fans were there at three, four o'clock in the morning for us, it just showed that we did our thing last season. It was fun. We supported each other on and off the court and it just makes us want to do it again.”
What exactly are the defining characteristics of NC State women’s basketball? Where can the legacy go in March and April? Can the achievements of the past two seasons endure?
Those are critical questions. Rivers has an answer for each.
“NC State to me is culture. I feel like we helped build on the culture here. NC State to me is very familylike. The culture here is so big. We want to do a great job of having an impact on the culture. Kay Yow, obviously she started early and paved the way for us, so I say that the fans here are more like family, you know, we don't treat 'em like fans. We hug them, they love up on us after the game, get autographs and we have a good time.
“If I happen to have kids one day, I want them to be able to come back here and just see my name up there or just see hopefully a championship team in the rafter. That would be amazing.”