NC State women's basketball coach Wes Moore met with the media today and he discussed several topics with the Wolfpack opening the season next week.
NOTE: Click the video above to watch the press conference.
Just give us an overall assessment of what you saw in the preseason. Do you like the foundation that you've built so far with the regular season passing coaching here?
I'd say we've still got a long ways to go. We lost three seniors, obviously, all of them playing professionally. We have no seniors on this team, so I'm wondering who made the schedule to jump into the fire like we are. Again, we're making strides, but we've got to continue to get better and hopefully grow up in a hurry.
I've got two questions. One, why aren't you wearing socks?
They call these things like footies.
Okay, it's cold outside, man.
It's a new thing. But yeah, I've got those on.
You're playing really good teams early on. You just kind of mentioned that. How beneficial did you find it last season? You had the 4-3, but then you went on the run. Did you find that to be really beneficial and help your team develop?
Yeah, I think there are a lot of reasons for doing it. Let's go ahead and find out where our blemishes are and what we need to clean up and improve on. Also, you're going to be playing that caliber of opponent in the ACC, obviously, and then once you get into the postseason. I think you have to play some high-level teams to prepare you for that.
And then, quite honestly, opportunities for exposure for your program. Anytime you can be on the ESPN networks, I think it's beneficial. And like I said, put your players on that stage and hopefully they learn not to be faced by it. So I see a lot of positives. The negative is you can't get a haymaker to the jaw. But again, it'll hopefully make us better.
Now looking at the Maryland game, Tilda looks a little bit meaner. What did you do to get her a little more physical?
Who looked meaner?
Tilda.
Yeah, I think Tilda has gotten a little stronger inside. And this summer she had an opportunity to play for the Swedish national team. She had always played for like the under-20, whatever. But this summer, she made the national team.
And I think just practicing every day, playing competition at that level. I mean, those are the teams that qualify for the Olympics and things like that. So she faced good competition all summer. And obviously, that was a point of emphasis.
We felt like she needed to get stronger, maybe get a little meaner. And so hopefully it's still Tilda. She's still Swedish. But she needs to hopefully continue to get a little tougher.
I know you talked about not having seniors, but you definitely have Zoe. We're in junior season, Qadence and Khamil. Especially Qadence and Khamil with their second year, or sorry, their first year here after transferring here. What do they add that you guys didn't necessarily have last year that you've noticed after the exhibition?
Yeah, I mean, I think one thing we felt like, she gives us more of an inside presence at the forward position. We had trouble in the NCAA tournament when we lost to LSU. Just didn't feel like we matched up real well at the forward spots, physically on the boards, things like that. So I think Khamil brings some of that, definitely.
And, again, you're right. Zoe has been here for, this is her third year now, so she is a veteran, and we're looking to her for a lot of leadership as well. So, again, Zoe's more, a lot of times, not as vocal, things like that. So she's having to learn to step up and be a little more of a vocal leader as well. But, yeah, we're obviously relying on her and Khamil and some of the others to give us some veteran presence.
When you look at Qadence, she rebounded the ball really well against Maryland. Do you see, kind of in the way she plays and affects the game, a similarity to what Madison Hayes was able to do?
Yeah, similar, similar top spot. Of course, the difference is Madison Hayes was here with us for four years, and so obviously she had that advantage of being in our program, knowing the system, the culture, all of that.
Yeah, I think Q had a real, Qadence had a really good game at Maryland, and she does, she's able to get to the boards from a guard position, shoots the three really well, can be explosive to the rim. So definitely, we're excited about what she brought in the Maryland game as well.
Okay, you talked about scheduling tough opponents and just the exposure that it brings, but when you're kind of considering those things, how much of it goes into that sort of viewership thing, considering that the ACC has implemented some of those incentives? Like, is it more, do you say, well, we want to play them regardless? Or is that, okay, well, that is in the back of my mind, that we can have a lot of eyes?
Yeah, I think it's definitely, from a recruiting standpoint, putting our program on that stage consistently, I think it does give us a little more exposure in the recruiting standpoint. And like I said, I think the players would rather play those types of games, let's face it.
For a coach, it sounds like a great idea, the year before, when you're doing the schedule, oh yeah, let's play them, let's play them. And now, when it's right in front of you, you're thinking, man, what was I thinking back then?
But I just think our program's at a point where, regardless of how many seniors we have, who's returning, who's not returning, we're going to put ourselves in that position, and for better or for worse. And hopefully, like I said, it will pay off down the road.
Hey, Coach, I was wondering what you thought.
And who are you again?
Ernie Myers, we're playing for Sports Radio. Sports Radio. Your point guard position, Zam and Kye’she, how do you think her play is in the first two games? I've been impressed with the way she's kind of handled herself in the first two games. She seemed like a score-first point guard, but she's been really kind of dishing the ball out and running the team.
Yeah, I think her and Zoe are both unselfish and will share the ball. Yeah, I think Kye’she is going to help us as well. I think all three of those are good point guard options. The concerning part coming up, the Tennessee game, is that they're going to press you from the time you step off the bus until the horn goes off.
And full court, they're flying around, they're long, they're athletic. So it's going to be a real test. You may have seen they won their exhibition game by hundreds. So it's scary. I mean, we're going to have to – we're going to be tested. Those guards are going to be tested and really have to step up, be strong physically, mentally.
The whole team is because they come at you in waves. Obviously, they're subbing every two minutes. That's going to be unique as well. So, yeah, it's – but I do – I like the idea of going to battle with Zoe and Z better than not going to battle with Zoe and Z. So, hopefully, we can handle it.
You talk extensively about defense. Last year, middle of the year, I can remember you talking about getting the team to buy in. How important is it that this team buys into defense, and how important is it to you guys and your identity? And how – what is the challenge of getting that to happen quickly as opposed to waiting until kind of the middle of the season for them to identify that?
Yeah, let's face it. The outside noise is all about offense. How many points did you score? And how many threes did you hit and all that? And offense is great. Obviously, when you have nights where you're feeling it, it's going in, that's great. But you're going to have nights where it's not going in.
Last year we were fortunate enough to win a regular season championship, go 16-2 in the ACC. You don't do that unless you'll defend and rebound every night. And still feel like we have a long ways to grow there.
I still feel like we're not totally committed sometimes and buying into it. I think we have to play with more urgency, more energy, play together as a team more defensively, helping each other.
Our first exhibition game was horrible. And really, to be honest, Maryland exposed to some there as well. I mean, they were able to come down in transition and really attack gaps. So we've, we've got to get better.
And then, again, this Tennessee team, not only is athletic and explosive, but they're also long on the boards too. So it's going to be – we're going to play great team defense and we're going to have to finish it with box outs and going and getting the ball. You saw what happened again. They put up 148 points in their exhibition game. We can't win doing that. I think we gave up 29 points in the second quarter to Maryland. You can't win that way either. So you've got to buy into not in, not out, getting that done.
What have you been able to learn about your two freshmen who have preceded you so far?
They're up and down. That's the way freshmen are. And some days they come in and they look pretty good. I mean, I'm excited about them, definitely. But some days, you're a little concerned.
Again, we're going to see the press on Tuesday, and it's going to be very aggressive, full court. So then you have days where you look at them and say, “Oh, wow, they've got a ways to go if they're going to get on the court against a team like that.”
But both of them, I'm excited about both of them. They both can knock down threes. Adelaide really stretches the D with her range because she's explosive to the rim but can also knock down a three. And she can also get after somebody and harass them and guard the ball. Adelaide's got some length to her.
I thought she didn't play as much as I would have liked against Maryland. But the minute she played, she played really well. So I think both of them shone flashes. They're going to be really good here. It's just a matter of how quickly.
Sir, could you speak to the responsibilities that Ashley Williams has with your staff? And could you also mention or speak to the growth that she's had since she was here in 2013, when she first arrived at campus?
Yeah. Obviously, I coached Ashley for four years when she was an undergrad. And I thought she was a really smart, intelligent kid. She had a 3.9 in engineering. And then she came in after her career and said, I think I want to get into coaching. So then she blew it. I thought she was really smart until that moment.
But, no, Ashley's going to be a really good head coach someday, very organized, really thinks the game. I'm blessed, just my whole staff. Nikki West has been with me 20 years now, does a great job in all areas. I mean, I've really entrusted her to a lot of different things and so lean on her heavily. Simon Harris, played here, good to have him back.
Obviously brings a lot of experience. Kevin Leatherwood, who's been with us now a couple of years. And then Houston Fancher, head men's coach at App State for nine years. So a lot of experience in that spot, too. And then now we added Kayla Jones back, too, who played here. And now she's in a full-time position.
So I love my staff. I think they do a great job. I probably don't say it enough, but I think they're a big part of the success we've had. But, like I said, Ashley, someone that, again, loves the game, really intelligent, works at it, puts the time in. And so she loves NC State for sure.
I've got one more. Yeah. What do you want to see at Tennessee when you put on film? When you're looking at the film after that game, what are some of the things you really want to see the most?
Toughness. Being able to, I mean, again, they're long, they're athletic, they're physical. We're going to have to be really tough defensively on the boards.
And then we're going to have to be mentally tough offensively because they're going to really extend their D. They're going to be in the passing lanes. They're going to be trapping, doubling, rotating up. So hopefully we can, a lot of it's toughness, physical toughness, mental toughness, and just competing against a really good team.
We haven't talked a lot about Devyn, but how have you seen her improve from last year to this point so far?
Yeah. Again, I think Devyn's going to be really influential on our team as well. Her ability to really shoot the ball, first of all. She, again, she's another one that can stretch the D. She's got the size to take you off the bounce and score in the paint some off the dribble, score over people, draw contact, help us on the board some.
Again, still a work in progress, as about our whole team is defensively, needs to get a little bit better at keeping people in front of her, not losing her man when the ball's away from her, things like that. But Devyn's another one that's been in the program for a year, and we're expecting her to take a big leap.
Coach, playing in Greensboro, do you think that's going to have a huge impact? Wolfpack fans came out for the exhibition game there. It was a nice crowd for both the men's and women's events. Played the ACC tournament there, expecting a lot of Wolfpack fans traveling.
Yeah, I hope so. I think, obviously, Tennessee's got fans that follow as well, so I hope we have a great crowd. Obviously, I hope to see more red than orange. But, again, I think it'll be a great atmosphere to have a game like that.
Unfortunately, because of TV, it's moved to 4 o'clock, which may hurt it some. But hopefully, people come out, and we have enjoyed success over there. And, I think it was good being able to play the other day against Maryland in the same building. But, at the end of the day, it is a neutral site, not quite the same as being in Reynolds, that's for sure. And so, it'll be a great experience for our players.
Coach, can you just speak on the connection that you've seen between the men's and women's programs that we've seen? Like, I know that the entire men's team came out for the first exhibition, and being able to see you and Coach Wade at the booster event last week, just being able to see how y'all connect with each other. Can you just comment on just how that morale has been so far this season?
Yeah. I think it's pretty neat that our programs, our players, and coaches support each other. They've been great. There have been occasions when we've needed to come over here to practice and whatever. And they've gone out of their way to make it work, even if maybe it meant tweaking their schedule a little bit, which is rare at a lot of schools.
So, Will's been great to work with. The players, I really like his players. They've got good personalities, and they're just really good kids, good people. And pretty neat to see our players, their players. And, I'm proud of our players as well, the way they carry themselves off the court and all that. And I think the men are the same way. And so it makes it a lot more fun, and obviously, we're pulling for each other.
And, again, I think that starts maybe at the top. Like I said, Coach Wade's been great. And then the players and assistants and everybody else have bent over backwards to be good. So it's been a good relationship, definitely.
