MCLAMB: NC State Has Arrived Under Wes Moore
Iowa was ruthlessly efficient. NC State could not capitalize during a second-half lull. The appearance in the Elite Eight was not meant to be.
The Hawkeyes pulled away and the Wolfpack was left to reflect on a great season while trying not to wonder what could have been.
An abundance of injuries limited Wes Moore’s team in some aspects but it brought out the best in his team in other ways. The 2018-19 campaign was indeed special. Not only was it remarkable when considering what was overcome, there is also a historical perspective. NC State had not reached the Sweet Sixteen in consecutive seasons since 1990 and 1991.
Just as it will be difficult for those involved with NC State to avoid wondering what could have been had there not been four season-ending injuries, it will also be hard to not look ahead with excitement.
The emergence of Elissa Cunane and Kai Crutchfield gives the program justifiable reasons for excitement. The incoming recruiting class is the best one the Wolfpack has since Moore’s arrival.
What gets overlooked when gazing into the future is the impact losing Kiara Leslie and DD Rogers will have. Rogers became dependable as her senior season progressed. Leslie was one of the better players in the nation. As the number of players Moore could call on dwindled, it was not always clear who the second or third option would be. The first option was always known. Leslie’s game is complete, and replacing her will not be easy.
Then there is the matter of Wes Moore. Could Tennessee offer him its head coaching position? Time will tell. What is easy to discern is that NC State has absolutely no chance of matching the Volunteers in terms of financial numbers or fan support should the offer be made.
The great irony to a potential Moore move to Tennessee could be the role Kellie Harper has in determining who gets the job offer.
NC State could have easily hired Moore in 2009 but Lee Fowler and the University elected to go with Harper instead. That move did not work out for either the Wolfpack or its coach. Both have since moved on.
The NC State program is at a great place under Moore and Harper is at a great place at Missouri State, both location and career-wise. The Lady Bears also reached the Sweet Sixteen in 2019, and the three-time national champion at Tennessee has seen her coaching career revitalized in Springfield.
With Harper’s background with the Volunteers, hiring her would certainly appease a fan base that seeks to reclaim its status as dominant and rightfully reveres Pat Summitt. It would appear that she checks all the boxes for Tennessee.
Harper, a former assistant to Moore at Chattanooga, almost certainly kept her one-time boss from getting the NC State job in 2009 and the Wolfpack struggled. With the program back to some of the greatest heights in its history, Harper may, in fact, be a mitigating factor as to why Moore stays in Raleigh.
It will be interesting to see how the Tennessee job search develops. Summit’s success looms over Tennessee but Holly Warlick (Summit’s replacement) could help mitigate the shadow over the job in the same way that Harper’s tenure did at NC State following Kay Yow. Replacing the person who replaced a legend is typically a much easier task.
As for the Wolfpack, there are questions, uncertainties, and speculation ahead. This is what happens in big-time basketball, and NC State has arrived.