NC State women’s basketball ready for an encore
Two years ago Kai Crutchfield and Kayla Jones were thrown into the fire.
As sophomores the two N.C. State women’s basketball players hoped to learn from the veterans on the team. They would play their minutes when called on, but didn’t expect an expanded role on Wes Moore’s experienced team.
But injuries ran through the 2018-19 season like something never seen before and suddenly the two sophomores were playing starters’ minutes. Crutchfield did become a starter, earning 20 starts. Jones didn’t start any, but saw her minutes increase from just 54 total as a freshman to 594 as a sophomore.
Now as two seniors on Moore’s rosters, Crutchfield, a former local standout at Millbrook High, and Jones, who played prep basketball at Riverside High School in Williamston, have been through a lot in Raleigh.
They’ve played on ranked teams, made consecutive Sweet 16 appearances and led the Wolfpack to the ACC Tournament title a year ago, the first major title for the school in either of their lifetimes. As seniors, Moore has turned the leadership keys over to them and it’s been a challenge since their junior seasons were cut short not long after leaving Greensboro a year ago.
Crutchfield and Jones have become the voices during a pandemic, social injustices and now the leaders of the Pack as they chase another ACC title. This time around N.C. State will be the hunted. Not that there’s any added pressure with that.
“I feel like there’s going to be pressure regardless,” Crutchfield said. “I feel like we’re defending us as N.C. State and then the ACC championship. Yes (the pressure) comes with it, but I’m defending the letters across my chest.”
Learning to lead
Moore didn’t have to sit down and have a meeting with Crutchfield and Jones and tell them this is now your team. Naturally, the seniors take over when it’s their time.
Last season the Wolfpack had veterans like Aislinn Konig, Kaila Ealey, Grace Hunter and Erika Cassell to lead the way. Moore only has three seniors this year, adding graduate transfer Raina Perez to the roster over the summer. Since Crutchfield and Jones have been around the longest, it’s up to them to be the voices.
They’ve shown they can get it done on the floor. Last season Jones, who started all 32 games, averaged 10.0 points per game. Crutchfield, who started 31, averaged 7.5 and was one of the top perimeter defenders. They will be called on to do plenty on the court, but there’s plenty of help returning. What the rest of the team will need from them is their expertise in other avenues. So far, they’ve embraced it and the rest have followed.
“They’ve been amazing,” junior center Elissa Cunane said. “They are such impactful leaders. It goes on the court, but off the court too. I think without the leadership that K.J. and Kai have brought we wouldn’t be where we are right now.”
The Wolfpack will more than likely start the season ranked in the top 25. They return four starters from last season’s team that went 28-4 and won the first ACC tournament title since 1991. Cunane and sophomores Jada Boyd and Jakia Brown-Turner will do a lot of the heavy lifting when it comes to scoring. When it comes to tips and pointers, some that have to do with basketball, some that won’t, that will come from the seniors.
“I think about how I was a freshman and I looked up to Chelsea Nelson and Kiara Leslie,” Jones said. “Now I’m helping the other freshmen and guiding them the way they (Nelson and Leslie) guided me. It’s just really cool. I’m just trying to embrace it and hopefully time slows down because it’s going too fast now.”
Time did slow down for Jones and company over the spring and summer. Instead of rolling into the NCAA tournament last March, N.C. State was sent home due to COVID-19. The season was canceled, but the team returned over the summer for workouts, but had to follow the school’s testing protocols. It wasn’t your typical off season for anyone and Moore leaned on his two seniors more than ever.
“It was difficult,” Jones said. “We just gathered as a team and just loved on each other, honestly. And that’s what got us through the summer, because it was tough. Mentally, I struggled. So everyone just had fun together and I think that just helped build our bond as a team, because now you can see it on the court.”
This story was originally published November 2, 2020 at 7:30 AM with the headline "NC State women’s basketball ready for an encore."
