Jones and fellow sophomore guard Zoe Brooks<\/a> are expected to anchor the backcourt. <\/p>\n \u201cLast year, we were teammates, we talked,\u201d Jones said. \u201cBut this year, we have a closer bond. I have to step up as a leader, and she\u2019s looking for me to step up right behind her. We\u2019re just ready to step on the court and be the best duo.\u201d<\/p>\n Moore said building around his returning players \u2014 especially Jones and Brooks \u2014 was the program\u2019s focus this summer. \u201cMy priority, though, I can tell you from day one, was to keep our players,\u201d Moore said. \u201cThat\u2019s what we tried to get done first.\u201d<\/p>\n Part of that core is sophomore forward Tilda Trygger<\/a> who made the Swedish national team and is playing for her country\u2019s U20 team this summer. \u201cThat\u2019s the first time she\u2019s done that,\u201d Moore said. \u201cThat\u2019s the team, if they qualified, that would go to the Olympics, so that\u2019s impressive to make at her age.\u201d<\/p>\n That\u2019s not to say the Wolfpack stood still. Moore added Vanderbilt transfer Khamil Pierre<\/a>, Connecticut transfer Qadence Samuels<\/a>, and brought in a promising freshman group, including guards Adelaide Jernigan<\/a> and Destiny \u201cKy\u2019She\u201d Lunan<\/a>.<\/p>\n Jones says she\u2019s already formed connections with the newcomers. \u201c[Khamil Pierre] is an amazing person. I have FaceTimed her multiple times,\u201d she said. \u201cWe have a great bond already. We\u2019re just ready for her to get here and work together.\u201d Jones adds the transition with Jernigan, Lunan, and Samuels has been easy. \u201cI feel like all three of them adjusted pretty well. I love them and I\u2019m ready to play with them this year.\u201d Jones mentioned Lunan has a great mid-range game and Jernigan\u2019s shot is \u201cout of this world.\u201d<\/p>\n Jones knows how tough acclimating to college can be. \u201cIt was all mental for me, and maybe a little physical,\u201d she said. \u201cI never really lifted weights. Just the speed and competitiveness of college basketball \u2014 that was the biggest [adjustment].\u201d Now, with a year of growth behind her, she\u2019s embracing a leadership role for the freshmen. She\u2019s looking forward to \u201cwelcom[ing] them to the family with ease.\u201d<\/p>\n Head coach Wes Moore hopes that their new additions can see what\u2019s possible for them at NC State. \u201cWe had two players drafted in the first round\u2026 that didn\u2019t hurt,\u201d he said. \u201cThese kids have aspirations of playing at the next level.\u201d <\/p>\n He also credits the coaching staff and culture. \u201cI think our staff does a really good job working with these players and helping them get better and preparing them for the next level, \u200b\u200band that definitely helps in recruiting when players see that.\u201d<\/p>\n Jones is using that preparation as fuel. \u201cZoe [Brooks] got most improved last year,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m trying to get it this year. Trying to go back-to-back, NC State Most Improved Players.\u201d<\/p>\n This upcoming season, she\u2019s embracing the moment with grit, growth, and a little hometown fire.<\/p>\n \u201cWhatever Coach Moore needs from me, that\u2019s what I\u2019m going to give him,\u201d Jones said. \u201cWhether it\u2019s cheering on the bench or on the court. Anything he wants from me this year, I\u2019m giving it to him.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cComing from a small town, not a lot of people believed in me,\u201d she told reporters on Wednesday…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":89236,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[44],"tags":[59653,1339,59654,59655,1317,1337,1338,62,67,132,68,59656],"class_list":{"0":"post-89235","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-ncaa-basketball","8":"tag-2025-ncaa-womens-college-basketball","9":"tag-basketball","10":"tag-nc-state","11":"tag-nc-state-wolfpack","12":"tag-ncaa","13":"tag-ncaa-basketball","14":"tag-ncaabasketball","15":"tag-sports","16":"tag-united-states","17":"tag-unitedstates","18":"tag-us","19":"tag-zam-jones"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114909508022070484","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89235","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=89235"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89235\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/89236"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=89235"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=89235"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=89235"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Zoe](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/USATSI_25795127.jpg\")
NC State Wolfpack guard Zoe Brooks (35) shoots against LSU Lady Tigers forward Aneesah Morrow (24) during the second half of a Sweet 16 NCAA Tournament basketball game at Spokane Arena in Spokane, WA on March 28, 2025. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-Imagn Images<\/p>\n![\"Wes](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/USATSI_25794284.jpg\")
NC State Wolfpack head coach Wes Moore reacts after a play against the LSU Lady Tigers during the Sweet 16 NCAA Tournament basketball game at Spokane Arena in Spokane, WA on March 28, 2025. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-Imagn Images<\/p>\n