NC State Wolfpack Women's Basketball Legends

Last Updated on March 16, 2026 by Mat Diekhake

NC State women’s basketball has real depth when it comes to program legends. The Wolfpack built one of the ACC’s strongest traditions under Kay Yow, won multiple league titles, reached the 1998 Final Four, and then added a second Final Four run in 2024. That history gives this list a strong mix of early-era stars, ACC standouts, All-Americans and players who defined major turning points for the program. (NC State University Athletics)

1. Andrea Stinson

Years at NC State: 1987–1991
Position: Forward
Notable achievements:
- Program’s only two-time Kodak All-American
- One of seven honored jerseys in program history
- ACC 50th Anniversary Team
- NC State Athletic Hall of Fame
- WNBA and USA Basketball standout

Andrea Stinson gets the top spot because she combines elite college status with long-term historical weight. NC State identifies her as the program’s only two-time Kodak All-American, and she also went on to become the Charlotte Sting’s all-time leading scorer with her jersey later retired there. Inside NC State history, she sits in the rare air reserved for players who were not just excellent, but program-defining. (NC State University Athletics)

2. Chasity Melvin

Years at NC State: 1994–1998
Position: Center/Forward
Notable achievements:
- Kodak All-American
- Led NC State to the 1998 Final Four
- One of seven honored jerseys in program history
- ACC 50th Anniversary Team
- NC State Athletic Hall of Fame

Chasity Melvin has one of the strongest winning cases in school history. NC State’s 50th-season history notes that she helped lead the Wolfpack past Old Dominion and UConn into the program’s first Final Four, and she scored 37 points in the national semifinal to set a Final Four scoring record that stood for more than a decade. Add in the All-America honor and the retired jersey, and she is an easy top-two choice. (app.gopack.com)

3. Genia Beasley

Years at NC State: 1977–1980
Position: Forward/Center
Notable achievements:
- NC State all-time leading scorer
- First Wolfpack women’s player to score 2,000 career points
- Kodak All-American
- ACC 50th Anniversary Team
- One of seven honored jerseys in program history

Genia Beasley has a serious argument for the very top because the numbers are huge and the historical importance is obvious. NC State still lists her as the program’s all-time leading scorer with 2,367 points, and she was the first women’s player in school history to break 2,000 career points. She also led the Pack in scoring and rebounding for four straight seasons, which is absurd sustained production. (NC State University Athletics)

4. Trudi Lacey

Years at NC State: 1977–1981
Position: Guard/Forward
Notable achievements:
- Four-time All-NCAIAW selection
- 1980 Women’s Sports Federation All-American
- Wade Trophy finalist
- ACC Tournament title team member
- NC State Athletic Hall of Fame

Trudi Lacey belongs high on this list because she was one of the pillars of NC State’s early rise. Her Hall of Fame page lays out a stacked résumé that includes four straight All-NCAIAW selections, multiple All-ACC Tournament honors and national-level recognition in 1980 and 1981. She helped define the first great era of Wolfpack women’s basketball. (NC State University Athletics)

5. Susan Yow

Years at NC State: 1975–1976
Position: Forward/Center
Notable achievements:
- Kodak All-American
- One of seven honored jerseys in program history
- Holds NC State single-game rebounding record
- One of the best single-season players in program history

Susan Yow only played one season, but the impact was so large that she still belongs in the top tier. NC State notes that she averaged 19.4 points and 11.9 rebounds in 1975-76, led the team in scoring, rebounding and both major shooting percentages, and still holds the school record with 27 rebounds in a game. That was one of the best individual seasons the program has ever seen. (NC State University Athletics)

6. Linda Page

Years at NC State: 1981–1985
Position: Guard
Notable achievements:
- All-American
- One of seven retired jerseys in program history
- Two 42-point games
- ACC 50th Anniversary Team
- NC State Athletic Hall of Fame

Linda Page was one of the great scorers in program history and deserves to be remembered that way. NC State’s Hall of Fame page highlights that she twice scored 42 points in a game, still one of the best marks the program has ever seen, and her jersey is one of only seven from the women’s program to be retired. She was a major star of the 1980s Wolfpack teams. (NC State University Athletics)

7. Trena Trice

Years at NC State: 1983–1987
Position: Center
Notable achievements:
- All-ACC honoree in all four seasons
- All-American
- Helped lead NC State to ACC title success
- One of the honored jerseys in Reynolds Coliseum
- NC State Athletic Hall of Fame

Trena Trice has one of the cleanest four-year résumés in school history. NC State says she earned All-ACC honors every season, was an All-American by her senior year, and finished with 1,761 career points and 984 rebounds. She was not just very good for a season or two. She was a cornerstone player for essentially her entire career. (NC State University Athletics)

8. Summer Erb

Years at NC State: 1998–2000
Position: Center
Notable achievements:
- 1999 ACC Player of the Year
- AP honorable mention All-American
- SI for Women All-American
- First-round WNBA draft pick
- ACC 50th Anniversary Team

Summer Erb earns a spot because her peak was one of the best of any modern Wolfpack post player. NC State’s ACC 50th Anniversary material notes that she was the 1999 ACC Player of the Year and picked up multiple All-America honors in 1999 and 2000, while the program’s history page notes she later became a first-round WNBA pick. Even in a short NC State career, the level was extremely high. (NC State University Athletics)

9. Elissa Cunane

Years at NC State: 2018–2022
Position: Center
Notable achievements:
- AP All-American
- WBCA All-American
- Program record holder in free throws made
- Top-10 career scorer and rebounder
- Key star of NC State’s 2022 Elite Eight team

Elissa Cunane is the strongest modern-era choice outside the historic retired-jersey group. NC State notes that she became the first Wolfpack player ever to make one of the three AP All-America teams, then finished her career sixth in points, fifth in rebounds and first in free throws made. She gave the program a true national centerpiece during one of its best recent stretches. (NC State University Athletics)

10. Aziaha James

Years at NC State: 2021–2025
Position: Guard
Notable achievements:
- All-America honorable mention
- Helped lead NC State to the 2024 Final Four
- Top-15 scorer in program history
- One of the stars of the program’s second Final Four run

Aziaha James already has a strong legends case because she was central to the 2024 Final Four team, only the second in school history to get that far. NC State’s official material notes that she finished in the top 15 in several major career categories and scored 20 points against South Carolina in the Final Four, while also earning AP and USBWA honorable mention All-America recognition in 2025. She still feels a little early compared to the older legends, but the résumé is already strong enough. (NC State University Athletics)

Honorable mentions

Rhonda Mapp
Debbie Antonelli
Saniya Rivers
Ashley Key

Rhonda Mapp made the ACC Women’s Basketball Legends program and the ACC 50th Anniversary Team, Debbie Antonelli was a two-time ACC champion and later became one of the sport’s most recognizable voices, Saniya Rivers was a major part of the 2024 Final Four run, and Ashley Key was one of the better scorers of the Kay Yow years. (NC State University Athletics)

Sources:

NC State Wolfpack Women’s Basketball Legends