The program that made a legend of head coach Kay Yow has experienced a renaissance in recent seasons, a return to national prominence that is leading one of its all-time best players on a path straight to the WNBA.

North Carolina State was a national stalwart under Yow during her 34-year tenure as the head coach of the Wolfpack, a period of time that bridged both AIAW era and women’s basketball’s inclusion in the NCAA. N.C. State made 20 NCAA appearances under Yow, including a trip to the national semifinals in 1998, where they fell to Louisiana Tech. Yow would finish her career with 680 wins and 29 winning seasons.

Coach Yow passed away early in 2009 after a long battle with breast cancer and became the inspiration for the Play4Kay “Pink” games that take place across women’s basketball every season to benefit the breast cancer charity named for Yow, which has raised millions of dollars for the cause since 2007.

The Wolfpack made just two appearances in the eight seasons between 2009 and 2016 before Wes Moore brought them back among the national elite, including three Sweet 16 appearances in the last four years and five straight first-round wins.

This season, N.C. State, a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season, has hovered near the top of the national rankings (finishing in the top 10 four seasons in a row) collected 30 wins for the first time in program history and finished first in a competitive ACC Conference Tournament. The Wolfpack have beaten eight ranked teams this season.

And the literal center of that success has been 6-foot-5 Elissa Cunane, the 2021 first-team All-American from Summerfield, North Carolina, who has averaged 13.1 points and 7.7 rebounds a game this season and has elevated the Wolfpack during her career with her strong low-post game. And for the third straight year, is among the five finalists for the Lisa Leslie Award as the nation’s best center.

North Carolina State has seen 16 players drafted into the WNBA since the league began, four of them selected in the first round, including Andrea Stinson – part of a five-player draft class in 1997 – Chastity Melvin in 1999 and Kiara Leslie in 2019, drafted 10th by the Washington Mystics.

Longtime WNBA reporter Michelle Smith writes a column on WNBA.com throughout the season. The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the WNBA or its clubs.

NCAA players mentioned in this article will become eligible for the 2022 draft at such point as they renounce their remaining NCAA eligibility and thereby make themselves available for the  draft.