Jada Boyd won’t return for NC State basketball. What does that mean for the Wolfpack?
N.C. State forward Jada Boyd won’t be a member of the Wolfpack team this upcoming season.
Boyd, a native of Petersburg, Virginia, was a key reserve for the Pack the last three seasons. She does not plan to enroll in school this fall, N.C. State spokeswoman Matti Smith confirmed to The News & Observer.
As a sophomore, Boyd was named the ACC Co-Sixth Player of the Year.
“Jada is a great player with valuable ACC and big-game experience that will be missed,” N.C. State head coach Wes Moore said in a statement. “We appreciate all she has done for our program and wish her nothing but the best.”
In three seasons, Boyd appeared in 83 games with seven career starts. She averaged 8.6 points per game for her career. As a sophomore, Boyd averaged 11.5 points per game off the bench.
In 2021-22, she helped lead N.C. State to its third-straight ACC tournament title. After the Pack defeated Miami in the championship game, she was named to the all-tournament team. During the Pack’s 2020-21 NCAA tournament run, Boyd filled in for injured starter Kayla Jones and responded with three 18-point games, shooting 64.7 percent from the field.
What does this mean for N.C. State?
With the loss of four starters from last season’s Elite Eight team, Boyd, Jakia Brown-Turner and Camille Hobby would have been the most experienced players returning for N.C. State this season. The trio was part of the same recruiting class. Brown-Turner has been a starter since her freshman season. Boyd and Hobby were expected to join Brown-Turner in the starting five.
So who are the top candidates to replace Boyd in the rotation?
The transfer portal was good to Moore this offseason, so he has options. Former Maryland forward Mimi Collins and former South Carolina guard Saniya Rivers both transferred to N.C. State.
At 6-3, Collins is more of a true post presence, averaging eight points and five rebounds last season for the Terrapins.
Rivers, meanwhile, is a jack-of-all-trades player who can handle the ball and score if needed. Rivers appeared in 27 games for the national champion Gamecocks last season. Moore referred to Jones as the glue of the team the last three years. It would be a natural transition for Rivers to fill the void left by Jones.
