By Charlene Curtis for theACC.com

"I don't think I will ever experience another year as gratifying, no matter what. I don't think a national championship would beat what happened last year." That's how NC State head coach Kay Yow described what the 2006-07 season meant to her and to her program. Faith, emotion, inspiration, perseverance, and a senior-laden squad led the Wolfpack to upset wins over North Carolina in the regular season, Duke in the ACC Tournament semifinals, and Baylor in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Returning from the Wolfpack's astonishing run to coach her 33rd year on the NC State sideline is Hall of Fame head coach Kay Yow. Looking forward to the new season, Yow, the recipient of the inaugural Jimmy V ESPY for her courageous and very public fight against cancer, is optimistic about her youthful Wolfpack. "Now that I am able to coach, I have the youngest team I have ever had," Yow said. "That's going to be quite a challenge, but quite an opportunity with some of the talented players coming in."

Yow's optimism is further fueled by the return of senior forward Khadijah Whittington and junior guard Shayla Fields. Yow will count on her only two upperclassmen to lead the talented group of first- and second-year players.

Khadijah Whittington

The 6-1 Whittington is one of the hardest working post players in the ACC and in the country. She completed her junior season averaging a double-double (10.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game), making her the first Wolfpack player in 20 years to accomplish that feat.

Acknowledging that her career at NC State has gone by quickly, Whittington said that she has grown a lot as a person and "learned a lot being at NC State playing under a legend (coach Yow)."

"I'm a better person all around," she went on to say. Whittington knows she now has to take on more of a leadership role for her young NC State team, a fact echoed by Yow.

"KD (Whittington) has to be a leader," Yow said. "She needs to not just talk the talk but she must walk the walk. She needs to play an all-around game, take charges, block shots, and rotate well on defense. And we need to get her the ball."

Whittington, however, won't have to shoulder the leadership responsibility alone. While Whittington leads from the post, Fields will lead from the perimeter. "It's like having a pitcher and catcher in baseball," Yow said when speaking of Fields and Whittington.

Shayla Fields

Fields caught fire last season averaging 10 points per game as a sophomore after playing in just five games in her freshman year. Fields is a solid 3-point shooter who is good with the ball in her hands and good at shooting off the dribble.

Fields should get help on the perimeter from sophomores Amber White and Nikitta Gartrell and red-shirt freshman Megan Zullo. Both White and Gartrell participated in the USA Youth Development Festival prior to arriving at NC State. White, who is very quick with the ball, started three games at the point position as a freshman. Gartrell started 15 of the team's first 16 games last season and is known for her ability to score in a variety of ways. She is capable of putting up big numbers from the perimeter and will use her 14 minutes per game experience as a freshman to help the Wolfpack keep its winning ways. Zullo started three games last season but was sidelined after just seven games because of a stress fracture in her right leg. She is a combo guard who gives the Wolfpack another scoring threat on the perimeter.

NC State will count on its defense early in the season as the very talented freshmen and sophomores learn the ropes and define themselves on the offensive end. When asked who in the freshman and sophomore classes will be ready to step up, Yow said, "We do have a lot of choices. We have good speed, quickness, and a little more height here and there."

"Perimeter players are actually coming along faster than the inside players. You might see us playing with a smaller line-up. We hopefully will be able to get more from our inside players later in the season."

With back-to-back top-20 recruiting classes, the Wolfpack will indeed be talented but young. With Yow back at the helm, energized and ready to teach her young players the finer points of the game, and with veterans Whittington and Fields eager to leave their mark in the Wolfpack history books, the NC State Wolfpack is eagerly looking forward to a season that will hopefully be described in the end as another miraculous year on the hardwood.

NC State returns two starters and eight players off last year’s NCAA “Sweet 16” squad that finished with a 25-10 record. The postseason showing was the Wolfpacks’ 11th trip to the NCAA “Sweet 16”.

Head Coach Kay Yow returns for her 33rd season at the helm of the Wolfpack and her 37th year overall. The inspiring women’s basketball coach was honored with the inaugural Jimmy V ESPY for Perseverance after battling breast cancer and undergoing chemotherapy treatment while coaching the Wolfpack during this year’s NCAA tournament.

Last season, the Reynolds Coliseum basketball court was christened “Kay Yow Court” prior to the squad’s 72-65 victory over then-ranked No. 2 North Carolina. NC State has won 26 straight non-conference games at Reynolds Coliseum.

NC State welcomes its second straight top-20 recruiting class (No. 19 by All-Star Girls Report).

Junior Khadijah Whittington is expected to contend for national honors as a senior. Whittington (922 points, 766 rebounds) has a chance to be the 4th player in school history with 1,000 points and rebounds. She also set a school record with 366 rebounds in 2006-07.

Junior Shayla Fields was statistically the most-improved player in the ACC last year (10.0 ppg in 2006-07 from 0.6 ppg in 2005-06).

NC State had eight different players lead the team in scoring last year, while not one NC State opponent shot 50.0 percent from the field last year.