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If there was one star that shone the brightest in the entire NC State vs Stanford matchup, it was Aziaha James. The junior guard was so breathtaking tonight that she single-handedly brought the Wolfpack to Elite Eight. After forcing Cameron Brink and Co. to bid adieu to another National Championship trophy, all spotlights fell on James. The sharpshooter, who was more than welcomed to NC State, made back-to-back buckets tonight. Are we getting another sensational hooper in the books? Let us now take a deep dive into the No. 10 player of the Wolfpack.

Born in Virginia Beach, VA, the 2021 McDonald’s All-America Game Nominee committed to Moore’s Wolfpack in 2021. As a freshman, James took NC State to regular and conference wins. She was an All-ACC Freshman Team honoree, as selected by the league’s head coaches and the Blue-Ribbon Panel. Further, her scoring average of 4.2 points was ranked eighth among all ACC freshmen following the season.

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She then improved her game further. She brought in 6.8 ppg with an average of 63.6% shooting from the free throw line as a sophomore. As a result, Wes Moore allowed her to start the last six games of the year. There, she managed to add an average of 10.2 points, 4.3 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game. This is when she started digging her name deeper into the Wolfpack fans. There were many top-notch performances in her career. Amongst them was her then career-best 5-of-6 shots from distance in a 19-point outing against Davidson on Dec 15, 2022. This three-point percentage rank tied for fourth in the single-game program record books.

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Continuing her magical journey to becoming a popular name in the WBB world, Aziaha James almost tripled her average points outputs. Currently, the 5’9″ shooter grabs 16 ppg with 41% from the field and 77.6% from the free throw line. She has also improved her deep shots with a career-high 31.8% from the 3-pt line at present. However, there seems to be no stopping for this one.

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Aziaha James in the postseason

While the junior guard has ensured that she grows every season, she has managed to wow the fans further in the single-knockout tournament. In fact, in the last three games in the 2024 March Madness, James has grabbed an average of 23.3 points, 1 steal, and 2.6 boards in her 36 minutes on the floor. She has also been quite a playmaker as she dished out an average of 4 assists in her last three games.

Against Cameron Brink and the Cardinals, she grabbed a career-high 29 points as well. The NC State head coach has previously talked about her being an amazing shooter. But did he know about her true potential that is unlocking in front of the world one game at a time? It will be amazing to see if the Wolfpack is able to reach the Final Four after 26 long years.

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What are your thoughts about this up-and-coming superstar?

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