NC State Women's Basketball Loses Key Piece to Transfer Portal

RALEIGH — An exodus is underway for NC State women's basketball. Sophomore guard Zamareya Jones announced her intention to enter the transfer portal, ending a two-year run under coach Wes Moore with the Wolfpack. She revealed her decision on social media early Wednesday evening, with the transfer portal open date still two weeks away.

Jones became the second member of the roster to announce her intention to transfer, joining junior center Mallory Collier. Her development between her freshman and sophomore seasons was enormous, as she became NC State's third-leading scorer after coming off the bench as a freshman. Her growth as a leader helped the Wolfpack to a fourth-place finish in the ACC, but she'll ultimately move elsewhere.

The impact of Jones' exit

Zam Jones — Mar 6, 2026; Duluth, GA, USA; North Carolina State Wolfpack guard Zamareya Jones (3) drives to the basket against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the fourth quarter at Gas South Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Losing Jones is enormous for NC State women's basketball. She looked to be the future point guard and leader for the program, especially given her surge in production between seasons. After playing 16.8 minutes per game as a freshman, Jones entered the starting lineup alongside junior guard Zoe Brooks and immediately thrived as a scorer and passer.

Jones averaged 14.9 points, 3.8 assists and 3.3 rebounds per game in the 2025-26 season, doubling her freshman scoring average of 7.1 points. Her effort on both ends earned her significant trust from Moore, who steadily increased the size of her role within the offense, while also assigning her some of the more difficult defensive matchups given her nose for the ball.

Jones offered a similar message to Collier's on X (Formerly known as Twitter), thanking her teammates and fans of NC State for supporting her during her first two seasons of college basketball. While her production will certainly be missed, replacing Jones' relentless mindset will be a very difficult task for the Wolfpack staff as it tries to pick up the pieces in this new era.

The triumvirate of Jones, Brooks and junior forward Khamil Pierre accounted for over 60% of the Wolfpack's average scoring output, which ended at 77.2 points per game. As things currently stand, Brooks and Pierre haven't announced their intention to enter the transfer portal, but the portal doesn't officially open until April 6, 2026.

Thank you Wolfpack Nation❤️ pic.twitter.com/vhCCamt104
— Zamareya Jones (@ZamareyaJones) March 25, 2026

Jones was a key retention target for NC State in terms of production and maintaining continuity, especially after the young Wolfpack group struggled with consistency during the 2025-26 season. With the season wrapped up, the coaching and recruiting staff have a lot of work to do already in putting together the roster for the 2026-27 campaign.