Zoe Brooks, Zamareya Jones Talk NC State 2025 Season

RALEIGH — Wes Moore and NC State women's basketball are looking to make a return to the Final Four after exiting the NCAA tournament in the Sweet 16 earlier in 2025.

Moore's roster is loaded with young talent, including sophomore guard Zamareya Jones and junior guard Zoe Brooks. The roster lacks the normal senior talent that Moore's best teams have had in the past, but the talent is clear.

Brooks and Jones joined their head coach at the ACC Tipoff media event in Charlotte on Monday, discussing the upcoming season. The duo also talked about their development in the offseason and growing confidence about the 2025-26 season.

The Pair's Answers

Oct 6, 2025; Charlotte, NC, USA; North Carolina State head coach Wes Moore answers questions from the media at The Hilton Charlotte Uptown. Mandatory Credit: William Howard-Imagn Images | William Howard-Imagn Images

Is there a certain player or team that you look forward to playing this year?

Brooks: UNC.

Jones: I'd say the same thing, UNC.

Brooks: And Duke.

Mar 28, 2025; Spokane, WA, USA; NC State Wolfpack guard Zoe Brooks (35) walks off the court during a Sweet 16 NCAA Tournament basketball game against the LSU Lady Tigers at Spokane Arena. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-Imagn Images | James Snook-Imagn Images

Zoe, you attended the Kelsey Plum camp this summer. What did you take away from that experience and what's the biggest thing we should see on the court because of that experience?

Brooks: She's a great finisher for her size. She's smaller than me. She's like 5'5" and she's a really good finisher. She just really emphasizes and talks a lot about using our bodies as small guards and being able to finish against taller defenders.

Mar 7, 2025; Greensboro, NC, USA; NC State Wolfpack guard Zamareya Jones (3) goes to the basket during the third quarter against Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at First Horizon Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Cory Knowlton-Imagn Images | Cory Knowlton-Imagn Images

Zamareya, this past WNBA season, we saw Napheesa Collier join Elena Delle Donne in the 50-40-90, becoming the second woman in that club. In your last game, you shot 44.4 percent from the field, 100 percent from the line, and then three past the arc; you shot 60 percent. Is the 50-40-90 something you think about when you're playing?

Jones: I go with the hot hand. If I'm hot, I'm hot. If they say Zoe is hot, she's hot. We design plays to go for the hot hand. We feel that in that game, you're going to be one to get the ball, but when I'm training, I just train to make shots in the game. I just train like a game, like so, in the game, it comes easily to me.

Mar 7, 2025; Greensboro, NC, USA; NC State Wolfpack guard Zamareya Jones (3) dribbles the ball against Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets during the third quarter at First Horizon Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Cory Knowlton-Imagn Images | Cory Knowlton-Imagn Images

Zamareya, you primarily came off the bench a year ago and that was not something you were used to. Are there lessons learned from that that you think is going to make you a better ball player?

Jones: For sure. A lot of people say I don't like coming off the bench... I enjoy coming off the bench. It's like you get the feel for the game while on the bench. You get to see what players are hot right now, what players are doing this.

So coming off the bench, I didn't have a problem with it, but when my name was called, I was ready to go.

Mar 27, 2025; Spokane, WA, USA; NC State Wolfpack head coach Wes Moore talks with media during an NCAA Tournament practice session at Spokane Arena. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-Imagn Images | James Snook-Imagn Images

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