For starters, Pack's Yow expects a lot this year

NCSU has a lean bench this season

N.C. State women’s basketball coach Kay Yow understands what she’s asking from her starting five this season. With a bench shortened by injuries, her starters may have to play entire games, a physically taxing endeavor over the course of a 29-game regular season schedule.

As Yow embarks upon her 34th season at N.C. State this weekend, she is reminded of earlier teams that eagerly embraced such challenges.

“They loved to play,” Yow said. “They pressed. They never wanted to come out. I think that’s the mindset we need.”

One player who needs no convincing is Pack senior point guard Shayla Fields.

Last season she led the ACC with an average of 36.0 minutes per game.

Fields played 1,224 minutes, the third highest total in the program’s history. Only Jennifer Howard (1993-94 and 1994-95) played more minutes in a single season at State.

Fields said she could have played 10 more games.

“I can’t say that I was ready for it to be over,” she said. “I was tired, but I love the game so much that I don’t really let the fatigue or my body being sore get in the way of my ultimate goal of playing the game.”

That’s just what Yow wants to hear, especially this season. The 5-foot-6 Fields is the team’s only senior, the primary ball distributor (3.53 assists per game) and leading returning scorer (13.5 points per game).

The Pack (21-13, 6-8) lost its leading scorer and rebounder when senior forward Khadijah Whittington graduated. And injuries to juniors

Amber White and Sharnise Beal and redshirt freshman Emili Tasler forced Yow to hold tryouts for the first time in 20 years just to have enough practice players.

Along with Fields, Yow’s starting group will include junior guard Nikitta Gartrell, junior forward Lucy Ellison, and sophomore forwards Tia Bell and Brittany Strachan.

Fields, in her third season as a starter, will be called upon as a do-it-all point guard, who must temper the urge to shoot with the necessity of spreading the ball around.

“It’s in my nature to get my teammates open and get them open shots,” she said. “I’m not going to pass on an open shot, but I’m not going to just take every shot I get. I’m going to look to my teammates to be open and try to get the assist.”

Still, the Pack consider Fields’ ability to score an essential asset. She’s quick and has a knack for losing defenders on the way to the basket.

Fields has made 106 of 301 3-point attempts in her career, giving her the school’s fourth-best career percentage.

“I don’t shy away from shooting,” Fields said.

The Salisbury native has not shied away from much since arriving from Salisbury High, where she was named the N.C. High School Athletic Association Miss Basketball in 2005.

With the help of associate head coach Stephanie Glance, Fields learned quickly how much effort is needed to improve when playing in the ACC.

“My work ethic has grown tremendously,” Fields said. “When I first got here, I really wasn’t expecting the conditioning, the time and effort that you put into being a student-athlete.”

Inspired by Michael Jordan, influenced by Sheryl Swoopes and Cynthia Cooper-Dyke, and encouraged by Glance, she worked on her game.

She tightened her ballhandling skills in individual drill sessions. Practiced on her own.

This summer she worked on shooting off the move to avoid spotting up all of the time.

“Shooting off the move and giving somebody a move and scoring ... that brings excitement to the game,” she said. “Anytime you can keep the fans into the game, keep your team up ... I think that’s a plus.”

Fields said she gives the second effort out of pride. She doesn’t want to let her family down, not her mother, or four sisters and brother, or her father, Obsborne Coolie.

He was the first to catch a pass from her when she was 4. She learned the game by watching him play pickup.

This summer she kept her skills sharp with pickup games of her own. She also ran sprints on the court to keep in shape. She rarely took a day off in anticipation of another year of long minutes.

Last season, Fields played all 40 minutes in 14 games and had stretches when she stayed on the court for 245 and 202 consecutive minutes. In 14 ACC games, she played 542 of 560 minutes.

“As the season went on, she actually got mentally tougher about playing that many minutes,” Glance said. “She realized that’s what she was going to do and that’s what we were asking her to do. She handled it really well.”

Glance said coaches expect Fields to engage more as a leader. They want her to continue to lead by example but to communicate better. Field’s teammates expect her to handle it all with ease.

“On the floor, she’s telling us what the coaches are thinking,” Ellison said. “She has a real good vibe with the coaches. ... She’s going to be good for us this year.”