Former NC State basketball stars Elissa Cunane, Raina Perez reunite at WNBA training camp
Elissa Cunane was leaving New York after the WNBA Draft when her cell phone rang. On the other end? Former N.C. State teammate Raina Perez.
Cunane had been selected in the second round, No. 17 overall, by the Seattle Storm. When they got on the phone, Perez informed Cunane she would see her in Seattle.
Cunane’s response?
“Really? What are you going to be in Seattle for?’” Cunane recalled as the duo spoke to the media Thursday.
Perez, who went undrafted, signed a preseason camp contract with the Storm, reuniting the former N.C. State duo.
“I was just so excited and happy for her,” Cunane said.
Perez had a few other teams she could have picked to go to camp with, but her agent felt like Seattle was the best fit. Cunane and Perez played in 61 games together in two seasons in Raleigh.
“It’s good being back with Elissa on the court again,” Perez said. “I thought it kind of ended a couple of weeks ago, but it still continues.”
Lasting legacies
Perez transferred to N.C. State ahead of the 2020-21 season. The Arizona native averaged 9.0 points per game in two seasons, shooting 37 percent from 3.
She also cemented herself in N.C. State lore with two of the biggest plays in recent history. In 2021, Perez hit the game-winning shot in the ACC tournament title game against Louisville. This year, in the Sweet 16 against Notre Dame, Perez got a steal and a layup with 14 seconds remaining to put the Pack ahead by one. She then hit two free throws to seal the victory.
Cunane, meanwhile, leaves a stellar legacy at N.C. State. In four years in Raleigh, the 6-foot-5 center put up staggering stats. She ranks sixth in school history in career points (1,855), seventh in double-doubles (34) and fifth in rebounds (986), and she is the school record-holder in made free throws (513).
Cunane played in 125 games for the Wolfpack, starting 101. A consensus All-American by the Associated Press in 2021-22, Cunane leaves Raleigh with a career average of 14.8 points per game and 7.9 rebounds while shooting 54 percent from the floor. Her senior season, she averaged 13.7 points and 7.6 rebounds on 53.1 percent shooting (182-of-343). Cunane shot 83.5 percent from the charity stripe (116-of-139) and averaged 1.3 assists per game.
She earned second team All-American honors from the AP and the USBWA. Cunane was a consensus first team All-ACC honoree for the third straight year. In March she was named the ACC Tournament’s Most Valuable Player for the second straight season.
A bigger stage
Now, the duo will try and cut it in the WNBA.
They arrived in Seattle this week, less than one month after playing their final college game together, a double-overtime loss to UConn in the Elite Eight.
In camp, Perez will have a chance to learn from WNBA great Sue Bird, while Cunane will soak it all up from Breanna Stewart.
If things go well, Perez and Cunane can be the future cornerstone for the Storm. Their time at N.C. State prepared them well for the professional level.
“Coach (Wes) Moore runs a lot of sets,” Perez said. “I think that’s kind of what prepared me here.”
And it helps to already have great chemistry with someone on the roster, on and off the court.
“It’s good to have Raina here,” Cunane said. “I did ask her (before flying to Seattle) what she was packing and how many bags she was checking, stuff like that. That’s the stuff that I wouldn’t ask someone that I’ve never met before.”
