Wolfpack guard expected to return for NC State women in 2026-27
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Qadence Samuels will return to N.C. State for her senior 2026-27 season.
- Samuels started 28 of 32 games and averaged 6.4 points per game.
- Samuels recorded 25 steals and 10 blocks while also scoring a season-best 16.
One of N.C. State’s starters will return to the lineup in 2026-27 for her senior season.
Qadence Samuels transferred to the Wolfpack last summer after spending her freshman and sophomore years at Connecticut.
Samuels started in 28 of her 32 appearances this season. She averaged 6.4 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game. Samuels scored in double figures nine times, with three coming in the final four games.
While she wasn’t the highest scorer, Samuels was often an underrated defender. She recorded 25 steals, just under one per game, including three against California and five against Pittsburgh. The junior also recorded 10 blocks.
She scored a season-best 16 points in the team’s 91-51 win over SMU and pulled down a season-high eight rebounds in the team’s losses to Louisville and North Carolina.
Prior to joining N.C. State, Samuels won a national championship and went to the Final Four with UConn.
She was heavily recruited by the Wolfpack prior to her commitment to the Huskies.
“He’s been recruiting me since like seventh grade, so he already knows how I play. He knows my game. He knows that I play hard and all that,” Samuels said of Wolfpack head coach Wes Moore. “I trusted him when he was recruiting me. … I just want to show that I do have talent and redeem myself from sophomore year, because I really didn’t get that much playing time. I just show why I’m actually a good player and why I should be on the court.”
Samuels was ranked No. 41 in the nation as part of the Class of 2023 and was a four-star recruit.
Zoe Brooks also announced she would return to the Wolfpack, ensuring two starters will return for next year. Maddie Cox is also expected to return for her senior season but has not made an official announcement.
