The saying goes that behind every strong man is a strong woman. For the N.C. State women’s basketball team, the reverse of that expression is more appropriate. Like most college basketball teams, State uses a scout team to help the varsity squad prepare for upcoming opponents. However, the Wolfpack’s scout team is comprised entirely of male players.
Consisting of eight players, the male scout team runs the plays and defensive sets of the Pack’s next opponent at every practice. Redshirt sophomore guard Megan Zullo said playing against men is ideal when training to play quality opponents.
“It’s definitely good preparation because the guys are stronger,” Zullo said. “It makes you have to work harder. It’s just like the ACC. Everyone in the ACC is fast and physical. So we go against guys because guys are naturally quicker and stronger than girls, so going against them definitely helps.”
John McCall, a sophomore in sport management, found out that the women’s team was looking for players to be on their scout team through an ad in the Technician. He said it has been a great experience so far.
“You get to see coach Yow every day, and that’s amazing,” McCall said. “You get to work with one of the best coaches in college basketball. You can definitely see the progress of the team, and it makes you feel good about what you’re doing.”
The scout team has been somewhat of a necessity as State has experienced its share of injuries this season. Assistant coach Jenny Kuziemski said at times this season, if the scout team hadn’t been there, the women would not have enough healthy bodies to run a five-on-five scrimmage.
“We love them. We absolutely love them,” Kuziemski said. “Especially this year because we’ve had so many injuries. I think at one point we only had eight healthy players. So without them, we would have been really struggling.”
Spencer Johnson, a senior in electrical engineering, also plays on the scout team. As a low-post player, he faces All-ACC senior center Khadijah Whittington daily in practice. Johnson said Whittington is as physical a player as he’s ever played against.
“I leave practices with bumps and bruises from practice every day,” Johnson said. “She plays harder than any guy in Carmichael. She plays harder than any guy I know. She has that tenacity, that intensity in her workout.”
Whittington said Johnson, who was an all-state forward at Spotsylvania High School in Virginia, is a good matchup for her in practice.
“Spencer gets me sometimes, but I will get him too,” Whittington said. “We go back and forth, and it’s really physical. We really bang with each other.”
Whittington also said the team builds relationship with the practice players.
“Some of them play intramurals, and we go watch them sometimes,” Whittington said. “It’s a really good experience. We get to know them, and they get to know us. Like I said, we are all one big family.”
