NC State adds Rivers to roster
RALEIGH – NC State women's basketball officially announced the addition of North Carolina native Saniya Rivers to the program on Friday. Rivers is transferring from South Carolina where she completed her freshman campaign, and she will be immediately eligible to play for the Wolfpack beginning with the 2022-23 season.
A 6-1 guard from Wilmington, Saniya was ranked the No. 2 guard and the No. 3 overall player in the Class of 2021. She was a 2021 McDonald's All-American in addition to earning All-America status from the WBCA and Naismith organizations at the conclusion of her high school career.
"We're excited about bringing Saniya back home," said head coach Wes Moore. "She is one of the most decorated players to come out of our state and will make a major impact on our program. She has the ability to score in a variety of ways and put up big numbers but also has great court vision that leads to scoring opportunities for her teammates. In addition, Saniya's length and athleticism makes her a prolific two-way player who can impact a game on either end of the floor - both on the boards and in making 'defense leads to offense' types of plays. Saniya will only add to the energy and excitement around our program. It's a great day for the Wolfpack!"
Coming out of Ashley High School, Rivers was named Gatorade North Carolina Player of the Year each of her last three seasons and was Gatorade National Player of the Year in 2021. She averaged 34.3 points, 12.1 rebounds, 6.1 steals and 5.8 assists as a senior, leading Ashley High to the 2021 Mideastern Conference title and surpassing the 2,000 career point mark.
Rivers appeared in 27 games for South Carolina during the team's 2021-22 campaign that culminated with a national title win. After coming in as part of the Gamecocks' top-ranked 2021 recruiting class, she averaged 2.3 points and 1.4 assists in 12.9 minutes per game.