N.C. State freshman Laci Steele was an all-state selection and conference MVP during her time at Edmond North
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N.C. State freshman and former Edmond North star Laci Steele. Courtesy of N.C. State athletics.
The Edmond North basketball pipeline is growing every year and has even reached the pinnacle of women’s college hoops.
Former Husky all-state selection Laci Steele and her North Carolina State Wolfpack will play undefeated South Carolina in the Women’s NCAA Tournament Final Four on Friday for a chance at the 2024 national championship. N.C. State comes into the Final Four matchup as a three-seed with a record of 31-6.
Steele was named the 2023 Oklahoma Gatorade Player of the Year following a stellar senior season at Edmond North. She now acts as a key piece off the bench for N.C. State as a freshman. She is currently averaging 3.5 points and just over one rebound per game.
Steele played for coach Pete Papahronis at North from 2020 to 2023, winning back-to-back Class 6A state championships as well as winning the 2023 Central Oklahoma Athletic Conference MVP. She became the school’s all-time leader in both points and steals while being hailed as the No. 56-ranked player in the class of 2023 by ESPN.
She averaged 21.3 points per game during her senior year and eclipsed the 2,000-points mark en route to her second state tournament MVP award.
Taking down top-seeded South Carolina won’t be an easy task for Steele’s N.C. State squad. The Gamecocks have yet to lose a game this season at 36-0 thus far, so the Wolfpack will likely have to play their best basketball of the season.
Should Steele and the Wolfpack pull off the upset Friday, they’ll move on to the national championship game to face the winner of Iowa and Connecticut. N.C. State is no stranger to upsets in this year’s tournament, however.
The Wolfpack got to the Final Four by way of two wins over teams of higher seeds, defeating No. 2 Stanford in the Sweet Sixteen and No. 1 Texas in the Elite Eight, both by ten points. Steele has yet to log any minutes since the team’s opening round victory over No. 14 Chattanooga, but remains a reliable bench option.
Steele will represent Edmond North at the Final Four when N.C. State takes on South Carolina at 6 P.M. Friday (April 5) from Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio.