This is part of a 25-day series on PackWBB.com leading up to NC State women’s first tip at Reynolds against High Point. Each day gets one talking point. Today is Day 15: Lunan and Jernigan need year-two jumps.

Ky’She Lunan gave the Pack a real look as a freshman. She played in 31 games, hit 34 percent from three, and had stretches where the shot looked ready-made for a wing rotation. Four double-digit games. A start in the NCAA Tournament. That is not a throwaway year. It is a foundation. Year two is about turning those flashes into a job: a 5-10 wing who spaces the floor on purpose, defends her spot, and stays on the floor when the game tightens.

Adelaide Jernigan arrived as one of the top in-state recruits in her class and barely got a runway. That happens when you walk into a loaded guard room as a freshman. It does not have to define year two. Jones is gone. Minutes that were not available last winter are available now. The handle, the defense, and the confidence that made her a 2,500-point high school player have a clearer path if she takes it.

The roster is crowded again. Transfers and freshmen are coming for the same wing and guard minutes — Wooten, Samuels, Ericksen, Pruitt, and the rest. Lunan and Jernigan already know Moore’s voice. That is a real edge. It only becomes one if they claim the minutes instead of watching them go elsewhere.

High Point is the first public look. Who checks in first. Who stays when a starter sits. Who looks like a sophomore who belongs in the rotation and who still looks like she is waiting for the next chance. Year two is when those two can stop being promising pieces and start being pieces this team actually needs.