The first official night is Monday, Nov. 2, against Wofford at Reynolds Coliseum. Khady Leye is the forward NC State brought in so that night does not start undersized.

She is 6-2, from Louga, Senegal, and she just spent a full SEC season starting every game at Auburn: 9.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.3 steals in 28.1 minutes. She was the Tigers’ leading rebounder. Two years of eligibility remain.

This is the second piece in New Blood. Wooten was the backcourt add. Leye is the frontcourt add.

Snapshot

• No. 6, forward, 6-2
• Junior, Louga, Senegal
• Last stop: Auburn
• Defining number: 32 starts last season, 9.5 ppg / 5.3 rpg
• How she got here: Transfer, two years left
• First official stage: Wofford, Nov. 2, Reynolds
• Tag: Immediate rotation

How she got here

Leye’s path is already a three-stop college career. She prepped at SPIRE Academy in Ohio, then averaged 9.9 points and 7.2 rebounds as a freshman at Towson, made the CAA All-Rookie team, and posted five double-doubles.

Auburn was the jump. She started all 32 games, one of two Tigers to do it. The counting stats dipped a little in the SEC. The role got harder and the minutes went up. She still scored in double figures 15 times, including two 20-point games. She had 20 on 9-of-12 shooting against Kentucky and 11 points with a career-high 15 rebounds in an SEC Tournament win over Texas A&M, capped by the game-winning layup with 5.2 seconds left. She also had five blocks against Ole Miss.

NC State needed a forward after Tilda Trygger transferred to Washington. Leye was Moore’s first portal addition. She visited Raleigh and committed within days.

“We’re excited to add Khady to the Pack,” Moore said. “She’s an athletic forward that can run the floor as well as explode around people in the half court. Her length and quickness makes her a factor on the boards on both ends, and her experience at the Power 4 level should make for an easier transition into the ACC.”

What she does

Leye is not a stretch five. She is a runner and a finisher who lives on the glass.

Career line through two seasons: 9.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.1 steals, 44.6 percent from the field. Almost no threes. The value is first-step burst, offensive rebounding, and the ability to start 32 high-major games without coming off the card.

That last part matters in Raleigh. Khamil Pierre is the star post. Maddie Cox is the veteran spacer. The Pack still needed another body who could play real minutes when Pierre sits or when Moore goes with two forwards. Leye has already done that job in the SEC.

The job against Wofford

On paper, the minutes are Trygger’s. Trygger was 6-6 and averaged 10.6 points and 7.0 rebounds last season before leaving. Leye is shorter than that. She is also more experienced in a Power conference than Trygger was as a sophomore, and she is not being asked to copy Pierre. Pierre slashes and works the elbows. Leye’s job is to run, rebound, and finish the plays Pierre draws.

Wofford is the first night those minutes become real. Campbell is two days later. Kentucky in Charlotte is Nov. 8. The opener is the first look at whether Leye is Pierre’s partner or Pierre’s backup.

Best-case Wofford night:

• 20-plus minutes
• a double-figure rebound or a clear second-chance burst
• time on the floor with Pierre, not only after she sits

The question mark

The rebounding dipped from 7.2 at Towson to 5.3 at Auburn. Some of that is SEC size. Some of that is a foul rate that sat at 3.3 per game. ACC posts will test both.

She also does not space the floor. If Pierre and Leye share the lane, the Pack needs Brooks, Wooten, or a wing to make the kick-out three. That is the trade: two athletic forwards, fewer clean threes from the post.

The other question is simple. She has already started everywhere she has been. Does Moore start her on Nov. 2, or does he ease her next to Pierre and Cox?

Who she pairs with

• Pierre: the pairing that decides the frontcourt. Complement, not clone.
• Cox: the shooter who keeps two-forward lineups from clogging.
• Annsley Trivette, later: another 6-3 freshman forward who can take the next wave of those minutes.
• Wooten and Brooks: they have to convert the kick-outs Leye creates when she crashes.

What to watch on Nov. 2

For Leye vs. Wofford, track four things:

1. Does she start next to Pierre?
2. Rebounds, especially on the offensive glass
3. Fouls
4. Minutes with Pierre on the floor

If those four lean positive, Leye is not only the second New Blood profile. She is in the starting conversation before the Pack leaves Raleigh.

Next: Kamora Pruitt. The highest-ranked freshman in the class, with the same Wofford night as the first official test.