24-04-2025
NC State women's basketball guard signs WNBA training camp contract
N.C. State's Madison Hayes reacts during the first half of the Wolfpack's 89-83 win over Duke in the Play4Kay Game on Monday, Feb. 3, 2025, at Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh, N.C.
Every member of the N.C. State women's basketball 'Big 3' now has a shot at making a WNBA roster.
Graduate student Madison Hayes signed a rookie training camp contract with the Connecticut Sun this week as an undrafted free agent. She joins Saniya Rivers and Aziaha James, both of whom were first-round WNBA draft picks, in working to earn a spot in the league.
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Hayes joins Rivers, who was drafted by the Sun at No. 8 overall. James will seek to earn a place in the W after she was selected by the Dallas Wings as the No. 12 pick.
Originally from Chattanooga, Tennessee, Hayes joined the Wolfpack as a sophomore and played four seasons in Raleigh.
She was considered a darkhorse selection, not appearing on any late-season draft boards and flying under the radar most of the year. She was expected to go in the third round or sign a contract as an undrafted free agent.
Hayes was called the glue player by the Wolfpack for her willingness to do anything the team needed, even moving over to the No. 4 spot on the floor this year. Despite being undersized at 6-feet, Hayes was a dominant force for N.C. State and played a key role in its success.
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She averaged 10.9 points and a team-leading 7.1 rebounds this past season. She contributed at least seven rebounds per game last year, as well, while shooting more than 40% from 3-point range in her final two years.
Hayes finished her college career with 1,145 points, 796 rebounds, 149 assists, 85 steals and 68 blocks.
Sophomore guard Zoe Brooks expressed admiration toward her older teammates, including Hayes, during N.C. State's NCAA Tournament run.
'It gives me hope, playing alongside pros; people that are gonna go to the league and play with other greats,' Brooks said of the upperclassmen. 'It's just very inspiring for me, and it makes me want to keep working hard, hopefully to be in their position and go to the league, as well, when it's my time.'
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This was one of the Wolfpack's most-successful senior classes in program history, with all three earning a chance to make a pro roster. Rivers is the highest draft pick in N.C. State history, and the program has never featured two first-round picks.
UNC's Maria Gakdeng and Alyssa Ustby were two other women's basketball players from the Triangle to sign rookie training camp contracts. Gakdeng signed with the Atlanta Dream and Ustby signed with the Los Angeles Sparks.
Training camp begins on Sunday. The WNBA regular season begins on May 16.
