UNC Wilmington Basketball: 10-Year Snapshot & 2024-25 Season Update

2025 North Carolina Sports Network
North Carolina Basketball Spotlight:
UNC Wilmington

By David Glenn
North Carolina Sports Network

School: UNC Wilmington

Location: Wilmington, N.C.

NCAA DI Member Since: 1976-77

Conference: Coastal Athletic Association (CAA)

CAA Member Since: 1984-85

CAA Ranking Among 31 Leagues (KenPom): 17th (2025), 19th (2024), 26th (2023), 14th (2022), 19th (2021), 18th (2020)

NCAA Tournament Bids: 6 (2000, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2016, 2017)

Conference Titles: 6 (2000, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2016, 2017)

Conference 1st-Place Finishes: 9 (1997, 1998, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2022)

Head Coach: Takayo Siddle (38 years old, 5th season)

As A Player: Gardner-Webb (2005-09)

Record As Head Coach (through Feb. 12): 99-44 (.692) in 4+ seasons

Previous HC Experience: none

College AC Experience: Gardner-Webb (2010-14), UNCW (2014-17), NC State (2017-20)

Assistant Under: Kevin Keatts, Chris Holtmann, Tim Craft

2023-24 Record: 21-10, 12-6 (3rd in 14-team CAA)

2024-25 Preseason Prediction (Coaches): 3rd in 14-team CAA

2024-25 Record (through Feb. 12): 20-5, 10-2 CAA

2024-25 Midseason Ranking (KenPom): #112 nationally (1st in CAA)

Remaining Regular-Season Schedule: Charleston (2/13), Elon (2/15), at William & Mary (2/20), at Hampton (2/22), at Campbell (2/27), Delaware (3/1)

Takayo Siddle already has been part of the greatest three-year run in UNC Wilmington basketball history.

That started about a decade ago, under then-head coach Kevin Keatts, with Siddle as one of the team’s assistant coaches. The Seahawks won or shared three consecutive regular-season titles in what’s now called the Coastal Athletic Association, and they made back-to-back NCAA Tournament trips after winning the CAA Tournament in 2016 and 2017.

Keatts, of course, utilized that sensational run to get the NC State job. Prior to Keatts, Kevin Eastman (Washington State in 1994), Jerry Wainwright (Richmond in 2002) and Brad Brownell (Wright State in 2006) also turned their success with the Seahawks into bigger paydays and/or higher-profile opportunities.

Meanwhile, four other modern-day UNCW head coaches — Robert McPherson (1990), Benny Moss (2010), Buzz Peterson (2014) and C.B. McGrath (2020) — were dismissed after only three or four seasons. Each finished with a losing record during his time with the Seahawks.

Siddle, 38, is now in his fifth season calling the shots at UNCW, and while he hasn’t yet led the Seahawks to the NCAA Tournament (as Wainwright, Brownell and Keatts did twice each), his 2022 team tied for first place in the CAA. After a difficult, COVID-impacted head coaching debut in 2020-21, he’s had three consecutive top-three finishes (counting ties) in the league standings.

Although the Seahawks lost three starters from last season, including first-team All-CAA forward Trazarien White to the transfer portal (TCU) and third-team All-CAA guard — and ace defender — Shykeim Phillips to graduation, they appear to be among the top candidates for CAA supremacy again this year.

Guard Donovan Newby, a Milwaukee transfer in his third season at UNCW, is having by far the best season of his five-year college career. He’s leading the team in scoring (16 ppg), assists (3.5 apg), free throw conversions (111 makes; 88 percent) and 3-point shooting (59 makes; 39 percent).

After beating Appalachian State, East Carolina and UNC Asheville during the nonconference schedule, the Seahawks started 10-2 in conference play, including an impressive 85-74 victory over first-place William & Mary on Jan. 20 and an 85-83 win at fellow contender Charleston on Jan. 23.

“Our focus is to just be great at the next thing in front of us,” Siddle said. “We just have to keep getting a little bit better each and every day. That’s our focus, because there’s a lot of basketball left.”

2024-25 UNCW Seahawks
(20-5, 10-2 CAA; through Feb. 12)

STARTERS (stats = 2024-25 numbers)

G Donovan Newby, Gr. (6-1/185) — 2022 Milwaukee transfer (starter)
33 mpg, 16 ppg, 3 rpg, 42% FG, 88% FT, 39% threes, 87/43 ATO, 2 blocks, 28 steals

G Joshua Corbin, Gr. (6-3/190) — 2024 Robert Morris transfer (2-year starter)
25 mpg, 8 ppg, 2 rpg, 34% FG, 91% FT, 33% threes, 44/16 ATO, 1 block, 7 steals

G Nolan Hodge, Jr. (6-7/190) — 2022 in-state HS signee (Northern Guilford HS)
23 mpg, 7 ppg, 4 rpg, 40% FG, 80% FT, 34% threes, 28/23 ATO, 3 blocks, 13 steals

F Sean Moore, Gr. (6-7/190) — 2024 FDU transfer (2-year starter)
23 mpg, 9 ppg, 7 rpg, 44% FG, 56% FT, 32% threes, 32/43 ATO, 6 blocks, 39 steals

F Khamari McGriff*, r-Jr. (6-9/210) — 2021 signee (Rickards HS in Fla.)
20 mpg, 12 ppg, 4 rpg, 67% FG, 66% FT, 67% threes, 17/20 ATO, 27 blocks, 10 steals

KEY RESERVES (stats = 2024-25 numbers)

G Noah Ross*, Jr. (6-7/210) — 2022 HS signee (Trinity Academy in Raleigh)
23 mpg, 8 ppg, 5 rpg, 49% FG, 68% FT, 29% threes, 33/23 ATO, 2 blocks, 11 steals

G Bo Montgomery, Gr. (6-5/205) — 2024 Holy Cross transfer (3-year starter)
21 mpg, 8 ppg, 4 rpg, 43% FG, 77% FT, 36% threes, 53/25 ATO, 8 blocks, 19 steals

G Greedy Williams, Jr. (6-5/190) — 2024 Chipola JC transfer (NJCAA A-A)
21 mpg, 6 ppg, 3 rpg, 41% FG, 75% FT, 27% threes, 60/24 ATO, 0 blocks, 17 steals

F Harlan Obioha, Jr. (7-0/280) — 2024 Niagara transfer (starter)
20 mpg, 9 ppg, 6 rpg, 61% FG, 57% FT, 0% threes, 20/41 ATO, 33 blocks, 16 steals

Departures from 2023-24: F Nick Farrar (Sr./transfer/Guilford), G Maleeck Harden-Hayes* (Ss./Portugal), F Ahmard Harvey (r-Sr.), G KJ Jenkins (r-Sr./Austria), G Shykeim Phillips* (r-Sr./Serbia), G Shemar Rathan-Mayes (Sr./transfer/Mercyhurst), F Eric Van Der Heijden (Jr./transfer/Campbell), F Trazarien White* (Jr./transfer/TCU)

*—2023-24 starter (started at least 50% of the Seahawks’ games last season)

UNCW Seahawks
10-Year Snapshot

Season: Overall, League (Place), Postseason

2023-24: 21-10, 12-6 CAA (3rd), no postseason (Takayo Siddle)
2022-23: 24-10, 12-6 CAA (3rd), no postseason (Takayo Siddle)
2021-22: 27-9, 15-3 CAA (t-1st*), CBI champion (Takayo Siddle)
2020-21: 7-10, 1-6 CAA (10th), no postseason (Takayo Siddle)
2019-20: 10-22, 5-13 CAA (9th), no postseason (C.B. McGrath)
2018-19: 10-23, 5-13 CAA (10th), no postseason (C.B. McGrath)
2017-18: 11-21, 7-11 CAA (6th), no postseason (C.B. McGrath)
2016-17: 29-6, 15-3* CAA (1st*), NCAA 1st round (Kevin Keatts)
2015-16: 25-8, 14-4* CAA (t-1st*), NCAA 1st round (Kevin Keatts)
2014-15: 18-14, 12-6 CAA (t-1st*), CIT 1st round (Kevin Keatts)

*—conference champion (regular-season and/or tournament)

NOTE: Please visit the North Carolina Sports Network’s 2024-25 profiles and 10-year snapshots (links below) for all 19 Division One men’s basketball programs in North Carolina and all 18 Atlantic Coast Conference programs.

Appalachian State Mountaineers, Sun Belt Conference

Boston College Eagles, Atlantic Coast Conference

California Golden Bears, Atlantic Coast Conference

Campbell Camels, Coastal Athletic Association

Charlotte 49ers, American Athletic Conference

Clemson Tigers, Atlantic Coast Conference

Duke Blue Devils, Atlantic Coast Conference

East Carolina Pirates, American Athletic Conference

Elon Phoenix, Coastal Athletic Association

Florida State Seminoles, Atlantic Coast Conference

Gardner-Webb Runnin’ Bulldogs, Big South Conference

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, Atlantic Coast Conference