Now that the Seahawks were in the big time there were some choices Wainwright would have to make to move this program forward.  Most teams moving on up went with a combination of carryover players and junior college talent to make an impact.  Most of the coaches were carryovers from the successes of the old programs in the lower leagues and felt they owed it to their carryover players who had done so well against lesser competition.  Most of the time these players were not ready for the prime time and this method actually slowed down the process.  Wainwright did not have those issues as Wilmington brought him in fresh and let him do it the way he wanted.  This meant Wainwright was going to be bringing in his own recruits and that included a huge crew of freshmen to start this program at this new level.  Would it work?  Well let’s see! 

The North Carolina at Wilmington Seahawks put together a much better than expected season in the first year of the Colonial Athletic Association Conference last season.  Picked by most to be at the bottom of the conference, the Seahawks played steady ball and were in the upper half of the league standings for most of the year.  A late swoon left them finishing a disappointing sixth in the newly formed CAA.  The lack of any real size inside has led Wainwright to recruit five freshmen bigger than anyone who has ever been on the Seahawk roster.  Plus a JC stud who is a 6’8 inside player who might beat them all out including the returning guys.  Speaking of those experienced players will give them a chance to keep their jobs and a few might just do that.  First and foremost is a high scoring kid from Cambria Heights New York.  

Senior wing Jay Neary is a scorer with a great jump shot that could be relied upon.  Wainwright knows that in modern basketball you can compete with anyone on a given night if you can shoot the three.  Neary can shoot the three.  And just about any other jump shot.  This smooth wing can light it up with the best of them and was once a Tar Heel.  No really a Raleigh type Tar Heel.  Neary had played on the freshman team at Chapel Hill and actually led the team in scoring before transferring to Wilmington.  (Apparently the Tar Heels were going for the more athletic type at the two guard).  The lefty sweet swisher has a great nose for the game and can really light it up.  He is counted on to take the clutch shot and he does.  He didn’t always make it but that is what a great shooter does.  Neary is the one guard on the roster that is safe as Wainright would be a fool to replace.   As for the big men he does not have as much, if any, capable upperclassmen.   

There might not be much quality here on the front line but there is quantity.  The Seahawks took a big hit in the off season when their best big, Gene Bogash, transferred to Drake.  Bogash leaves a big hole to fill but there are many willing replacements both on the returning roster and the new guys coming in.  Wainright has 5 senior post players coming back and none of them are taller than 6’6.  6’6 Mike McQuay is the returning starter at center and he has some girth to go with his yes, 6’6 frame.  This 235 pounder would be a heck of a tight end and he is physical but is nowhere near big enough for this level of play.  Neither is fellow 6’6 guys (man lots of 6’s rolling around this narrative, better mention Bill and the Dr and Lebron) Jim Braxton (speaking of tight ends) and Marshall Hamilton.  6’4 Butch Budd and 6’2 Frank Bua are also in the mix but are way too undersized though they did play well in limited minutes last year.  Budd is a hometown kid who is probably better suited for the wing and Bua is a Boston tough kid who loves to mix it up with the much bigger boys.  All of these Hawks could be replaced before the end of the year.  Juniors Howard ‘the Duck’ Dunn, David Prince, Dave Wolff and Garry (High Noon) Cooper are not any bigger but are much better offensive players.  Dunn is a 6’5 kid from Danville Virginia who can score inside.  Wolff and Prince will battle it out for the starting small forward spot and they are pretty even matched.  Wolff is bigger at 6’5 to Prince’s 6’3 and that might give him an advantage to start but both can play. Wolff got considerable time off the bench as well at least the first half.  Wolff is a gamer who can go down low and can hit some jumpers and does not mind to mix it up.  Ironically Wolff, a solid scorer, got hurt at about the same time as Neary and missed the rest of the season.  Wolff is a huge fan favorite but is too small to play down low in the CAA. Prince is undersized but can shoot the ball and run the court and finishes with a signature finger roll that the Iceman would be proud of.  Cooper is a terrific who plays much bigger than his familiar 6’6.  Cooper is a beast inside who can board and led the team in blocks last year.  These guys will not get bumped out without a fight.  Sophomore Danny Davis did not play on varsity last year and was not that good on the JV but he has the body that means business and could be molded into something special. Davis started out this career in Wilmington as a skinny kid who was just hoping to make the team.  He has worked extremely hard in the weight room and is now a chiseled power forward who loves to rebound and play defense. At 6’7 235 this Alliance NC kid needs a lot of work and reps but man he could be something special if he learns how to play this game? 

Wainwright does inherit one big man he was not going to even attempt to replace in Sophomore Brian Rowsom.  Rowsom is six foot nine and goes about 235 and  looked very solid at the power forward spot (his natural position) or at the center when needed there.  Still, the team had no idea who was going to handle the other wing, the point and the center position.  The center position went through many changes during the year as injuries accumulated for some guys Wainwright counted on and Rowsom was always there to keep banging away.  Rowsom is not just a big guy who eats up space and can post up smaller players, he is also a tremendous athlete who can run the court and uses his quickness to defend passing lanes and on the wings.  Of course the best part of his game is his ability to use his size and great strength to get easy buckets down low.  This small town kid from just up the road in Columbia (a true one stop light town) was not heavily recruited and came here as a skinny six foot six kid.  He is a quiet kid but is polite and has a great work ethic.  His board work is superb and he is adept and grabbing rebounds and hitting a quick outlet pass to start the Seahawk fastbreak.    

The battle for the stating point guard will most assuredly end up with a Martin starting.  Three of the four competitors last name is Martin with senior Jerry and twin juniors Bobby and Billy in the running with junior Rick Alessi.  Alessi only goes 5’9 but is a terrific so the Martins better watch out.  Alessi does not score hardly at all and the Martins can a little (all three) so that might be their in.  Jerry is 6’0 and the twins 6’1 and all can defend so they got that going for them as well.  The bench for the Seahawks did get some experience especially after some big injuries as shown by it’s late season collapse.  Senior Jim Hall will backup Neary once again though when they have been on the court together the Seahawks offensively are much better.   Hall goes 6’3 185 from Danville VA and is another top notch shooter.  Most guy do not like to have more than one outside guy but the game has changed and Wainright might want to get these two on the court together more often.  Another top role player is Sophomore Shawn Williams.  Williams is solid wing who gives the team an athletic wing who can score a little and defend.  Williams is used to being a role player after his high school career playing next to the human highlight film himself at Washington High School in Carolina.  Dominique Wilkins of course went to Georgia and Williams loved Wilmington and came here and has not looked back.  At six four he guards much bigger players and can also score around the hoop.        

This season was as huge stepping stone for future success for the program. Early season and especially out of conference success was a bit derailed in their first year in the CAA and some of those footprints had to be backtracked in but there was progress. New Coach Wainright understands the challenges and has recruited size and shooters for the future.  This team will be built through long term prospects instead of the JC route as Wainright has made abundantly clear.  That is a great policy for sure if the kids all buy into the process.  Now if they can stay together and keep improving, the Seahawks should really challenge in the tough Colonial Conference for years to come.