Three Takeaways: UNCW Takes Care of Business vs. St. Andrews
Seahawks never trailed in the blowout, but Takayo Siddle wasn’t completely happy.
These are never exactly fun to watch, but as far as non-DI games go, this one was more interesting than usual thanks to UNCW’s new system, a bit of experimentation and Coach Takayo Siddle’s decision to rest Jaylen Sims.
The Seahawks never trailed in Wednesday night’s home-opener, hitting 60 percent from the field and forcing 25 turnovers en route to a 116-66 victory over NAIA program St. Andrews at Trask Coliseum.
Jake Boggs caught fire late to finish with 25 points and five rebounds, while Ty Gadsden returned from concussion protocol with 22 points and six assists.
Here’s what we learned:
Sitting Sims
The decision for Sims, averaging 27 points, to sit was apparently one completely up to Siddle — and one that had a little strategy behind it.
Given Sims had played 159 minutes over four games, including 42 on Monday night vs. ECU, it made sense to give him a night to rest up before Saturday’s trip to Ole Miss.
Add to that some of the stagnant offense for the Seahawks late in the loss to the Pirates, Siddle was banking on the likelihood his team would find more ways to create offense and build confidence for other players.
Siddle’s decision paid off, with UNCW tallying 26 assists as nine player scored and five reached double-figures. In all, the Seahawks had 37 assists over the first four games as the offense occasionally struggled with ball movement.
Boggs, who injured his shoulder vs. Troy and played just 17 minutes over the past two games, looked like the same versatile inside-out threat he showed earlier this season, hitting 3 of 5 from behind the arc in addition to a parade of dunks.
“Jake shot the ball really, really well and i needed to see him, and i think he needed it for his confidence to see the ball go through the hole,” Siddle told UNCW play-by-play announcer Mike Vaccaro after the game. “He did some really good things on offense. “Hopefully that can get his confidence back up and get going again, because we need him for us to be successful.”
Big man Imajae Dodd was a bully around the bucket, scoring 13 points in 15 minutes to build some momentum after struggling to find a consistent role over the first four games.
Mike Okauru (12 points, 5-7 FG), who has been forced to take over the point guard role, had his most efficient offensive outing of the season while Ian Steere (9 points, 3 rebounds) got his feet wet and Brian Tolefree (8 points, 6 assists) had a solid night.
Coaching ‘em Up
For a program that built its foundation on defense, the past few seasons have been tough to watch.
Interim coach Rob Burke proved these guys could guard last season, as UNCW’s defense improved mightily over the final two months last season.
The Seahawks are taking another step with their pressure this season, but Siddle wants more — something that was apparent when he lit into his team at the under-12 media timeout.
The big lead wasn’t relevant to Siddle’s concern with what he was seeing from his team’s halfcourt defense.
“I didn’t want them to get over 55 points and every point over 55, they were going to be punished for it tomorrow in practice, so i was a little disappointed in our defensive effort in the halfcourt,” he said. “It seemed like if we didn’t get a turnover or steal, they were scoring the basketball and I don’t like that; we’ve got to clean that up.”
“My biggest thing with them was, ‘Fight human nature; you’re up with a big lead like that, don’t give in to human nature and stay locked in and do the things we did to get the lead.’”
It’s tough to knock a defense that turned 25 turnovers in 38 points, but once the ball crossed the timeline, the overmatched Knights got more good looks than a team with their size should have, hitting 20 of 44 2-point attempts and 5 of 10 from beyond the arc.
UNCW rolled out its most suffocating trapping and pressing of the season, finishing with 16 steals and two 10-second violations, helping to push the tempo to 81 possessions for the second straight game.
Siddle saw some growth, but it’s still not where he’d like.
“I want to get to a point where I feel comfortable enough to use it every game, but I’m not quite there yet,” he said. “I think we still need to work on our traps, I think we need to work on our rotations. I feel a little bit better after today’s game, but I don’t feel comfortable enough to do it on an (every-game) basis.”
Getting Bigger
It’s been a good week for answers to the questions UNCW has regarding big men.
Although he’s listed at 6-5, 210 pounds, Pridgen may well end up being the Seahawks’ best rebounder this season, and he certainly brings another level of toughness to the lineup, averaging 12 points and nine rebounds in two games.
Steere hasn’t played in many games over the past two seasons and he still needs time to get up to full speed, but there were some hints of what he could be with his size, strength and athleticism around the basket.
It’s also becoming apparent that Boggs has a more aggressive approach. After attempting 68 2-pointers and 77 3-pointers last season, Boggs has 26 2-point attempts and 13 3-points attempts this season. He’s also drawing more contact, having attempted 15 free throws in this season vs. 18 all of last season.
In Conclusion…
A good game for everyone to get minutes, build confidence and experiment with different lineups.
Most importantly, it was great to see Siddle driving home the idea of playing to the standard they’ve set and finding value in ever minute of a blowout, rather than focusing on the big lead and getting off the floor.
Great coaches and programs focus on the process, and generally, they’ll get the results they want. This is the start of a long process to bring UNCW basketball to the top of the CAA— but so far, it’s been an incredibly positive one.
Next Up
UNCW visits Ole Miss at 5 p.m. Saturday in a game that will be available via the ESPN App on SEC Network+. The Rebels, a strong defensive team, will open their season tonight vs. Jackson State.
Quick Tips
UNCW’s 1.43 points per possession was easily its best offensive performance of the season. The 0.81 PPP for St. Andrews tied the Seahawks’ best defensive efficiency number.
The Seahawks are averaging 25 free throw attempts per game after getting to the line 18.1 times per game last season.
Siddle has been involved in UNCW’s two most-recent games with 16 steals — Wednesday night, and as an assistant in the Nov. 11, 2016 win over Claflin.
Siddle was also on the sidelines as a UNCW assistant the last time it forced 25 turnovers, in the Dec. 2, 2015 win over Coker.
Jamahri Harvey has made 9 of 15 field goal attempts over the past two games after shooting 6 of 27 over the first three games.