Seahawks Start Strong, Can't Hang Around

A tough night in Connecticut had some positives

It’s not often you walk away from a 36-point blowout believing both teams will compete for championships, but UConn’s 86-50 victory over UNCW on Friday night helped confirm a few things.

First, Dan Hurley has built a fantastic, balanced roster that is going to give the Huskies (4-0) a chance to play on the first weekend in April.

Second, the Seahawks (1-3) are going to become a good team that has the potential to hang another CAA banner in Trask Coliseum because on Friday night, they showed they’re not going to back down — even against one of the most dominant players in the country.

“We fought, we clawed; I thought we won most of the 50-50 balls,” UNCW coach Takayo Siddle said. “So, I couldn’t be more proud of them. Hate losing, like I said — no moral victories — but a lot of positives we can take away from this.”

Jamarii Thomas scored a career-high 16 points (6/8 FG) while Shykeim Phillips got back on track with a 16-point effort of his own.

Here’s what we took from Friday night’s loss as the Seahawks close the book on one of the toughest stretches of scheduling in the program’s history.

Answering the Bell

Tuesday night’s effort at Oklahoma wasn’t the UNCW basketball program we’ve come to expect, with Siddle saying the Hawks were just a step or two slow and lacking the force he was used to.

Facing an even better team in UConn on Friday, the Hawks didn’t seem to care they were facing massive, rugged team with a slew of four-star recruits.

UNCW’s effort, and particularly its tenacity on the boards, was clearly causing frustration as the Huskies couldn’t shake free, leading just 23-22 with three minutes remaining in the first half.

“I give Wilmington a lot of credit for the first 15 minutes of that,” Hurley said. “A 27-win team with the culture (Siddle has) created and a team that outrebounded North Carolina — a dominant rebounding team with maybe the best rebounder in the country.

“We knew we’d be challenged on the backboard and they kicked our butt on the glass, and I think that demoralized us. “We made some defensive mistakes too…”

It was at that point in the game that UConn’s stars took over — offensively and defensively — while UNCW’s offense struggled to find a rhythm.

Despite the growing margin, the Seahawks never stopped fighting on the glass or racing to loose balls.

Ultimately, the Huskies won the overall rebounding battle 36-30, but UNCW held a 13-6 edge on the offensive end.

“They’re bigger than us, they’re stronger, they’re more athletic, and for the majority of the game, we were leading the rebounding category,” Siddle said.

After Tuesday night, it was important that the Seahawks get back to their identity, and they did just that.

“Thought we really fought and competed, which is what I wanted, so I’m proud of my guys. I hate losing, they hate losing — but we can learn from this. As long as we keep fighting and competing, we’re going to be just fine. “

Thomas’ Time

In the aftermath of the Oklahoma game, Siddle shared his thoughts with Thomas, who had started the season with 9 points on 3 of 19 shooting in three games.

Simply put, he wanted a more mature approach from his backup point guard.

“I challenged him after the Oklahoma game to really lock in and have better practices, and really lock in just be disciplined — more of a disciplined player,” Siddle said.

He got that and more on Friday, as Thomas showed a great feel for the game. He knew when to take his man to the rim, when to pull up for a quick jumper and when to pull out and reset altogether.

Although he made a couple of turnovers in the second half after the game had largely gotten out of hand, it was precisely the kind of mature, disciplined performance you’re looking for in a floor general.

With that kind of production, he’ll have to be on the floor more than 14 minutes.

“I thought tonight, he came out and gave us some really good minutes,” Siddle said.

Tough Night for Tra

Trazarien White obviously wasn’t himself, scoring 2 points on 1 of 3 shooting in just 12 minutes.

Asked about White’s limited production and role after the game, Hurley said that the UNCW forward was indeed dealing with health issues.

“I talked to coach and a couple of their players, and he was battling some flu and I think he might have rolled an ankle,” he said.

Taking Stock

This closes the book on one of the toughest stretches in the program’s history, as KenPom currently has the Seahawks’ schedule ranked as the fifth strongest in the nation.

We’ve seen glimpses of a team that can defend at a high-level, even against a team like UNC. We’ve definitely seen a team that has the energy and fight that it takes to compete for championships. This is definitely a team that can dominate the glass in a way we haven’t seen lately. Several guys have the ability to beat their man off the dribble to score in the lane.

On the other side, we’ve seen a team that gets stagnant on offense with subpar passing. There have been some bad shots late in the shot clock, and in some cases, wide-open misses. Against Division I opponents, UNCW has made 9 of 52 attempts (17.3 percent) from 3-point range.

It seems like a lot of those positives are innate — the things in your program’s DNA and the personality of your players.

When you assess the current struggles, there’s nothing that stands out as something that absolutely can’t be corrected. There were similar shooting struggles early last season before the mid-December breakthrough.

Oh, and life gets a little easier when you’re not playing Final Four-caliber opponents on the road.

Siddle offered up his assessment of the team’s progress on Friday night.

“I think we’re becoming the team we envisioned,” he said. “Obviously, the offense is not there, but our opponent has a lot to do with it … we’re starting to form a little bit. Defensively, we’re doing some really good things. Offensively, we have a lot to clean up, but like I said, our opponent has a lot to do with it.”

“I love where we’re going. I just told them, ‘Hey, keep on pushing and if we keep on sticking to the process, we’re going to break through here soon.’”

Mutual Respect

The Huskies were pretty impressive on television, but apparently more so from the opposite sideline.

“That’s the best team we’ve played up to this point, hands down,” Siddle said. “He (Dan Hurley) does a really good job. I thought our guys never backed down; we were just outmanned tonight.

“That team right there will have a chance to win a national championship.”

Several times leading up to and after the game, Hurley talked about how hard UNCW plays, and how well the Seahawks rebound the ball.

“Coach Siddle is one of the best young coaches — better young mid-major coaches — in the country,” he said.

Up Next

UNCW returns to Trask Coliseum on Monday night for a tune-up game vs. Mount Olive, a Division II opponent.

After that, the Seahawks head south for the Baha Mar Nassau Championship, beginning Friday vs. Missouri State. UNCW will get three games vs. strong mid-major competition in the Bahamas.