Perchcast

Thanks to a business-like win over NC A&T, the Seahawks set up a showcase opportunity for Sunday night! A sold-out Trask for UNCW vs. Charleston, alone on national TV, with a chance to win an outright CAA regular-season title. It's a heck of an opportunity for us, the league, and one of the premier rivalries in mid-major hoops. First, a quick look back at how the Hawks took care of business in a "boring" win over the Aggies, plus a breakdown of how the Cougs match up amid one of their best stretches of the season. How will things be different from the first meeting, and what adjustments will we see in the coaching chess match?

A couple of late deficits, a couple of big-time clutch performances for the Seahawks. But what's new? We have no magical analysis for all of the ways that UNCW continues to win games by coming up big in crunch time, but it sure is fun to witness every week. These dudes are incredibly tough, and it reflects in everything they do.

UNCW took a grown-man win at Charleston and kept building on it this past week, turning in a dominant defensive performance to beat Elon before surviving a heavyweight slugfest with Hofstra on Saturday. The Seahawks are playing their most consistent, toughest brand of basketball at the time it matters most. That's pretty cool!

UNCW got back to Seahawk Basketball on Monday night in Charleston, winning their sixth straight game over the rival Cougars. Enjoy!

Thursday night really sucked, and watching it for a second time only made things worse. The Seahawks didn't much resemble the team we've gotten to know this season, as they veered away from their trademark physicality, toughness, and ability to make the big play when it mattered. Now, the Seahawks head south to renew their rivalry with a Charleston team that has flipped their season over the past two months, surging to the top of the league thanks to Jlynn Counter and two excellent big men. UNCW always bounces back in this spot -- how will they do it on Monday night?

Another year, another grown-man game against Towson. This time around, though, UNCW came out on top thanks to a balanced team effort, and hit the CAA halfway point at 8-1 despite having played six games on the road. Bill and Brant break down the offensive wrinkles the Seahawks worked in against a big, physical Towson front line, then get into Thursday night's big matchup with William & Mary at Trask. Also, a look around the CAA, the inevitable coaching carousel discussion, Gavin Walsh's status, and whether UNCW has a shot at an at-large bid.

The Seahawks learned a tough lesson last week in Williamsburg, where another first-half deficit proved too deep to dig out of against a good William & Mary team. The Tribe mixed their defenses early and got UNCW out of character before a second-half rally. It seemed there was a lesson in the loss, though, as the Hawks showed up with their best all-around performance in weeks in a tough win at Hampton behind an incredible performance from Greedy Williams, another big one from Patrick Wessler, and nice contributions from Makoi Mabor and Jahnathan Lamothe. Now, UNCW heads north to meet rival Towson in a pivotal game for the Tigers, who sit at 4-4 after recovering from a slow start in CAA play.

Another double-digit deficit, another gutsy win for the Seahawk. This team just keeps finding a way to stack wins. This time around, it was the steady hand of Patrick Wessler in the middle while Madison Durr and Greedy Williams finished things off with a sensational performance for the Second Half Seahawks. In this episode we cover: - Another great comeback in Trask - Patrick Wessler, First Team All-CAA? - The importance of aggressive Greedy - Madison Durr's leadership - Looking ahead to William & Mary - Around the CAA

Comebacks are the theme of the week as Perchast returns from a month-long hiatus! Fortunately for us, the Seahawks made this an easy episode with Saturday's 24-point rally to stun Stony Brook, creating a moment for the history books in the process. - UNCW is 16-2 and 5-0 in conference play despite injuries, illness, and some inconsistency. How lucky are we? - What's going on with the massive disparity between first and second half performances? - Patrick Wessler has grown in a big way over the past several weeks. How'd he do it? - Nolan Hodge, absolute killer. - These dudes just find a way, and man, is it a beautiful thing.

It's been a couple of hours now, and it's still not entirely clear how UNCW rallied to beat Marshall. In their first close game of the season, the Seahawks found a way to steal a gritty win on a night they didn't play their best on either end of the floor. Patrick Wessler's career-best performance set the tone, while Nolan Hodge came up clutch down the stretch, too. What a night.

It was an abundant Thanksgiving for the Seahawks, who completely dominated five of the six halves of basketball it played in the Live Oak Bank Holiday Classic. There were all sorts of positives for UNCW, ranging from lockdown defense to sharing the basketball and excellent individual performances from Patrick Wessler, Madison Durr, and more. Bill and Brant touch on all of those interesting nuggets, as well as what we can expect against a very good, uptempo Marshall squad on Wednesday night in Trask.

The vibes are high after a 2-0 week that saw the Seahawks largely dominate wins over ECU and Radford. This team's personality is starting to show, and damn, do we love it. They're connected in a way we haven't seen recently, and that is becoming very clear with ball movement and defensive communication. In all, we touch on Gavin Walsh getting comfortable in his role, Christian May finding a rhythm as a two-way player, Makoi's major leap forward, and a character-building win on the road over the Highlanders. Plus, a look ahead to the six games at Trask Coliseum this week as Navy, Southeast Louisiana, and Gardner-Webb come to town. We close it out with a look around the CAA, where Towson got a couple of much-needed wins for the league.

After the loss at Kent State, the Seahawks returned home with a gritty, culture win over USC Upstate! Uncle Bill and Brant discuss the winning plays from Christian May and Gavin Walsh in particular, as well as points on leadership, Madison Durr's unreal ability to get to the free throw line, and Patrick Wessler finding consistency in his new role. With ECU coming to town on Tuesday night, we Jordan Riley's importance for the Pirates, as well as Gio Emejuru's dominant post play. How big of a role will foul trouble play in this one, and will the Hawks need to go small?

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times; Charles Dickens wrote that about UNCW's performance at Kent State, supposedly. Uncle Bill and Brant are on this mic this week for a nuanced discussion of the Seahawks' loss in Ohio on Monday night, which saw UNCW fall behind by 22 points before getting things in gear and fighting back. After a no-good, very bad start, there was A LOT to like about what we saw from the mildly shorthanded Seahawks, including strong outings from Pat Wessler and Nolan Hodge, Greedy Williams' asserting himself at a critical point, and the Hawks' fortitude to fight back against a REALLY good opponent. Then, a look ahead to Saturday night's matchup with an uptempo squad from USC Upstate, led by Karmani Gregory and Carmelo Adkins. Will this one be a little easier, or similar to last year's battle in Spartanburg?

It feels like forever ago the Seahawks tipped off the 2025-26 season with a win over Mount Olive! Uncle Bill and TeacherBracket are here to break down the season-opening win, including a huge night for Big Pat Wessler, Madison Durr's attacking speed, Nolan Hodge's confidence, and what was up with that second half. Then, a look ahead to a great mid-major matchup with Kent State on Monday night. The Golden Flashes play fast and come into this one averaging 103.5 points through two games while allowing 99.5. The Seahawks are likely to try to slow things down and dictate the pace. Finally, a look around #CAAhoops, where several teams let big opportunities slip away against mid-major peers and Towson looked great in a battle with Houston.

We're grateful for the opportunity to talk with one of the all-time great Seahawks, Craig Ponder! Now an assistant coach at UNCW, Ponder played a pivotal role in rebuilding the program under Coach Kevin Keatts, ultimately closing his career with a CAA championship in 2016 before pushing Duke to the wire in the NCAA Tournament. Since returning to Wilmington as a coach in 2020, Ponder has been on the sideline for the winningest period in UNCW basketball history, and last March, became the first Seahawk to win a title as a player and a member of the coaching staff.

With college hoops preview season in full swing, we're excited to welcome Hofstra senior Dylan Brett! Dylan, a play-by-play announcer and aspiring journalist, put together a 77-page CAA preview that contains more than 30,000 words on every player, coach, and storyline in the league. Along with his sharing his detailed analysis on UNCW and several other teams around the conference, he also explained the process of putting together such a massive project while trying to balance his final year of college and radio work. Great conversation with a really talented young fella who is headed for big things! Catch him talking CAA hoops all season long on Twitter at @dylanbrxtt. You'll find the preview pinned on his profile, or directly at: https://x.com/DylanBrxtt/status/1980257693643276637

Uncle Bill provides a quick rundown of what happened in today's exhibition, which saw High Point escape Trask Coliseum with a 99-98 overtime victory.

The UNCW Seahawks play basketball this week! It's just an exhibition game, but it'll be a fun one against a solid, uptempo High Point program that is also looking to build on an appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Chopped Unc Bill Jones and TeacherBracket join to discuss what we've heard about preseason practice and what we're most interested to watch on Saturday afternoon in Trask. Also, some thoughts on lineup combos and the value of these games.

Training camp is over and it's almost time to set up the tailgates, so naturally, we're talking hoops on this lovely August evening! With the CAA dropping the full schedule for the 2025-26 season, we've now got a full picture of the road to DC and UNCW's unprecedented 20-game home schedule. The Seahawks will have to find their footing on the road in January, but things set up nicely for Trask to be rocking in February. With 60 days until the first exhibition game, a few thoughts on the roster, too!

UNCW Director of Athletics Mike Oblinger stops by for his annual summer check-in just as college sports enters a new era thanks to the House Settlement and the seismic changes resulting from revenue sharing. Among the topics we covered: - Mike reflects on his second full academic year in Wilmington, with the Seahawks again hanging multiple banners while experiencing plenty of success beyond competition. - The Seahawk Club and fundraising is reaching new heights - Another offseason, another shift in NIL - Numerous facilities projects, both big and small - More progress for the women's basketball program - The men's basketball scheduling philosophy - Channeling the MBB momentum for athletics as a whole - The changing landscape of the CAA and the league's health as a whole

The man needs no introduction. UNCW Legend and CAA Champion Donovan Newby joins the program to talk about his career as a Seahawk!

We're thrilled to talk with former Seahawk guard Jaylen Fornes about his journey in life and hoops, including two different stints at UNCW that saw his teams hang banners in Trask Coliseum. Fornes, who also played pro ball in Denmark, played for three different coaches in Wilmington, with each at a distinct stage of building their program. He shares his perspective on getting to know Coach Takayo Siddle as a young assistant then reconnecting with him as a head coach as he looked to build a winning foundation. Since returning home, Fornes has been working to build his clothing brand, Stack Your Days (www.stackyourdays.net) and working with young basketball players to make their dreams come true, just as he did as a young man from humble beginnings in Pamlico County. Jaylen is an instant Perchcast legend and someone you'll see coaching very soon.

It's an *NCAA TOURNAMENT EDITION* of Perchcast! The Seahawks got it done in DC with heart, grit, and defense. There are so many incredible moments and individual contributions to talk about from UNCW's run to its seventh CAA title. We've enjoyed the celebration, but now it's time to go make some noise on the national stage against a GREAT Texas Tech team. The Hawks are going to have to play exceptionally well to get it done, but there is a path to victory.

DONOVAN NEWBY. (And every other guy on the roster, too.) UNCW plays for a banner on Monday night after another classic matchup with Charleston. The most joyful exhaustion.

Coming to you live from DC, here's a quick one looking back at the Seahawks' incredible defensive effort in the win over Hampton, and looking ahead to UNCW-Charleston, Part 3 on Monday night.

Now that we've got the schedule for Sunday, a quick look at how UNCW matches up with Hampton and how the Seahawks can avoid a repeat of the most recent meeting.

We've assembled a squad of CAA luminaries to talk hoops leading into the CAA Tournament, including head coach Pat Skerry of the regular-season champion Towson Tigers. After a good 45-minute chat with Coach Skerry, we were left to discuss everything tourney-related, including UNCW's possible opponents, the dream championship matchup, and more. Also included are Friends of the Show Jerry Beach, Jake Eichstaedt, Trevor Everette, and Brian Mull. Stay tuned for a UNCW-focused issue before the Seahawks open the tournament on Sunday evening!

Bonus Perchcast! With a big matchup in Buies Creek on Thursday night, we talked with Trevor Everette, a college hoops writer who has covered Campbell quite a bit this season. A great in-depth discussion on where these Camels came from, overcoming Jasin Sinani's injury, Eric Van Der Heijden flourishing, and what to expect in the game. Plus, we finished it off with a little look around the conference. Enjoy, and follow Trevor on Twitter at @TrevorEverette!

With their backs to the wall, the Seahawks went out and got their biggest + best win of the season by gutting one out at William & Mary. Brian Mull joins us to talk about how UNCW turned it around, toughness down the stretch, and feeding the post. We also took a good look around the league as we head into the final week of the regular season, tournament seeding possibilities and quick discussions on Campbell and Delaware. Stay tuned to a deeper discussion on Campbell coming up tomorrow!

It's been a very bad seven days, and here's what we're seeing with the Seahawks in their sudden defensive dropoff. Big opportunity to go turn it around at William & Mary tonight!

Recapping a roller coaster 48 hours for the Seahawks, from the high of beating Charleston to the low of a flat defensive effort against Elon. Looking ahead, we preview the trip to Hampton and William & Mary and then break down the final week of the regular season around the CAA.

We're in with a discussion of UNCW's absolute beatdown of Charleston, and quick preview of this weekend's matchup with Elon. Among the topics: - Harlan Obioha, absolute beast - UNCW's physicality was good - Chris Mack was right: Charleston is soft - Winning without a big night from Donovan Newby - Khamari's automatic offense - Siddle gets win No. 100 -- don't take this for granted - Looking ahead to Elon after a weird night in the CAA

After a wild weekend of hoops for Seahawks, it's time for another edition of UNCW-Charleston on Thursday night with a national audience. Let's make them feel the teal! Want to be included in next week's show? Leave a voicemail on the Perchcast Hotline at ‪910-742-0674‬! A few things we covered: - Grinding out a win at Delaware - The turnovers have to be corrected before March - Greedy Williams, professional-bucket getter - Winning without Bo and Donovan is massive - Harlan battling through a tough game - Sean Moore, the Swiss Army Knife - Why we miss Pat Kelsey - Chris Mack wants more toughness - A few calls from the Perchcast Hotline (Language warning, sorry!)

It's a Classico episode with Uncle Bill and Brant as both the men and women keep rolling! Among the topics we cover: - Taking care of business - Nolan Hodge is back! - Greedy Williams looking for his offense - The luxury of two good big men - Looking ahead at a trip north to Delaware and Drexel - Is Campbell going to the Final Four? - William & Mary vs. Charleston was fun! - Which Seahawk could play in the Super Bowl?

Friend of the Perch Brian Mull joins us to catch up on the first month of CAA play, with the Seahawks taking a four-game winning streak into Thursday night's trip to NC A&T. Among the topics we covered: - Another win at Charleston (yawn) - A mature home win vs. Hampton - How UNCW's offense has evolved this season - Bo Montgomery and Sean Moore are DUDES - Greedy? They should call him Generous Williams. - #FluGameKhamari - Coaching wrinkles and the value of switching defenses - A little all-time Seahawk discussion

We're coming off a big 2-0 week that saw the Seahawk offense find another gear thanks to a faster pace and dominant play in the paint! It feels like UNCW is playing its best basketball just in time to head to Charleston. In this episode, we touch on... - Picking up the tempo and spreading the floor - Harlan Obioha's mobility + passing - Bo Montgomery playing with confidence - Noah Ross on the attack and being Noah Ross - The potential Josh Corbin absence? - Ante Brzovic's dominance, Deywilk Tavarez's shooting, and CJ Fulton's steady hand - What kind of game should we expect in Charleston?

The Seahawks are heading back home after another weekend split, this time getting a win at Monmouth before dropping a tough one at Hofstra. In this episode, we touched on: - A strong performance against a sneaky-tough Monmouth team - Josh Corbin's best game of the season? - Sean Moore's continued rise - Donovan Newby's 30-point outing - A thin margin for error and the plays that shifted Saturday's result - Greedy Williams, the 1-3-1, and more transition buckets - Previewing Northeastern and William & Mary - Any surprises around the CAA? - Who should join the league next?

The opening weekend of CAA play got off to a disappointing start with a loss to Towson, but the Seahawks showed some progress in grinding out Saturday's win vs. Campbell. Covering all that happened through those two games, plus a quick preview of the trip north to meet Monmouth and Hofstra, where UNCW hasn't won since 2017. Among the topics covered: - Another tough loss to Towson. What happened this time? - Harlan Obioha showed what's possible for the Seahawks in the post. - Life after #ShyTime is going to take some time. - Adjusting to the physicality of conference play. - Nolan Hodge and Noah Ross had a tough Saturday, but don't expect a repeat. - Making the clutch plays to beat Campbell. - Khamari McGriff, playing through the pain and back with a vengeance. - A look around the league after watching William & Mary, Charleston,

It's time for our annual winter chat with UNCW Director of Athletics Mike Oblinger. As always, more than enough to cover in an hour. Here's what we got to: - Trask Coliseum renovation/replacement update - What does the market survey say about the arena project? - Brooks Field renovations, including the early arrival of a videoboard! - MBB + WBB locker room refreshes - Sports Medicine enhancements - Media rights (Flo, Fox Wilmington, and beyond) - A 3.5 semester GPA seems pretty good!

With two months of basketball down, we welcome back Friend of the Perch Brian Mull to take a look at the CAA and how our expectations have shifted from the preseason. Aside from the general conference discussion, we specifically touched on: - Elon's excellent start (:50) - Charleston continues to be Charleston (5:00) - Towson's unexpected struggles + a bit of UNCW-Towson preview (9:50) - Hampton as a surprise team? (16:30) - Zach Spiker is doing an excellent job with Drexel (30:30) - How this UNCW team has developed over the nonconference schedule (37:50)

The lockdown defense that led to UNCW's four-game winning streak was strangely absent in Saturday's loss to Howard. The guys break down a disappointing road loss, where things went wrong, and how those last couple of possessions played out. Unfortunately, the loss overshadowed one of the most productive offensive performances you'll ever see in Khamari McGriff's 34-point outing. Also in this episode: - Quick looks at FGCU and UNC Asheville - The return of Noah Ross! - The 3-point shooting woes continue - Bo Montgomery's two-way impact - An encouraging trend with Donovan + Khamari developing

UNCW won four straight heading into the exam week, and now, they'll have a chance to rest up before closing out nonconference play. We kept it short this week, looking back at the win over Marshall, how the Seahawks' defense continues to improve, and why Greedy Williams has been so incredibly important. Be sure to check out our second episode this week, a conversation with UNCW WBB star Ali Zelaya, a grad transfer who is juggling her grad school work in marine biology with playing D1 hoops!

We're thrilled to welcome Ali Zelaya, a graduate transfer marine biologist, artist, content creator and cat mom who happens to also play basketball for UNCW! Ali is refreshingly honest about her journey from being a big-time recruit at UNC-Chapel Hill, falling out of love with basketball and truly finding herself during her time in college. Since arriving in Wilmington, she's rediscovered her passion for the game and is helping Coach Nicole Woods build a foundation for success, as UNCW has already exceeded its win totals for the past three seasons. When she's not working to help ensure the future of coral reefs, Ali is usually posting hilarious stuff on Instagram and TikTok, offering a look inside her life as a D1 athlete, dancing with her cat, or sharing entirely too much info on her pregame routine. By far, the most intelligent conversation we've ever had on the program. Check her out online: Instagram: @alizelaya3 TikTok: @alexandrazelayaaa

One week after a flat performance against Colgate, the Seahawks have won three straight behind a new commitment to defense, rebounding, and physicality. We break down the big win over ECU, analyze the adjustments UNCW made during the Live Oak Bank Holiday Classic, and break down the breakout performances from Bo Montgomery, Harlan Obioha, and the newly-healthy Nolan Hodge.

Six games in three days, with a little turkey in between! A look back at Kansas followed by a preview of all three visitors for the Live Oak Bank Holiday Classic, and a few questions from our loyal listeners.

Live from Lawrence, Kan., a quick preview of the Seahawks' visit to Allen Fieldhouse and a few takeaways from Friday's win over USC Upstate. Many thanks to AD Mike Oblinger and OneSeahawk's Brett Keeler for hanging out!

The Seahawks are 2-0 and we've got a quick look back at the opening week before previews on USC Upstate and the big trip to Kansas. We touched on: - Donovan Newby's career-high 33 point effort - Noah Ross changing the game with his energy - Creating opportunities for Khamari - Elijah Jamison making a late impact - Established emotional, vocal leadership - Who are we looking forward to watching evolve?

Our good buddy Brian Mull quite literally wrote the book on the CAA this season, so he was kind enough to give us a good hour of his time, breaking down the league. - How will Charleston change under Chris Mack? - Who are Hofstra's new Create-a-Scorer guards? - Plenty to like about in-state rivals A&T, Campbell, and Elon! - Who might emerge from the big muddled middle? - Will we finally see a real Bill Coen Northeastern team? If you're looking only for UNCW talk, we start out with the Mount Olive game then take a look at Georgia Southern starting around the 1:02:30 mark.

We're joined by fifth-year UNCW coach Takayo Siddle to preview the 2024-25 season, starting with the transfer portal decisions in March 2024 through Tuesday night's exhibition win over Fayetteville State. Enjoy!

We're talking a lot about media days for the UNCW men's and women's basketball programs, and a little about the portion of practice we got to watch last Thursday. First, we share our initial impressions on meeting newcomers + returners for a women's basketball team poised to take a leap in the second year under Coach Nicole Woods. Next, we dive into our conversations with MBB big men Khamari McGriff and Harlan Obioha, who really illustrate just how big these Seahawks are. Finally, we take a few of your questions! Stay tuned over the coming weeks for full preview episodes focused on the Men, Women, and CAA Hoops as a whole.