UNCW Men's Basketball Team Ready To Tip Off Regular Season

Benny Moss and his new-look Seahawks make their 2008-09 debut Friday at home when Appalachian State visits Trask Coliseum. The two teams square off for the first time since 1993. Appalchian State leads the 17-game series by a 10-7 margin and has taken two straight and five of the last six meetings. The in-state rivals are scheduled to meet again next year in Boone. UNCW is 5-2 all-time at Trask Coliseum against ASU.

Much has been made about the loss of four seniors, but more than inexperience, height, or lack thereof, may be the biggest concern for UNCW. They will most likely have a four guard starting line-up of Chad Tomko (5'11"), Jerel Stephenson (6'5"), Darryl Felder (6'3"), and Johnny Wolf (6'2"), with Dominique Lacy (6'7") starting at forward. With Montez Downey as they only experienced player available on the bench with any size (6'5"), rebounding is going to have to be a team wide mission. UNCW forward Will Ohuaregbe is out indefinitely with a knee injury.

Lacy will have his hands full against App. State's 6'10" Issac Butts who outweighs him by 75 pounds. Fortunately for the Seahawks, Butts is the only inside player that should give them fits as the rest of their starting line up resembles UNCW's in stature.

After last year's season of redemption, UNCW has now won at least 20 games in five of the last eleven seasons. While no one expects them to accomplish that goal this year, the Seahawks were picked to finish 11th in the 12 team CAA, and there has been plenty of turmoil to surround the off-season with players leaving, what happens this season is really anyone's guess.

Can last year's freshmen, Chad Tomko and Dominique Lacy, assume more leadership as sophomores? Can Johnny Wolf step in and help fill the scoring void created by graduating four seniors? Can Jerel Stephenson and Montez Downey, along with the rest of the team, crash the boards and get some rebounds?

On Friday, we'll begin to find out the answers to these questions, but it should take some time for the Seahawks to gel. With only one starter back from last year's team, players will be learning new roles, and this team may not play its best basketball until conference time.

The last time UNCW faced App St. was in 1993. On Nov. 26, the day after Thanksgiving, Appalachian’s Chad McClendon was a one-man wrecking crew for the Mountaineers, scoring 21 points and snaring eight rebounds in a 72-65 season-opening victory. McClendon scored several key points down the stretch to hold off a late charge by the Seahawks, who shoot just 34 percent from the floor.

The Seahawks stand 5-5 in season openers over the last 10 years, but have won five straight season debuts since an 85-76 loss at Texas Tech in Brad Brownell’s first year on the UNCW bench in 2001-02.
Date Result
11-13-98 Memphis 79, UNCW 75
11-20-99 UW-Green Bay 46, UNCW 38
11-17-00 La Salle 78, UNCW 71
11-12-01 Wake Forest 79, UNCW 78
11-22-02 Texas Tech 85, UNCW 76
11-21-03 UNCW 65, Marshall 56
11-19-04 UNCW 58, Marshall 57
11-13-05 UNCW 75, Butler 59
11-13-06 UNCW 88, Belmont 83
11-10-07 UNCW 98, CofC 91, OT
-Information provided by UNCW Sports Information Department

-- Jesse Jones, CAPE FEAR SPORTS REPORT