Jeffrey Gary adjusting to life in the Port City

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — The Seahawks are full of new faces this season as the team transitions under Coach C.B. McGrath. One of them is freshman Jeffrey Gary coming to the team from Colorado with a a unique connection to the school.

“My uncle played for UNCW,” Gary said. “I’m not quite sure they years but he mentioned the Seahawk Club and how that’s a forever fraternity type deal. It’s so different from when he played that there wasn’t much advice he could give me.”

He now dawns the same colors his uncle once did, but it was a different kind of family that helped bring him across the country to the port city.

“The family culture was great with the coaches and stuff when I came on my visit,” Gary said. “You can just feel it. It wasn’t like a business, it was like a family.”

Gary got the first taste of playing with his new basketball family when the Seahawks played in a jamboree featuring ECU, Greensboro and the national champion Tar Heels.

He did not shy away from finding his shot against the defending champs, but he says he still has more to learn about playing at the college level.

“The speed and physicality and how you have to pick up plays faster,” Gary said. “I’m enjoying it. It’s easy for me to get knocked off-balance. The speed is different than high school in college but that comes with time.”

As that time progresses, Gary looks to be another nice piece on a very talented roster. When he grasps that speed he knows he can contribute to the team on the court.

“I think I’m a bigger and taller guard,” Gary said. “I’m a pretty good passer too. I can play one and two so I’m a versatile guard.”

It’s critical for Gary to have friends like Jay Estime and Jordon Talley as he adjusts to life without his family and little sister in the same state. But as he continues to work, his family will have plenty to cheer for.