Media Day: UNCW women’s basketball looking to capitalize on best season in years
WILMINGTON, N.C. (WWAY) — The women’s basketball team at UNCW opens their season a month from Friday at East Carolina, which is when they will look to keep building their program up from what was a very low place not too long ago.
The Seahawks finished 14-18 last season, which was their most wins since 2018-19 and more than their last three years combined.
Head Coach Nicole Woods is entering year three at the helm. She says the squad has improved both in terms of their record as well as on paper.
(Photo: Colton Emswiler/WWAY)
“We went from hoping to win to expecting to win,” Woods said. “That was a shift based off of us and what we do and how we do it. We ended up finishing third in the conference in points per game, second in three-point field goal percentage and first in free throw percentage. To give some context, we were pretty much dead last in any category that mattered the year before.”
Woods says she likes to bring in athletes with a winning pedigree rather than just those with the most talent.
(Photo: Colton Emswiler/WWAY)
The Seahawks will not return their top four leading scorers from a year ago. Their top returner in that category is Kate Hollifield, who feels the entire team will step up and sustain their newfound success.
“It’s going to take a lot of accountability and a lot of work, but I’m 100-percent positive the people that come in here can do it because we’ve established such a good culture and such a good foundation for everyone,” Hollifield said.
(Photo: Colton Emswiler/WWAY)
The team’s most experienced player is McCall King, the only senior to be with UNCW her entire career. Despite being recruited by the previous regime, she believes in what Woods is trying to build.
“I absolutely love Wilmington and I believe a lot in loyalty,” King said. “When Coach Woods and her staff took over, I just knew that I wanted to stay here and play for them. I really trusted what they were doing, how they did things.”
(Photo: Colton Emswiler/WWAY)
Junior Corrie McLaughlin was part of Woods’ first recruiting class and has seen how things have changed during her tenure.
“Our team chemistry was by far the best that I’ve ever been a part of. Hopefully we’re able to transfer that over to this season. We have a lot of newcomers, but we also have a lot of returners. Just gelling is really what made us be so successful last year.”
(Photo: Colton Emswiler/WWAY)
The team will hold their fundraiser luncheon on Tuesday. Ashley graduate and WNBA player Saniya Rivers will be the guest speaker as the event is named in honor of her late mother and former Seahawk, Dee Dee Toon Rivers.
Click here to learn more about the luncheon.
