Fresh start for UNCW women’s basketball as Seahawks welcome 11 newcomers
WILMINGTON, N.C. (WWAY) — The countdown to tipoff is on for UNCW women’s basketball. Head coach Nicole Woods is gearing up for a new season with a new-look Seahawks squad, looking to make some noise in the CAA.
“I wanted to recruit a team full of people that I would wanna be in the foxhole with in a war, and that’s what we have,” Woods said.
Coming off a seven-win season, UNCW women’s basketball is turning the page with an almost entirely new roster. Eleven new Seahawks and just one returner, guard Ebbony Wilson, who redshirted last season.
“First, I was a little nervous ’cause like everybody left and I was like the only one like gotta meet new people. But this summer, it was really easy to like get close with the girls and like make a bond with them,” Wilson said.
But for head coach Nicole Woods, rebuilding this roster was about more than just basketball. She wanted players who embraced the program’s identity, “Built Fierce.” Fearlessness, integrity, energy, respect, commitment and excellence.
“That was the first thing that I watched, that I looked for, whether it was on the court, whether it was the academics, whether it was just who they were as a person. And then from there is then when we got to the, the basketball piece of things,” Woods said.
Among the new faces is forward Naylee Cortes, who is trading one Carolina for another. After four years at the College of Charleston, Cortes is bringing some familiarity with the CAA to Wilmington.
“I’m from Bogota, Colombia South America and I went to Orlando for high school, and then I went to College of Charleston, and then I transferred here to UNCW. I already know what to expect from certain teams the effort or their playing style. So, I think that will help us a lot and help me to be able to help my team,” Cortes said.
With so many new faces, building chemistry has been important. And Woods took an unconventional approach, sending the team to camp without their phones.
“During the preseason, I took them up to Camp Kirkwood and stuck them in a cabin all together, two bathroom stalls, two showers, took their cell phones, and here we are all weekend and they came out a different team,” Woods said.
Now, the Seahawks are looking to turn that bond into wins and prove this new-look squad is ready to compete.
“They can expect a winning team. I do believe this team is capable of winning a lot of games and like just bringing a lot of good energy and being really aggressive during games,” Wilson said.
The Seahawks close out the preseason with an exhibition match Saturday at NC State. They’ll officially open the regular season at home on Nov. 3 against Barton College, with tipoff set for 6 p.m. at Trask Coliseum.
