UNCW women’s basketball completes locker room renovations

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WWAY) — Coming off their best season in a while, the UNCW women’s basketball team just received an equally large improvement off the court.

The Seahawks just finished renovations for their locker room facilities. Construction began in April and just finished earlier this month.

(Photo: Colton Emswiler/WWAY)

Their existing locker room was gutted and given new furnishings such as the individual lockers and carpet. The adjacent room was converted from office spaces to a lounge for the athletes, which has amenities ranging from entertainment to nutrition. Multiple video game systems and a dual pool/ping pong table are among the additions.

(Photo: Colton Emswiler/WWAY)

Head Coach Nicole Woods saw discussions on the project began when she started in 2023 and the end result exceeded her expectations.

“It definitely blew my mind from what I thought we were going to have,” Woods said. “Even the teal wall that we have in here with the teal backsplash just kind of opened up the room. Our hashtag is ‘Our Beach is Better.’ I wanted it to be light, airy, fun, beachy. It’s really turned out to be a top-notch environment for our young ladies to be in.”

(Photo: Colton Emswiler/WWAY)

The renovations aren’t just a temporary morale boost as it has long-term implications as well.

Woods says it can also serve as a recruiting tool as they try to lure some of the best talent to Wilmington.

(Photo: Colton Emswiler/WWAY)

“It matters,” Woods said. “Everything matter, especially in this new era of recruiting. People are talking about revenue share and NIL and all of these things. But at the end of the day, we’re women and we want to have a nice locker. They have vanities in their lockers to where they can have a mirror to get ready for the games. They have a plug to where they can charge their phones or even their blow driers to blow dry their hair. It sounds small, but it’s a big thing in our space and what we do.”