Our CAA previews continue with a closer look at the UNCW Seahawks.
2010-11 in Review: Buzz Peterson made a splash at Wilmington in his first season as head coach, leading the Seahawks to a 13-8 record (7-12 CAA). UNCW, who was picked to finish last in the coaches’ preseason poll, finished eighth and lost to Georgia State 58-52 in the first round of the conference tournament after shooting a dismal 29.5 percent from the field. Peterson finished third in the coach of the year voting, and looks to bring the same enthusiasm to Trask Coliseum in 2011-12. The Seahawks opened the New Year with wins against William & Mary and Georgia State, and fell to VCU before beating Delaware. Sitting 3-2 in CAA play on Jan. 13, UNCW went into a tumultuous slide and lost seven out of nine conference games, and Peterson’s squad was sliding out of postseason contention. But a historic, 22-point comeback win against Towson (95-93 OT), and a 51-43 win over Drexel kept the Seahawks alive, and even though they lost to Hofstra, Colorado State and NU, they clawed on to an eighth-place finish.
Against Northeastern: UNCW squared off with NU twice last season and lost both contests. The Huskies traveled to Trask Coliseum Jan. 26 and escaped with a 70-66 victory, led by a 20-point performance from senior guard Chaisson Allen. UNCW trailed 20-19 with under 12 minutes to go in the first half, but the Huskies tacked on a 14-3 run and led 36-27 at the break. Chad Tomko, who scored 23 points, and the Seahawks answered with its own run late in the second half and the game was tied 64-64. But NU junior Jonathan Lee knocked down six straight free throws to ice the win. Fast forward to Feb. 26 at Matthews Arena when the Huskies sent UNCW packing with its third straight loss and won 78-68. Junior forward Keith Rendelman and Tomko chipped in 19 points a piece, but Allen led the way again with 17 points, while junior Joel Smith poured in 15.
Key Loses:
- Chad Tomko: He stands at just 5-11, but Tomko is undoubtedly the biggest loss for the Seahawks. The speedy point guard led the team and was second in the CAA in scoring with 17.6 points, and he stuffed the score sheet with 5.9 rebounds and 4.3 assists a game. It was his third-straight season leading the team in scoring and assists, and he finished third in school history with 1,702 career points. Tomko, a stingy defender with quick hands, ranks tenth in CAA history with 223 steals. The numbers don’t lie – Tomko is going to be missed.
- Ahmad Grant: Grant played in just 60 games for the Seahawks after transferring from Olney Central College in Illinois, but he averaged 7.7 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. The veteran guard played in 29 of 31 games last season, while starting 28 of them, and shot a team-best 82.9 percent from the free-throw line. Grant and Tomko brought a smooth chemistry to the backcourt that will be tough to replace.
Key Returns:
- Keith Rendleman: Last season, Rendleman led the Seahawks with 7.8 rebounds per game and was a force under the glass. This year, Coach Peterson can count on the 6-7 forward to pace the offense, as Rendleman led the conference with a 58.2 field goal percentage in 2010-11 and averaged 11.2 points per game. The Iron Station, N.C. native will certainly be the core of the starting lineup and looks to improve on his five double-doubles from last season. Rendleman is the only player from last season’s roster that started all 31 games for the Seahawks.
- Matt Wilson: Wilson only started 13 games last season, but he played in all 31 and averaged 4.5 points and 2.8 rebounds per game. Wilson definitely needs to get more rebounds to be an impact player under the basket, and his 6-11 frame should help him do so. Peterson utilized a three-guard starting lineup for 23 games last season and it’s likely he’ll do so this year. Wilson will see an increase from his 19.9 minutes per game last season and should be starting alongside Rendleman come November. Wilson only took 105 shots last season, but his .457 field goal percentage is promising.
- Trevor Deloach: The guard will play as a graduate student after earning his degree over the summer. He has played two seasons in Wilmington after a JuCo year at Chipola College, and will certainly have an impact on the court this year. Deloach was the third-leading scorer on the team behind Tomko and Rendleman with 8.8 points and he grabbed 4.7 rebounds per game. Deloach didn’t break into the starting lineup until Jan. 22 against Towson and he started four straight games. In his fourth start, he led the Seahawks with 20 points in a loss to VCU. He returned to the bench in the next game against Georgia State, but put up a game-high 23 points in the loss which promptedPeterson to put him back in the starting lineup. Deloach started the next three games and scored a career-high 28 points in a win against William & Mary Feb. 5. Deloach also hit the game-winner against Georgia State Jan. 5.
- Donte Morales: From the minute Morales walked into Trask Coliseum, he was an impact player for the Seahawks. Morales started the first 21 games of the season and started five of the last 10 games of the year. He saw time at forward in the first 21 games, but towards the end of the season he returned to the guard position. The 6-5 Virginia Beach native averaged 5.2 points and 3.9 rebounds per game. Morales was named CAA Rookie of the Week Dec. 20 after scoring a career-best 15 points and grabbed eight rebounds in a 64-50 win over Radford.
- Tanner Milson: Much like Morales, Milson had a strong freshman campaign. The sophomore guard averaged 6.1 points his rookie campaign and started 14 straight games after coming off the bench in the first six games of the season. Again, like Morales, Milson came off the bench after starting a slew of games, but returned to the front five for five of the last eight games of the season. The Cedar Hill, Texas, native scored 69 points over a five-game stretch that began Nov. 23. His best performances were a 25-point bid in a win against George Washington Nov. 29 and an 18-point effort in a win against Wake Forest Dec. 12.
What to expect: The Seahawks are likely to better their eighth-place finish from last season despite the loss of Tomko. Rendleman will shoulder the load on offense and under the glass and should receive a lot of support from Deloach. The biggest concern for the Seahawks will be replacing the back-court of Tomko and Grant, but Morales and Milson are promising successors. If Peterson goes with the three-guard set, you can expect Deloach, Milson and Morales to fill it out, with Rendleman and Wilson under the basket. UNCW will have a battle Nov. 13 when it opens against Maryland, but it can’t be any tougher than opening last season against No. 9 Florida (77-60 L). The Seahawks will also face Wake Forest Dec. 21, who they beat last season 81-69. The performance of Milson and Morales will be key to the Seahawks successes this season. The duo showed flashes of greatness last season so if they can continue to improve on their rookie campaigns, UNCW will have a reputable back-court for years to follow. If the Seahawks can avoid shooting 29.5 percent from the field in this seasons CAA tournament, they have a legitimate chance to advance to the second round after being one-and-done the last three seasons.
- Anthony Gulizia
WRBB Sports Basketball, Fall Sports CAA, Fall Preview, UNC-Wilmington
Monday, January 2
Wednesday, January 4
Saturday, January 7
6:45 p.m. – Huskies Hockey Pre-Game
6:45 p.m. – Huskies Pre-Game
7:00 p.m. – Northeastern Women’s Basketball: Huskies vs. Drexel Dragons
6:45 p.m. – Huskies Pre-Game
Due to the snowstorm along the east coast, WRBB will not have live coverage of Northeastern at UNC-Wilmington tonight, as our crew was unable to make it to North Carolina for the game. In place of the broadcast, we will air an extended version of CAA Full Court Press, with live look-ins to games from around the league, and instant analysis of the Huskies/Seahawks game.
Monday, January 24
7:15 p.m. – Huskies Pre-Game
12:45 p.m. – Huskies Pre-Game
6:45 p.m. – Huskies Pre-Game
