UNCW endured a turbulent season in 2019-20, with the C.B. McGrath era coming to an abrupt end on Jan. 13 after a long losing streak. The storied program will look to return to the glory days with a new coach that was a part of its last sustained period of success — Takayo Siddle.
2019-20 Record: 10-22, 5-13 CAA (9th place)
2019-20 KenPom Ranking: 312th (10th in CAA)
C.B. McGrath’s firing was a little surprising, but that had more to do with timing than anything else. It was clear that UNCW would have to have some success in the 2019-20 season in order for McGrath to be retained as head coach, and it was also clear that whatever success was necessary was not being attained. (In fairness, wasting two years of Devontae Cacok on a team as bad as those UNCW teams was worth a quick trigger.)
The Seahawks went 5-3 to open the season, but three of those wins were against non-DI competition and one of the losses included a nearly 40-point beatdown against Davidson. And things got worse from there, as UNCW promptly went on an 11-game losing streak, including dropping the first six games of CAA play. So when McGrath and the Seahawks returned home from yet another 0-2 weekend, this one at William and Mary and Elon, UNCW decided it was time for a change and relieved McGrath of his duties, placing assistant Rob Burke in charge.
I thought C.B. would get until the end of the season to prove his worth, but the Seahawks did indeed seem to get a shot in the arm after he was fired, as Burke’s fiery style struck a chord. They seemed to play much harder under Burke — indeed, they were a much tougher team the second time W&M played them (in Wilmington) in comparison to the first time (in Williamsburg). Indeed, they beat the Tribe that second time, a loss that proved decisive in moving W&M to the second seed in the conference. Despite all that, the Seahawks went out in the first round of the CAA Tournament.
Whether or not Burke was truly auditioning for the full-time gig, the school moved on, instead selecting a familiar face from the last time UNCW was really good: Kevin Keatts-era assistant Takayo Siddle. Siddle, who had followed Keatts to NC State, was hired this spring to inject some much needed youth and energy into the Seahawks’ program.
That youth and energy is much needed in Wilmington, as much of the talent that had accumulated thanks to the positive momentum Keatts endowed into the program has now exited one way or the other. Devontae Cacok was busy winning an NBA championship with the Lakers in 2019-20 after graduating the year before; Kai Toews, the brilliant distributer who had made the CAA All-Rookie Team in 2018-19, left the program to become pro halfway through the ’19-20 season. Five others transferred before the start of last year’s campaign.
It’s not a completely bare cupboard for Siddle: Shykeim Phillips, a solid defender who was named to the All-Rookie Team after averaging 9.5 points last year, returns for his sophomore season. He’ll join with junior guard Jalen Simms, the team’s leading scorer last season with 11.8 per game, and senior guard Ty Gadsden, oft-hurt but considerably talented.
Barring injury, those three will lead UNCW in 2020-21. Behind them is a group of generally inexperienced players with potential but little proof that they can produce: sophomores Jake Boggs and Imajae Dodd, alongside junior Brian Tolefree. Each brings something to the table — Boggs a decent rebounder from the wing that can hit a three, Dodd a solid interior defender for someone his size, and Tolefree a decent shooter that gets to the line. But the real question mark are the freshman. What will truly decide how successful this season is for the Seahawks is how Siddle’s first (rushed) recruiting class acquits themselves. Jamahri Harvey, De’Marcus Elliott, and Ja’Juan Carr, all guards, will likely each see the floor this year.
One area where UNCW must improve is on the defensive end of the floor. The Seahawks certainly looked better once Burke took over last year, but without much size, they will have to work even harder against teams such as Delaware and Towson. I imagine Siddle will be able to get his team to play hard; we’ll see how far that gets them.
2020-21 might be a tough year for the Seahawks. It’s hard to see how a new coach implementing a new system would go smoothly with as much disruption the world has had. And, to be fair, there’s just not an incredible amount of talent on the team. But UNCW will hope that it’s the first step back towards the sepia-toned days when the Seahawks ruled the CAA. It was just four years ago when they last punched a ticket to the NCAA Tournament, but it already seems so much longer.
Thanks to KenPom.com for the advanced stats utilized in this article.