University of North Carolina - Wilmington Men's Basketball

Takayo Siddle returned to the Port City as the new head coach of the Seahawks on March 13, 2020, and has re-established the proud program on the national stage. He previously served as an assistant coach at Hargrave Military Academy, Gardner-Webb, UNCW and NC State. He is the 11th full-time head coach in UNCW history. Siddle capped his sixth year on the UNCW bench with the school’s 12th postseason appearance and third under his watch with an automatic berth to the 2026 National Invitation Tournament (NIT) after winning the school’s fourth outright (league-record 10th overall) Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) regular season crown. The 39-year-old has produced a 133-54 record during his time in the Port City, including 126 wins over the previous five seasons. The Seahawks have won 27 games three times in the Siddle era, the second-highest total in the program’s 75-season history, and sold out Trask Coliseum a record 15 times in 2025-26. In 2026, Siddle became the fourth Seahawks bench boss to earn two CAA Coach of the Year honors – joining Jerry Wainwright, Brad Brownell and Kevin Keatts – after first winning the award in 2022. The sixth-year head coach guided UNCW to the top of the CAA regular season standings one year after reaching the NCAA Tournament for a conference-record seventh time. One year after losing UNCW's top five scorers from the 2025 CAA Tournament Championship team, Siddle and his staff restocked the program with several talented transfers, including CAA Sixth Man of the Year Madison Durr and All-CAA First Teamer Patrick Wessler, while retaining key contributors such as All-CAA Second-Teamer Nolan Hodge, Noah Ross and Greedy Williams. Hodge and Ross concluded their decorated careers tied with former teammate Khamari McGriff atop UNCW's player wins leaderboard with 99 career victories. The 2025-26 Seahawks did not miss a beat, rattling off a program-record-tying 26 regular-season wins and matching the school record with 15 conference wins, along with a record 12 road wins. UNCW was the lone team to finish in the top four of the CAA in overall offensive and defensive scoring while leading the league in rebounds per game (39.9). This year's resilient squad constructed six double-digit comebacks, including erasing a program record 24-point deficit at Stony Brook in January and UNCW’s first NIT win at Yale in March. The Seahawks won games in a variety of ways with six different leading scorers. Siddle helped orchestrate three winning streaks of six contests or more, including a nine-game victory run during non-conference action. UNCW extended its program record with its fifth straight 20-win campaign. The Eden, N.C., native piloted UNCW to the top of the CAA in 2025 with its league-record seventh CAA Tournament title and an NCAA Tournament berth, its first road win over a ranked opponent in school history at No. 12 Kentucky on Dec. 2, 2023, in Rupp Arena. The Seahawks have also won two regular-season titles in the CAA, four in-season tournament crowns and the 2022 College Basketball Invitational Championship. UNCW advanced to CAA championship games in 2022, 2023 and 2025. The fastest UNCW head coach to reach 100 career victories (144 games), Siddle is the only coach in the program's history to have five consecutive seasons with 20 or more wins. He has navigated a trio of 27-win campaigns, including this season and 2025, when he was the fourth-youngest head coach (youngest in the West Region) among the 68 schools in the 2025 NCAA Tournament. Siddle returned the program to national prominence during the 2021-22 season when he guided UNCW to a share of the CAA regular season title and won four games in four days to win the 2022 CBI Championship in Daytona Beach, Fla. The Seahawks have finished league play tied for third place or better over the last four campaigns with a 12-game win streak in 2021-22 and a program-record 13-game win streak the following year. Siddle has overseen the development of nine All-CAA selections at UNCW, including 2025 CAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player Donovan Newby and Seahawk alum Jaylen Sims, who became the Greensboro Swarm's all-time leading scorer in early 2025. Sims went on to make his NBA debut for his hometown Charlotte Hornets at the end of the 2024-25 season. The Seahawks won a program record 15 home games in 2024-25 highlighted by the inaugural Live Oak Bank Holiday Classic over Thanksgiving Weekend and closed the season with eight straight Trask Coliseum sellouts.   Siddle played for and coached with Coach Kevin Keatts and served as interim head coach for the Seahawks in March of 2017 before joining his longtime mentor on the NC State bench in Raleigh. Siddle is a tireless recruiter and was tabbed the No. 4 recruiter in the country in 2019.   During his three-year stay at UNCW from 2014-17, Siddle helped the Seahawks return to prominence in the CAA, winning three regular season championships and two CAA Tournament crowns (2016, 2017).   The Seahawks went 72-28 overall in Siddle’s three years and advanced to the postseason all three campaigns, including the CIT (2015), NCAA (2016) and NCAA (2017). He recruited five All-CAA selections as the Seahawks went 48-14 in the circuit.   Siddle moved on to NC State and the success followed. The Wolfpack averaged more than 80 points per game in Siddle’s first two seasons with the Pack. Prior to that, the last NC State team to average more than 80 points in a season was the 1995-96 team.   Siddle played a key role in the emergence of Pack guards Markell Johnson and Braxton Beverly. He developed Johnson into a premier playmaker in the NCAA. Johnson a Second-Team All-ACC selection in 2019-20, led the ACC in assists as a sophomore (2017-18) and senior (2019-20) and became just the third-player in NCSU history to score 1,100 career points, rack up 600 career assists and record 150 steals. Beverly, meanwhile, signed with the Pack a few months after Siddle joined the staff and drained 136 three-pointers in his first two seasons, the most by an NC State player through their sophomore year.   After Siddle’s arrival, the Wolfpack featured one of the best offensive attacks in the ACC. NC State ranked in the top-40 in the NCAA in tempo by KenPom.com in the first two seasons. In addition, the Wolfpack was dangerous from long distance the last three seasons. In 2018-19, NC State hit 292 three-pointers, the second-most in program history. The 2017-18 NC State team set a program record when it hit a 19 three-pointers in a win over Jacksonville. One of Siddle’s outside threats, junior guard Devon Daniels, raised his scoring average from 9.0 ppg to 12.7 ppg in 2019-20.   Siddle launched his coaching career in 2009-10 as a member of Keatts’ staff at Hargrave, beginning a long, successful relationship with his mentor. The Tigers featured 12 NCAA Division I signees, including five in the ACC, SEC, Big East and Big Ten Conferences.   Siddle then spent four years at Gardner-Webb. He was hired as an assistant coach at GWU by former head coach and current Ohio State skipper Chris Holtmann, who served as an assistant coach during Siddle’s freshman, sophomore and junior years in Boiling Springs. Siddle followed Keatts to the North Carolina coast in the summer of 2014 and helped the Seahawks compile a 72-28 record with three postseason berths in as many years from 2015-17. The Seahawks captured the 2015 and 2016 CAA titles and advanced to play in the NCAA Tournament in Providence (vs. Duke) and Orlando (vs. Virginia). A native of Eden, N.C., Siddle was a prep standout for Coach John Harder at Morehead High School, averaging 27.0 points, 6.0 assists and 2.0 steals in his senior season with the Panthers.   He attended Hargrave Military Academy in 2004-05 and propelled the Tigers to the national prep school championship game.   Siddle played four seasons at Gardner-Webb from 2005-09, appearing in 114 contests. He played in 21 games during his freshman year when GWU upset Minnesota and East Carolina on the road and took defending national champion North Carolina to the final buzzer. As a junior in 2007-08, Siddle saw action in 32 games and played a key role as Gardner-Webb stunned No. 20 Kentucky at Rupp Arena and advanced to the Final Four of the 2007 2K Sports College Hoops Classic in Madison Square Garden. Siddle earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Sociology from Gardner-Webb in 2009. The Takayo Siddle File Full Name: Takayo Lemont Siddle Date of Birth: May 25, 1986 Birthplace: Eden, N.C. Education: B.S., Sociology, Gardner-Webb University, 2009 Takayo Siddle Coaching Timeline Assistant Coach | Hargrave Military Academy (1) 2009-10 Assistant Coach | Gardner-Webb University (4) 2010-11 | 2011-12 | 2012-13 | 2013-14 Assistant Coach | UNCW (3) 2014-15 | 2015-16 | 2016-17 Assistant Coach | NC State (3) 2017-18 | 2018-19 | 2019-20 Head Coach | UNCW (6) 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 | 2023-24 | 2024-25 | 2025-26 Takayo Siddle Coaching Record | Year-by-Year Season Position Overall Conf 2009-10 Assistant Coach | Hargrave Military (Keatts) 28-1 n/a 2010-11 Assistant Coach | Gardner Webb (Holtmann) 11-21 6-12 2011-12 Assistant Coach | Gardner Webb (Holtmann) 12-20 6-12 2012-13 Assistant Coach | Gardner Webb (Holtmann) 21-13 11-5 2013-14 Assistant Coach | Gardner Webb (Craft) 18-15 10-6 2014-15 Assistant Coach | UNCW (Keatts) 18-14 12-6 2015-16 Assistant Coach | UNCW (Keatts) 25-8 14-4 2016-17 Assistant Coach | UNCW (Keatts) 29-6 15-3 2017-18 Assistant Coach | NC State (Keatts) 21-12 11-7 2018-19 Assistant Coach | NC State (Keatts) 24-12 9-9 2019-20 Assistant Coach | NC State (Keatts) 20-12 10-10 2020-21     Head Coach | UNCW 7-10 1-6 2021-22 Head Coach | UNCW 27-9 15-3 2022-23     Head Coach | UNCW 24-10 12-6 2023-24 Head Coach | UNCW 21-10 12-6 2024-25 Head Coach | UNCW 27-8 14-4 2025-26 Head Coach | UNCW 27-7 15-3 Takayo Siddle Head Coaching Record 2020-21     Head Coach | UNCW 7-10 1-6 2021-22 Head Coach | UNCW 27-9 15-3 2022-23     Head Coach | UNCW 24-10 12-6 2023-24 Head Coach | UNCW 21-10 12-6 2024-25 Head Coach | UNCW 27-8 14-4 2025-26 Head Coach | UNCW 27-7 15-3 TOTAL 133-54  69-28 Takayo Siddle Championships 2015 – CAA Regular Season | UNCW 2016 – CAA Regular Season | UNCW             CAA Tournament | UNCW 2017 – CAA Regular Season | UNCW             CAA Tournament | UNCW 2021 – Mako Medical Asheville Classic | UNCW 2022 – CAA Regular Season | UNCW 2022 – Roman College Basketball Invitational | UNCW 2023 - Baha Mara Hoops Invitational | UNCW 2025 - CAA Tournament | UNCW 2026 - CAA Regular Season | UNCW Takayo Siddle Postseason Appearances 2013 – CIT | Gardner Webb 2015 – CIT | UNCW 2016 – NCAA | UNCW 2017 – NCAA | UNCW 2018 – NCAA | NC State 2019 – NIT | NC State 2022 – CBI | UNCW (Championship) 2025 – NCAA | UNCW 2026 - NIT | UNCW Takayo Siddle Recognition 2021-22 | CAA Coach of the Year, NABC District 10 Coach of the Year, Nominated for Ben Jobe Award 2022-23 | Nominated for Ben Jobe Award, Nominated for Skip Prosser Man of the Year Award 2023-24 | Recognized by Wilmington Chamber of Commerce 40 Under 40 Award 2024-25 | Nominated for Ben Jobe Award 2025-26 | CAA Coach of the Year, Nominated for Ben Jobe Award, Nominated for Hugh Durham Award Takayo Siddle Year By Year at UNCW 2020-21  -Overall record of 7-10 during Covid-19 affected season -Championship of Mako Medical Asheville Classic 2021-22  -Regular season championship in Colonial Athletic Association (15-3) after being picked ninth in preseason -First postseason championship in program's history (College Basketball Invitational) -Tied for third best turnaround in NCAA Division I play -Second most victories in a season in UNCW basketball history -Longest winning streak (12 games) in history of program -Most wins by a CAA program since 2018-19 -Eighth 20-win season in school's history -Six regular season series sweep in conference play -Nation-leading 10 double-digit comeback victories -Record of 19-4 in games decided by seven points or less -First undefeated season in January (8-0) in school's history -Perfect record in overtime (5-0) -20-1 record when scoring 70 or more points 2022-23  -Championship of Baha Mar Hoops Invitational in Nassau, The Bahamas -School record for longest winning streak with 13 consecutive victories 2023-24 -Program’s first road win (80-73) vs. a nationally ranked opponent at No. 12 Kentucky on Dec. 2, 2023 at Rupp Arena -First time the program has won at least 20 games in three consecutive seasons in the Division I era. 2024-25 -Set program record for points scored (143) and players in double figures (8) in season-opening victory vs. Mount Olive -Went 2-1 at inaugural Live Oak Bank Holiday Classic in Wilmington -Broke the school rebounding record with 72 vs. Spartanburg Methodist -Extended program record with fourth straight 20-win season -Earned 100th career win vs. Charleston, becoming the fastest UNCW coach to 100 career wins (144 games) -Guided UNCW to CAA record seventh conference tournament title 2025-26 - First men’s basketball postseason event in Trask Coliseum (NIT Second Round vs. Dayton) - Outright Coastal Athletic Association Regular Season Championship (15-3) - Won first NIT game in school history at Yale - Won 27 games for the third time in five years, the second-best win total in school history - Extended program record with fifth straight 20-win season - Went 3-0 at Live Oak Bank Holiday Classic in Wilmington - Set a School Record with 15 home sellouts of Trask Coliseum - Authored six double-digit comeback wins, including erasing a 24-point hole at Stony Brook - Tied school record for most home wins (15) and conference wins (15) as well as set record for road wins (12) What They’re Saying About Takayo Siddle “UNCW is a special place to me and I couldn’t be happier with their decision to name Takayo Siddle as head coach. This is a fantastic hire by UNCW. Takayo has a tireless work ethic, a great basketball mind and an engaging personality. I’ve had the unique opportunity to coach him as a player and then was able to see him grow into an outstanding man and coach as a member of my coaching staff. Congratulations to Takayo and UNCW.” - Kevin Keatts, Head Coach, UNCW and NC State   “What a great hire by UNCW! Takayo is bright, extremely hard working and outstanding at connecting with players. He can really coach and teach our game. He has earned this opportunity and I know he is very excited about getting started. I’m thrilled for Takayo and UNCW.” - Chris Holtmann, Head Coach, DePaul   “I’ve known Takayo since he was 18 years old, and even at that time he was very level-headed, and wise beyond his years. He cares deeply about his players and works to help them develop at the highest level. He is a great mentor and teacher, a relentless recruiter and terrific basketball tactician. With Coach Siddle, UNCW is getting the total package.” - Tim Craft, Head Coach Gardner-Webb  

Kurt Kanaskie, a veteran coach with over 40 years of college basketball experience, was promoted to Associate Head Coach in June of 2022. Kanaskie joined Takayo Siddle’s staff in April of 2020 and was Siddle's first hire. The Pennsylvania native came to the North Carolina coast from Colorado Springs, Colo., where he spent six seasons at Air Force. With Kanaskie on staff, the Seahawks have experienced an unprecedented run of success, including the program's first four-year stretch with 20 or more wins each season in its Division I era, culminating with UNCW's CAA record seventh league title in 2025. In 2021-22, Kanaskie helped the Seahawks orchestrate one of the biggest turnarounds in college basketball. The Seahawks finished with a 27-9 record, won a share of the regular season crown in the CAA and captured the championship of the Roman College Basketball Invitational in Daytona Beach, Fla.   ““From the day he started, Kurt has been a perfect fit for our program,” said Siddle. “We faced a challenging job in rebuilding a proud program and he’s been right in the middle of the transformation. We’re very pleased to reward him for a job well done.” Kanaskie, who has headed up three programs during his extensive career, spent four years as an assistant coach at Air Force before being elevated to associate head coach in 2018-19. He helped the Falcons post three 14-win seasons and three conference tournament victories. Kanaskie went to the Rocky Mountain State from Virginia Tech, where he was an assistant coach with the Hokies. Prior to his stop in Blacksburg, Kanaskie served as the head coach at Drake for seven seasons (1996-2003) after becoming one of the most successful Division II head coaches in Pennsylvania history. “I’ve been coaching a long time and I’ve never been as excited about an opportunity much as UNCW,” he said. “UNCW has so much basketball history and potential. Coach Siddle is a rising star in our profession and it will be great to be part of the program.” Following a stellar playing career at La Salle, Kanaskie began his coaching career as an assistant at South Carolina for five seasons. His first head coaching job came at DII Lock Haven, directing the Bald Eagles for three seasons. He was named Pennsylvania State Athletics Conference (PSAC) Coach of the Year twice after inheriting a program that went 18-84 over the previous four years. Kanaskie then moved across the state to Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP). In eight seasons at IUP, Kanaskie was named PSAC Coach of the Year twice and voted Basketball Times National Coach of the Year on two occasions. Kanaskie inherited an IUP program that suffered through four straight losing seasons and piloted the Crimson Hawks to seven straight winning records. In 1993, IUP made the PSAC semifinals for the first time in 16 years. In 1994-95, IUP collected its first national ranking in school history (No. 5), secured an NCAA Tournament bid for the first time and advanced to the Elite Eight. One year later, IUP climbed to No. 1 in the country and advanced to the national semifinals. In the fall of 1996, Kanaskie took his first Division I head coaching job at Drake and piloted the Bulldogs for seven seasons. He then left to join the Penn State program, first as an assistant coach under former Nittany Lion skipper Ed DeChellis and later as associate head coach. The Nittany Lions earned three postseason berths and won the 2009 NIT Championship. Kanaskie departed Penn State after the 2010-11 campaign and spent one year as associate head coach at Navy before moving on to Virginia Tech for two seasons. As a player at La Salle, Kanaskie picked up All-Big Five and All-East Coast Conference honors in Philadelphia, becoming the school’s ninth all-time scorer. He was an Academic All-American and was drafted by the NBA’s Golden State Warriors in 1980. Kanaskie completed his Bachelor’s Degree from La Salle in 1980 and earned his Master’s Degree in Business Administration at South Carolina in 1985. A native of Mechanicsburg, Pa., Kanaskie and his wife, Tammy, have three children; a daughter, Kristin Kanaskie Grotewold, and sons, Kevin and Kyle.  

Wilmington native Hunter Henderson returned to his hometown in 2021-22 to serve on Takayo Siddle’s men’s basketball staff at UNCW as Director of Men’s Basketball Operations. Henderson was also named an assistant coach prior to the start of the 2023-24 campaign. Henderson spent the 2016-17 season as men’s basketball video coordinator at UNCW before joining Head Coach Kevin Keatts and the NC State program. Henderson served the Wolfpack as Director of Multimedia for two years and Director of Scouting for two years, gaining a variety of experience with the successful Atlantic Coast Conference program. Henderson assists Siddle and the Seahawks with all facets of the NCAA Division I program, including travel, practice planning, arranging community service and other duties. In 2021-22, he helped the Seahawks finish with a 27-9 record, win a share of the regular season crown in the CAA and capture the championship of the Roman College Basketball Invitational in Daytona Beach, Fla. “We are extremely excited to welcome Hunter back to UNCW,” said Siddle. “His familiarity with the university and how we operate will be important as we continue to move the program forward. Hunter’s knowledge, work ethic and passion will be invaluable to our student-athletes.” The Seahawks went 29-6 in 2016-17 and won the second of two straight CAA titles under Keatts. Henderson played an integral role scouting opponents during the Seahawks run to the 2017 NCAA Tournament, their most recent appearance in March Madness. “I am beyond excited and thankful to be back home working for Coach Siddle,” said Henderson. “Having worked with him in the past, I am confident in him as a leader, coach and mentor. His vision and work ethic will bring championships back to UNCW and I am honored to be part of it. “I look forward to serving our student-athletes, staff and University. Let’s get to work!” Henderson was raised in Wilmington and is a 2011 graduate of Coastal Christian High School. He served as an assistant coach at Coastal Christian while attending Cape Fear Community College. Henderson then transferred to N.C. State, where he was a manager for three years with the Wolfpack, rising to head manager in May of 2015. During his time as a student manager at NCSU, Henderson helped the Wolfpack advance to the Sweet 16 in 2015, after reaching the ACC quarterfinal and advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2014. He worked as the Pack’s assistant video coordinator in 2015-16, assisting the Wolfpack coaching staff with video for scouting opponents. Henderson graduated from NC State in May of 2016 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Sport Management. He and his wife, Taylor, were recently married.  

Craig Ponder, who owns UNCW’s record for games played in men’s basketball with 130 appearances from 2011-16, was named an assistant coach in early May of 2021. Ponder returned to the Seahawk bench at Trask Coliseum in 2020-21 as the team's Director of Basketball Operations and was elevated to Assistant Coach by Head Coach Takayo Siddle after just one season. With Ponder on staff, the Seahawks once again returned to the top of the Coastal Athletic Association with four straight 20 or more win seasons. The Seahawk luminary became the first person associated with the program to capture a CAA crown as a player (2016) and coach with UNCW's league record seventh CAA Championship in 2025. In 2021-22, Ponder helped the Seahawks orchestrate one of the biggest turnarounds in college basketball. UNCW finished the remarkable campaign with a 27-9 record, won a share of the regular season crown in the CAA and captured the championship of the Roman College Basketball Invitational in Daytona Beach, Fla.   “Craig has been a huge asset to our initial stages of rebuilding the program,” said Siddle. “He has proven himself to be an extremely hard worker and well-connected to our student-athletes. Having him as a coach on the floor and in the recruiting position will do nothing but add to our program in the years to come.” The Bluefield, W.Va., native served as a graduate manager on Kevin Keatts’ staff at NC State before returning to his alma mater. He also worked as a graduate assistant coach at Arkansas State for one year after retiring from professional basketball during a short stint overseas in England.   “Coming back and working at UNCW has always been a dream of mine,” said Ponder. “I'm extremely grateful and honored to be stepping into this new role. This is an unbelievable opportunity to help rebuild a championship tradition at a place that I call home.    “I can't say express enough how thankful I am to Coach Siddle and the university for affording me this opportunity, and I look forward to serving our student-athletes, Coach Siddle, and the university relentlessly.”   An outstanding guard at Bluefield High School and Hargrave Military Academy, Ponder arrived at UNCW in the fall of 2011 and played in just four games during his freshman campaign before a foot injury cut short his rookie season. After redshirting, he helped the program improve each season and notch a pair of postseason berths.   As a junior in 2014-15, Ponder was the only player to start all 32 games and ranked third in scoring (11.6) and second in assists (2.6 apg). He paced the squad with 46 three-pointers, led the team in scoring seven times and reached double figures in 22 contests. The Seahawks picked up their first postseason berth in nine years with an invitation to the play in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament.   The Seahawks then captured their fifth Colonial Athletic Association championship in Ponder’s senior year in 2015-16. He opened 24 of 33 games and ranked third on the team in scoring (11.4), while contributing 76 assists. The Seahawks went a sparkling 25-8 overall and 17-4 in the CAA en route to the NCAA Tournament.   Ponder’s name remains prominent in UNCW’s record books. In addition to being the school’s all-time leader in appearances, he ranks 14th in scoring (1,160), 42nd in rebounding (338), 15th in steals (15) and 16th in assists (257).   Ponder earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Communication Studies from UNCW in 2016.  

Austin Parker enters his fourth year as video coordinator for the Seahawk men’s basketball program in 2025-26. The Clinton, N.C., native was also named an assistant coach prior to the start of the 2023-24 campaign. Parker is responsible for filming and editing practices and games, preparing scouting report edits for games, assisting the staff with game day edits, creating team and recruiting highlight films and coordinating film exchange. “I am extremely thankful for the opportunity Coach Siddle has given me,” said Parker. “I am excited to be a part of the culture he has established here at UNCW, both on and off the court.” Before coming to the coast, Parker served as a manager for the NC State men’s basketball program for two years and then spent two seasons as a graduate assistant for the Wolfpack. Parker is a graduate of Midway High School. He earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Agricultural Science from NC State in 2020 and completed his Master’s Degree in Youth, Family and Community Sciences at NC State in 2022.  

Tanner Benton brings extensive basketball experience to the UNCW staff in 2023-24 as assistant director of men’s basketball operations.   He will assist DOBO Hunter Henderson and Director of Video Operations Austin Parker with all facets of the program, including practice preparation, planning travel and lodging for away games, video needs and coordinating meals for the team.   Benton, 25, returns to Wilmington after serving as an assistant coach at Hargrave Military Academy in 2022-23. The Tigers racked up a 44-2 record, the second most wins in school history, and won the Elite Prep League regular season and tournament championship. The Tigers, featuring four All-Americans, reached the Sweet 16 of the national tournament and finished ranked as the top-ranked post-graduate team in the nation.   Benton began his work in basketball as a student manager at UNCW in 2016-17. The Seahawks won the Coastal Athletic Association regular season and tournament crowns en route to an NCAA Tournament appearance.   Benton then moved on to Raleigh, where he was a student manager at NC State for four seasons. The Wolfpack made one NCAA Tournament appearance and earned a pair of NIT berths.   In 2021-22, Benton returned to the coast to serve as a graduate assistant for the Seahawks. UNCW won another CAA regular season title and captured the 2022 Roman College Basketball Invitational championship in Daytona Beach.   Benton grew up in nearby Burgaw, N.C., and attended Heide Trask High School. He completed his Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from NC State in 2021.  

Former Wofford and Gardner-Webb assistant coach Paul Hemrick joins the UNCW men’s basketball staff this season as an assistant coach.   Hemrick, 35, recently finished his third year on the Wofford men's basketball staff after spending six seasons with the Runnin' Bulldogs in Boiling Springs, N.C. “We’re very excited to welcome Paul to the Seahawk family,” said Siddle. “He has a work ethic matched by few and will be a tremendous asset to our program. Our players, staff and fans will all enjoy working with Paul and meeting his family.”   Hemrick joined the Terriers as a member of Jay McAuley’s staff on April 18, 2019, and, in his first season, helped Wofford post key victories over UNCG and sixth-seeded Chattanooga in the Southern Conference Tournament semifinals. The Terriers have compiled a 53-38 (.582) record over the last three seasons in Spartanburg, S.C.   In 2021-22, Wofford went 19-13 overall and 10-8 in the Southern Conference, earning an invitation to The Basketball Classic postseason event.   "It’s an honor to become part to the Seahawk family,” said Hemrick. “I’m very grateful to Coach Siddle for this opportunity to join this prestigious program and university. I look forward to doing my part to help sustain the championship standard here at UNCW.” Prior to moving to Wofford, Hemrick served as an assistant coach at Gardner-Webb for six seasons following two years as Director of Basketball Operations for Tim Craft’s club.   He began working at Gardner-Webb in 2013-14 and played a key role in the program’s rise in the Big South Conference standings. Hemrick was a part of 132 wins over seven seasons with a string of six consecutive winning seasons. In 2018-19, the team went 23-11 overall and defeated Radford to win the Big South championship. It was the first NCAA Tournament appearance for the Runnin’ Bulldogs since moving to NCAA Division I in 2000.   Gardner-Webb made two additional postseason appearances during Hemrick’s tenure with the program, hosting a game in the CIT during his final season as Director of Operations in 2013 and traveling to Colorado for a CBI appearance in 2015.   During his two seasons as Director of Basketball Operations, Hemrick had a hand in all aspects of the program, from administrative duties on a daily basis to overseeing the team’s student managers and responsibilities for all video exchange and editing.   The John’s Creek, Ga., native joined the GW staff after spending two seasons as head varsity men’s basketball coach at Westminster Christian Academy in Watkinsville, Ga. He directed the squad to a 17-8 record in his first season, improving the previous year’s win total by eight games. He directed the Lions to a pair of state tournament appearances and had five players named All-Region in two seasons.   Hemrick spent four seasons as a student manager at Georgia from 2005-2009, coordinating film exchange with responsibilities for equipment and filming. Hemrick graduated from Georgia in May of 2009 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Business Administration-Management and a Bachelor of Science in Education-Sports Management. He completed his Master of Business Administration at Gardner-Webb in May of 2013. He and his wife, Melissa, are the proud parents of Eloise Grace, Joseph Scott and Paxton Houston Hemrick.          

Caegan Jackson returned to his alma mater in July of 2024 to serve on the Men's Basketball Coaching Staff as the Special Assistant to the Head Coach.   Jackson will assist Head Coach Takayo Siddle with all facets of the program, as well as serving as liaison to the athletic department and alumni.   Jackson is a 2023 graduate of UNCW, where he earned his Bachelor's Degree in Communication Studies. During his time at UNCW, Jackson served as the Head Men's Basketball Manager for two seasons (2021-23). Jackson was also an intern with UNCW's Athletic Communications staff.