Seahawks enter Siddle’s fourth season as favorites to win CAA

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - An experienced UNCW men’s basketball team is the favorite to finish first this season, according to Blue Ribbon Forecast.

The Seahawks enter Takayo Siddle’s fourth season at the helm with a roster that includes seven players who are either seniors or graduate students.

“It’s a testament to our culture and the character of the young men that we have,” Siddle said of the number of players returning this season. “In today’s climate with the transfer portal, it’s easy to get disgruntled and take off running. But we feel like we have a family atmosphere and a great environment here.”

Siddle, who is 56-28 as UNCW’s head coach, led the Seahawks to a 24-10 record last season and a second straight appearance in the CAA Tournament championship game.

UNCW returns its four top scorers from a year ago, including senior guard Maleeck Harden-Hayes who is an All-CAA selection by Blue Ribbon Forecast.

Also returning is sophomore forward Trazarien White, who started every game last year and led the team in scoring (14.2 points per game) and rebounds (5.9 per game).

One of the new faces on the team is graduate student KJ Jenkins. The 6-foot-2 guard averaged 7.4 points while appearing in all 33 games for New Mexico State last season.

“KJ Jenkins is one of the elite shooters in the country and I’m very excited about having in on our roster,” Siddle said. “He’ll play a huge, huge role for our group.”