“I’m overwhelmed”: New scholarship to honor legendary UNCW men’s basketball coach

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - The University of North Carolina at Wilmington (UNCW) is recognizing one of its historic men’s basketball coaches through the establishment of a new scholarship.

The Jerry Wainwright Scholarship will honor its namesake, who headed the program in the early 2000s and who is credited with putting the program “on the map,” according to a release from UNCW.

UNCW states that over eight seasons, Wainwright posted a 136–103 record. He led the Seahawks to appearances in both the NCAA Tournament and the NIT, captured three regular-season conference titles, and recorded two 20-win campaigns. He was named CAA Coach of the Year in 1997 and 2001, and in 2023, he received the NABC’s Gene Bartow Award, which honors a current or former coach for significant contributions to the game.

“I’m overwhelmed,” said Wainwright. “It has my name on it, but it’s really a scholarship of the program. It’s about all of the players that contributed to the program’s success.”

“This will give someone else an opportunity, just like Coach Wainwright gave me,” said Danny Dahl, a standout player from 1996–2000, who sank a pivotal late shot in the Seahawks’ 57–47 win over Richmond on Mar. 6, 2000, clinching the program’s first CAA title. “It was such a magical time when we played, and that group had a great bond. We were just trying to find a way to give back to UNCW and to honor Coach Wainwright.”