Colonial report | NCAA Tournament report

A Glance at 2001

The Seahawks lose an athletic scorer in Ramond Perine and a solid defender in Victor Ebong, but unlike last season, UNCW will retain its top two scorers: Brett Blizzard and Barron Thelmon. And that's great news for UNCW fans.

Even better is that UNCW has what is considered to be the best recruiting class in school history coming in next year, including top-10 junior college recruit Ed Williams and top-100 high school recruit Brandon Clifford, who Wainwright described as Brett Blizzard with a 6-10 frame.

The Coach

Jerry Wainwright (94-81 in six seasons at UNCW) has never had a losing record in CAA play and only one overall. That likely won't change as Wainwright brings back one of the league's best players in Brett Blizzard and a solid point guard in Barron Thelmon. And with a talented recruiting class, Wainwright appears to have a level of talent he hasn't had before.

Wainwright tried moving to an uptempo style this season in an effort to generate more offense. It wasn't as effective as he hoped, but that doesn't mean the experiment will end. In fact, with players like Ed Williams coming in, expect Wainwright's offensive philosophy adjustment to be more effective.

Who'll Be Back

UNCW returns three starters, with holes open at power forward and small forward. The power forward slot will be instantly filled by Ed Williams, who could be an upgrade from the departing Victor Ebong. Marcus Green might rotate from center to small forward to make room for Brandon Clifford, if the freshman is ready to play 30-plus minutes a game.

Who's Gone

Victor Ebong and Ramond Perine take great defensive skills and consistent offense with them. Danny Dahl and Oleg Kojenets were reduced to role players toward the end of the season.

Key Newcomers

• PF Ed Williams (6-6, 225, Jr.): A top-10 junior college recruit, Williams earned second-team preseason All-America honors this year.
• F Brandon Clifford (6-9, 215, Fr.): Clifford was recruited by Clemson and North Carolina State, but chose to sign with UNCW in the fall. He was rated the 97th best player in the country by Bob Gibbons, and has drawn comparisons to former conference standout Cal Bowdler, who was drafted by the Atlanta Hawks with the 17th overall pick in the NBA Draft last summer.
• Others: PG Tim Burnette will play a year behind Barron Thelmon before assuming the lead guard role. ... PF Anthony Terrell is expected to see extensive minutes after finishing his senior season among Texas 5A's leading scorers and rebounders.