Perchcast

We’re back, and so is Brian Mull back to wrap up the regular season for UNCW and preview what’s to come in the CAA Tournament in both the big picture and specifically along the Seahawks’ path.

We’ll have a postgame podcast for each of UNCW’s games in the tournament, so keep an eye out for our content!

Turns out, the season will continue on Thursday night after all!

No doubt, Saturday night was a rough one, but your resident optimists are here to break down what was a strange week for the Seahawks, including one of the more stunning losses we've dealt with lately.

Topics in this episode include:

- Where did things get weird vs. Elon?

- Zone defenses are affecting UNCW ... but probably not how you're thinking.

- Maleeck Harden-Hayes is attacking since he returned!

- One game without Tra and some strange vibes in the building.

- The Patented UNCW February 17/18 loss and a recent history of bounce-back finishes.

- Some light threats to Brett Yormark and anyone else who tries to squeeze mid-majors out of the tournament.

- The NCAA is trying to make the NIT irrelevant.

- Families, players and the support staff see the wildly negative stuff a few people post on social media, and it's not cool!

We've got a special Perchcast coming your way!

Ladies and gentlemen: The Sophomore Sensations, The Dynamic Duo, The Brothers ... Noah Ross and Nolan Hodge joined us to cover anything and everything UNCW basketball.

During the conversation, we touched on:

- Their paths to UNCW and committing on the same day.

- Making the high school to college hoops adjustment.

- Settling into their roles this season and fighting through adversity.

- Life on the road for the first two months of the season.

- Teammates they've most enjoyed watching grow.

- Trask Magic!

- Refocusing after the loss at Stony Brook.

- The Seahawks' ceiling with Maleeck Harden-Hayes back in the fold.

It’s gameday, and we’ve got a new episode of Perchcast to catch up on the wins over Charleston and Campbell, as well as a look ahead to tonight’s first-place showdown with Drexel.

Here’s what we touched on for this week:

A grown-man win at Charleston!

Donovan Newby is making shots, and you know we’re fired up!

UNCW’s depth showed up last week, and why that matters for March.

Khamari McGriff coming up big in both games last week, and why we’re excited to see him get another shot at the Dragons.

Our view on analytics, ShotQuality and other such tools.

The Brothers, Nolan Hodge and Noah Ross, are contributing everywhere thanks to their effort. We heard a neat story related to those shirts featuring Kyle Moshier’s design.

Campbell showed up ready to play with a great plan.

Shemar Rathan-Mayes is playing a huge, valuable role in limited minutes.

Ahmard Harvey didn’t play vs. Campbell, but expect him to make an impact vs. Drexel.

Is there anyone who might have a breakout game off the bench tonight?

Saturday’s trip to Hampton sets up as a classic trap game as the Pirates look for their first CAA win.

After a 10-day hiatus, rivalry week is back!With UNCW set to visit Charleston and the CAA schedule reaching the midpoint, we thought it was high time to bring Friend of the Perch Brian Mull back for another conversation.

(Unfortunately, the audio cut out at several points during excellent answers from Brian.)

In this week’s episode, we discussed:

The Seahawks’ incredible performance at Northeastern.

The Seahawks’ incredibly frustrating performance at Stony Brook and why things went down like that.

Noah Ross and Nolan Hodge setting the tone with their defensive energy.

What will help Donovan Newby get going down the stretch? (#TeamNewby)

Takeaways from Round One vs. Charleston, and what will and won’t carry over.

Can Ante Brzovic be stopped? How should UNCW play him defensively?

Breaking down the depth of the league and some pleasant surprises in the standings.

The CAA needs to embrace creativity and incentivize scheduling tough opponents for the good of the league.

After an incredible Saturday night in Trask Coliseum, we asked WWAY Sports Director Jake Eichstaedt to join us to give his perspective on UNCW’s victory over Charleston and the atmosphere and hype surrounding the rivalry.

In addition, we covered Thursday night’s visit to Northeastern + Saturday’s trip to Stony Brook.

Among the other topics we discussed this week:

KJ Jenkins is getting comfortable, and it’s a game-hanger for the Seahawks. || Our students and our team loved the postgame scene; thus, it was good and cool. || UNCW moves to No. 1 nationally in turnover rate. What exactly does that mean? || How in the world did Ante Brzovic originally end up at a D2 program? ||

Ahmard Harvey keeps showing flashes of what he can give this team down the stretch with his energy and knack for finding the ball, and man, are we excited. || Gritty performances — especially on defense — from guys like Nolan Hodge, Noah Ross and Khamari McGriff. || A brilliant, signature performance from Shykeim Phillips. It’s time to start talking about #2TheRafters, and not only because he’s an incredible player. || The changing local media landscape and the many hats Jake wears in covering UNCW + local sports. || Your questions, our possibly useful answers!

In this super special *air horns* edition of Perchcast, we discussed one of the more bizarre basketball games we’ve seen UNCW play in recent years, then jumped into Saturday’s big rivalry matchup with Charleston.

So much to discuss, including:

— Trazarien White’s incredible night (31 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists)

— BLACK ALTERNATE UNIFORMS ARE BEAUTIFUL

— Maleeck Harden-Hayes’ absence and his prognosis for Saturday, plus a potential injury for Donovan Newby?

— Was this UNCW’s best half of the season? And which half was more important?

— Charleston dropped one to Towson. Does it matter for us?

— Savoring the experience of Trask on a night like Saturday.

— Keys to knocking off Charleston.

— Is there anyone with the potential to be an X-Factor for the Seahawks?

— You’ve got good questions, we’ve got answers of varying quality!

It’s gameday for the Seahawks, as UNCW heads west to visit in-state rival Elon tonight at Schar Center.

This is the first of two Perchcast episodes we’ll have this week, focused on last week’s victories over Monmouth and Delaware, then previewing what to expect tonight vs. the Phoenix.

We’ll have an Elon review/Charleston preview ready for your enjoyment on Friday morning.

Our guest this week is Jason Lanier, an original member of The Hecklers who remains involved with the Seahawk Club and recently led the efforts to produce the #ShyTime t-shirt.

There’s nobody out there that cares more about UNCW than Jason, and it was fun to chat with him about the good ol’ days in Richmond and also the good now days. We’ve got more merch coming your way soon, so be on the lookout.

Included in this episode…

- Did UNCW really ‘learn’ physicality from its first two games?

- Monmouth tried to punk us in Trask, didn’t they?

- A major improvement on defense in a matter of a week.

- The coaching staff made an effort to get Maleeck Harden-Hayes involved early, and it worked!

- Should Shemar Rathan-Mayes be playing more and/or should Donovan Newby be playing less?

- Are the Seahawks a better 3-point shooting team than they’ve shown lately?

- Is the old CAA making a comeback this season?

A return to Trask Coliseum couldn't have come at a better time for the Seahawks after a surprising 0-2 start in CAA play.

This week, Bill and Brant break down what happened on the frustrating two-game run at Drexel and Towson and whether we should be worried about UNCW's long-range prospects. (Hint: probably not so much.)

Also, they touch on:

- The CAA home-opener vs. Monmouth and Xander Rice.

- Shot quality numbers and what they mean for UNCW.

- Why the Seahawks haven't been able to push the pace, and whether a trapping press is the answer.'

- What might get Maleeck Harden-Hayes going on this homestand.

- How much Shykeim Phillips' hand injury altered the offense.

- The big man rotation, and the potential addition of Ahmard Harvey.

- Slanderous statements by an SEC fanbase that has no business mentioning UNCW.

If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and toss us a five-star rating!

With league play tipping off around the CAA this week, we had to invite Brian Mull on for his first episode of the year.

First, we break down UNCW's loss to Arkansas to wrap up the nonconference slate, and what the Seahawks should take from their 9-3 run in November and December.

From there, we dive into every level of #CAAHoops, from title contenders to the struggling teams who have a chance to make a leap. Brian gives us his thoughts on what's different with Charleston, why he likes Monmouth, and the challenges Drexel provides on Thursday night and beyond.

Finally, we wrapped things up with your questions and reminisced on some of Brian's favorite tales from the beat, touched on ‘Fargo, Directory Assistance’ and paid homage to the Great 80 Day Coaching Search of 2010. You'll definitely want to hear who ALMOST took over the job back then.

Brian served as the UNCW beat writer at the Star-News starting in 2006 and stuck around for the Benny Moss and Buzz Peterson eras. He lives in Wilmington and covers college hoops nationwide, with his work appearing in places like College Insider and The Athletic.

Follow him on Twitter/X at @BGMull for his musings on UNCW, CAA basketball and mid-major hoops in general.