Taking your first head
coaching job is never easy, but at least former Charlotte
assistant Benny Moss has a lot to work with at UNCW. Last
year's Seahawks won a school record 25 games and advanced to the
NCAA Tournament. Though the team loses three starters,
there is enough talent and experience for Moss to have a
successful first season.
Shawn
Siegel (CHN): How is the schedule for your first year on the
job?
Benny
Moss (BM):
The schedule is a lot more difficult than I would have liked it.
This team has to meet the challenge of our schedule. If we can
make it through the schedule, we have a very good shot at
getting back to the NCAA Tournament.
CHN: How will you deal with the losses of your graduating
seniors like point guard John Goldsberry?
SM: It’s going to be difficult to replace last
year’s senior group. Not only were they very good basketball
players, they were good leaders who were unselfish and always
put the team first. Obviously, T.J. Carter, Todd Hendley and
Temi Soyebo need to step up and be even more productive on the
floor and more vocal in the locker room.
CHN: What
will the strengths and weaknesses of
this year’s team to be?
BM:
I think our strengths will be our team defense and the play of
veterans T.J. Carter and Todd Hendley. Our weakness will be how
our players adjust to the new offensive system. We lost four
very good seniors, so we have to have some of our younger
players or guys in different roles step up and take on bigger
roles.
CHN: Talk about one or two of your guys that stands out
as being an unheralded leader and contributor?
BM:
T.J. Carter was
a Third-Team All-Conference selection and CAA Tournament MVP. He
will be counted on heavily to carry the load, both basketball
wise and from a leadership standpoint, too. Todd Hendley must
also take the next step to become one of the elite big men in
the conference as well as provide leadership on and off the
floor.
CHN: What should
we expect out of the incoming players. Who will make the biggest impact?
BM:
Montez Downey is
a big perimeter player who has great offensive ability. He can
create mismatches, but he needs to work on being a complete
player on both ends of the floor. Josh Sheets is a very good
perimeter shooter who has a great work ethic. He’s a big-time
winner. Daryl Felder is a very talented player who can play
multiple positions. He can play the point guard or two-guard
positions. He’s a good shooter who can also get to the paint and
break down defenses. With attention to detail, he could become a
very good defender as well. We look for all three of these
freshmen to contribute to the success of this year’s team.
CHN: Are you pretty well settled with your starting
lineup? If not, what should be the biggest battle for a starting
spot?
BM:
No. We expect competition at every position. It’s my first
season and I’m still finding out about the players we have and
will make those decisions as the season progresses.
CHN: Thanks Sean
.
Good luck this season.
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