UNC Wilmington Men's Basketball just found out they are competing against Texas Tech during the Round of 64 in the 2025 NCAA Basketball Tournament.

This milestone reflects how great they have played all season and finished the job by winning the CAA for the league record seventh time.

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There is no question that teams must have great players to reach the big dance, but one team member who does not get enough credit when things go well is the head coach.

In this case, that would be Takayo Siddle, the head coach of the UNC Wilmington Seahawks. Here are five things to know about Coach Siddle before the NCAA Tournament.

1. Takayo Siddle Is A Former Player

• From 2005 to 2009, Siddle played college basketball for Gardner-Webb, playing 114 games.
• His sophomore year was his best year as a player. He started every game and averaged nearly ten points per game.
• Siddle also played on the team that upset No. 20 Kentucky at Rupp Arena and advanced to the final four of the 2007 2K Sports College Hoops Classic in the 2007-2008 season.

2. NC State Was His Power 4 Coaching Experience

• Siddle's coaching career began in 2009-10 as an assistant coach on Kevin Keatts at Hargrave Military, where they went 28-1 overall.
• Keatts quickly became Siddle's mentor, and the two became head and assistant coaches at UNC Wilmington from 2014 to 2017, where they appeared in the 2017 NCAA Tournament.
• The tenure would go so well that Keatts accepted a job offer to become the next head coach of NC State. Siddle would also come along for the ride, giving him his first-ever Power 4 conference coaching experience, ultimately before heading back to UNCW for his first head coaching experience.

3. Good Things Happen For UNCW When Takayo Siddle Is There

• Siddle becoming an assistant for the Seahawks would foreshadow their success when he is on the coaching staff.
• In his three seasons as an assistant, UNCW never had a losing record and won the CAA conference, but when he and Keatts left for NC State, UNC Wilmington struggled from the 2017-2018 season to 2019-2020, having three straight losing seasons.
• However, when UNCW gave Siddle his first head coaching job aside from the shortened season, the Seahawks have enjoyed success ever since, with four straight winning seasons, including his first NCAA Tournament appearance as the head coach.

4. Takayo Siddle Has The Awards And Accolades That Make A Great Coach

• In Siddle's second season as head coach at UNC Wilmington, he won conference coach of the year after the team won 27 games, the most by any CAA team since 2018-19.
• During that season, the team won its first postseason title in history after winning the CBI Tournament and won the very next season; he coached them to a school record with a 13-game winning streak.
• Lastly, in 2023- 2024, UNCW won its first road game against a nationally ranked team, Kentucky, which was No. 12 at the time.

5. Takayo Siddle Also Has The Respect Of His Former Mentors/Coaches

• Aside from gaining program-defining achievements every season as the head coach for UNC Wilmington, Siddle also has the respect of his peers with whom he has coached in the past.
• Longtime mentor Kevin Keatts described Siddle as a great basketball mind and was very behind his becoming the second head coach to come after him.
• Now Ohio State head coach Chris Holtmann has also praised UNCW's hire, explaining that Siddle is a hard worker and a player's coach, and he connects with players very well.

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