Benny Moss switches jobs at UNCW

With about a month left in the regular season, word came down that UNC-Wilmington head coach Benny Moss has been “reassigned” within the athletic department. While the timing is a little curious it was obvious that Moss had worn out his welcome in Wilmington.

Between 1998 and 2006, the program made six postseason appearances, four of those being in the NCAA Tournament. But things went sour for Moss right out of the gate. His first Seahawk team finished 7-22 in 2006-07 and his overall record at the school ended up being 41-74.

At the press conference announcing the “reassignment,” UNCW Athletic Director Kelly Mehrtens was pretty doggone blunt. “Men’s basketball is the lifeblood of our department. It must, and will be, successful,” said Mehrtens.

While the program languished under Moss, a host of other Colonial teams have emerged as major players on the Mid-Major landscape. George Mason’s Final Four appearance in 2005-06 put them on the map, and the Patriots join three other Colonial schools (Old Dominion, Northeastern and William & Mary) in the current College Insider Mid-Major Top 25.

The fact that UNCW is not one of those teams really sticks in the craw of Mehrtens and the rest of Seahawk Nation. Brooks Lee, son of former Campbell coach Billy Lee, will finish out the season with the interim head coach tag, but it’s unclear whether or not Mehrtens views him as a viable candidate to fill the position permanently.

It hasn’t been a good month for current or former UNCW head coaches. Back on January 11, former Seahawk head coach Jerry Wainwright was fired by DePaul. It was Wainwright who led UNCW to its greatest hoops glory up this point, a 93-89 overtime win over fourth seeded Southern Cal in the 2002 NCAA Tournament.

"So you're saying the exit is that way?"

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