UNCW Director of Athletics Michael Oblinger has announced a contract extension for Head Men’s Basketball Coach Takayo Siddle, tying the head coach of the 2025 Coastal Athletic Association Champions to the Seahawk program through 2030.
Siddle’s extension was approved by UNCW’s Board of Trustees during a session on Wednesday, March 26, 2025.
“Coach Siddle and his staff have been instrumental in our historic success this decade, culminating in a CAA Championship earlier this month,” said Oblinger. “We look forward to sustaining success as we continue to elevate our men’s basketball program.”
Siddle capped his fifth year as UNCW’s bench boss with the school’s return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in eight years. The 38-year-old has produced a 106-47 record during his time in the Port City, including 99 wins over the previous four seasons.
The fastest UNCW head coach to reach 100 career victories (144 games), Siddle is the only coach in the program’s Division I era to guide the Seahawks to four consecutive seasons with 20 or more wins. He has navigated a pair of 27-win campaigns, including this season when he was the fourth-youngest head coach (youngest in the West Region) among the 68 schools in this year’s NCAA Tournament.
Siddle returned the program to national prominence during the 2021-22 season when he guided UNCW to a share of the CAA regular season title and won four games in four days to win the 2022 CBI Championship in Daytona Beach, Fla.
The Seahawks have finished league play tied for third place or better over the last four campaigns with a 12-game win streak in 2021-22 and a program-record 13-game win streak the following year. UNCW has played in three CAA Tournament Championship games under Siddle and claimed its CAA-record seventh league tournament title on Mar. 11, 2025, in Washington, D.C.
“Defense wins championships, but so do administrations. Chancellor Aswani K. Volety, the Board of Trustees and Director of Athletics Mike Oblinger understand exactly what it takes,” said Siddle. “I’m humbled and blessed to work for such great people. Mike is the absolute best in the business. Hands down. He sought out a group of people in the community for their support and they delivered. I’m very thankful for their generosity!
“To the city of Wilmington, our fans and our students. You guys are amazing and thank you for embracing me with open arms. Let’s keep it rolling! Go Hawks!”
Siddle led the Port City program to its first road win versus a nationally ranked opponent at No. 12 Kentucky on Dec. 2, 2023, and followed up that feat with one of the most remarkable coaching jobs in the country this year.
Having to replace UNCW’s top four leading scorers from 2023-24, Siddle and his staff tirelessly worked to restock the eventual championship roster with a mix of talented graduate and multi-year transfers. Four of the five starters during the CAA and NCAA Tournament runs were new to the program this year.
Siddle has overseen the development of seven All-CAA selections at UNCW, including reigning CAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player Donovan Newby and Seahawk alum Jaylen Sims, who became the Greensboro Swarm’s all-time leading scorer earlier this year.
The Seahawks won a program record 15 home games in 2024-25 highlighted by the inaugural Live Oak Bank Holiday Classic over Thanksgiving Weekend and closed the season with seven straight Trask Coliseum sellouts.
