Wilmington, North Carolina – Hall of Fame Coach Roy Williams of NCAA men's basketball champion North Carolina made a stopover in Wilmington on Thursday night to extend best wishes to his former player and aide, C.B. McGrath, on his first head coaching post at UNCW.
 
And the second annual UNCW Men's Basketball Tipoff Banquet was a night to remember.
  Following an introduction of the two-time defending Colonial Athletic Association champions and remarks by McGrath, Williams provided some advice for the players as they embarked on the 2017-18 season.
 
"If you make sacrifices for the common goal and you don't care who gets the credit," he told the Seahawks in the audience, "your team will be better off and at the end, you will benefit.
 
"Play your butt off on game day. But you have to invest every day to get ready for that."
 
Williams encouraged a sold-out crowd of nearly 400 at the Burney Center to continue the support that has made UNCW the CAA's attendance leader the past several seasons.
 
"The more you give, the more you'll get back," he emphasized. "I think what you folks are doing here tonight is fantastic. For the players, I want you to be a great team member. For the fans, I want you to be a great team member. You'll get it back – you'll enjoy helping these young men."
 
In his closing remarks, Williams, the only coach in NCAA history to lead two different programs to four Final Fours each, told those assembled that McGrath was the perfect fit for the coast.
 
"I've never had a young man more prepared to do the job than C.B. McGrath," Williams said. "I've never had a young man that I've enjoyed more than C.B. McGrath. Stick with him and the celebrations you see up there (on the video screen), you'll still see those. You'll also see a group every year that will represent UNCW the right way. You'll be proud of these young men as basketball players and you'll be proud that C.B. McGrath is your head coach."
 
The Seahawks begin official drills next Saturday, Sept. 30, and open the season on Saturday, Nov. 11, vs. North Carolina Wesleyan at Trask Coliseum.