Goldsberry Joins Basketball Immortals During Special Ceremony

WILMINGTON, North Carolina – With family, friends and a near-capacity crowd at Trask Coliseum watching in delight, all-time great John Goldsberry became the fourth UNCW men's basketball player to have his jersey retired during halftime of Saturday's men's basketball game with William & Mary.

Goldsberry received a framed jersey from Director of Athletics Jimmy Bass as his wife, Lindsay, and children, Jackson and Kennedy, stood beside him. His parents, Frank and Paula Goldsberry of Vandalia, Ohio, and several other close relatives also made the long journey to see their son honored.

A gritty point guard who personified physical and mental toughness on the hardwood, Goldsberry joined Brett Blizzard, Bill Mayew and Brian Rowsom as Seahawk basketball immortals.

Goldsberry, 31, recently returned to the United States following a spectacular professional career with the German League's Brose Baskets in Bamberg. Goldsberry emerged as a star overseas after leading Brose Baskets to championships in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013. He also sparked the team to German Cup crowns in 2008, 2010, 2011 and 2012.

Goldsberry's finale with Brose Baskets came last year in 2013-14 and the club retired his No. 5 jersey in a special ceremony at the conclusion of the season.

The 6-3, 180-pound floor general played four years for the Seahawks from 2003-06 and guided the team to a pair of CAA championships and NCAA appearances in 2003 and 2006. He started 121 games, collecting 1,104 points, 405 rebounds, 530 assists and 228 steals. In addition to his perch atop the assist chart, he is tied for seventh on the all-time scoring list and ranks second all-time in steals.

The playmaker made a big splash in his first season in 2005-06, earning CAA All-Rookie honors and setting the NCAA Tournament record with 8-of-8 three-pointers en route to 26 points in UNCW's narrow loss to Maryland.

Goldsberry was a three-time member of the CAA's All-Defensive Team and was selected as the CAA's Defensive Player-of-the-Year in 2005. He was also named MVP of the 2005 Black Coaches Association Invitational in Laramie, Wyo.

Goldsberry's honors didn't stop on the basketball court. He was a three-time member of the CAA's All-Academic Team, received UNCW's Thomas V. Moseley Award in 2005 and earned the CAA's prestigious Dean Ehlers Leadership Award in 2006. He was also selected the CAA's Men's Basketball Scholar Athlete-of-the-Year in 2006.

Goldsberry's reputation as a student-athlete remains intact. In 2010, he was recognized as one of the top 25 players in the history of CAA basketball during the league's Silver Anniversary celebration.

The soft-spoken Goldsberry graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Finance in 2006. He and his wife, the former Lindsay Gleason of Charlotte, N.C., are the parents of a son and daughter, Jackson and Kennedy.

UNCW's Jersey Retirement Ceremonies
Brian Rowsom, Feb. 21, 1990
Bill Mayew, Jan. 17, 1998
Brett Blizzard, Feb. 2, 2005
John Goldsberry, Feb. 7, 2015

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Goldsberry Joins Basketball Immortals During Special Ceremony