UNC Wilmington Athletics

Nicole Woods, an experienced collegiate coach and tireless recruiter, was named the 12th head coach in UNCW women’s basketball history by Director of Athletics Michael Oblinger on April 13, 2023.

Woods, a native of Gastonia, N.C., begins her third season at the helm for UNCW in 2025-26. Most recently, Woods spent 10 years on the coaching staff at Charlotte. Woods served as an associate coach with the 49ers under Cara Consuegra (currently the head coach at Marquette).

In her second season at UNCW, Woods revitalized the program during the 2024-25 campaign. The Seahawks won 14 games, improving their win total from 2023-24 by nine to reach the second round of the Coastal Athletic Association tournament. Woods also navigated the Seahawks to a perfect 4-0 record in overtime games and is 5-0 all-time in overtime as a head coach. 

UNCW won eight conference games during the 2024-25 season, matching the previous total from the past four seasons combined, including a 65-57 win against Stony Brook, the defending regular season champions, 

Woods led the program's resurgence, showcasing her strong ability to recruit and build relationships with student-athletes. She recruited the CAA's 2023-24 Sixth Player of the Year, Jania Hall, who reached the 1,000-point milestone as a graduate student on Feb. 23, 2025 at Towson, and four-star recruit Ali Zelaya (North Carolina), among others. Woods also recruited Tia Dobson, who led all freshmen in the CAA with 65 assists.

In 2024-25, Woods guided Zelaya to three major CAA accolades. Zelaya was the second player in the program's 40-year history in the conference to be named the CAA Defensive Player of the Year, and the first in 22 years. Zelaya was also the program's first CAA first-team selection in a decade and the 10th overall in team history. She was only the eighth player in team history selected to the league's all-defensive team.

Zelaya became the second player in program history to be named USBWA Ann Meyers Drysdale National Player of the Week following two dominant double-double performances in wins against Hofstra on Jan. 31 and Stony Brook on Feb. 2.

Under Woods' leadership, Zelaya broke the program's 25-year single-season blocks record in 2024-25 with 81 rejections, finishing eighth all-time in program history in 32 games as a Seahawk. 

Zelaya was seventh in the nation in blocks (81), ninth in blocks per game (2.53), 13th in defensive rebounds per game (7.6), 37th in rebounds (295), 45th in double-doubles (11) and 51st in rebounds (9.2), leading the CAA in each category at the end of UNCW's season.

Evan Miller rewrote the program record book, finishing the last two seasons of her career with Woods. Miller broke the 14-year program record for career games played on Feb. 7 at Delaware and finished her career with 136 games played. Miller wrapped up her career fourth in career minutes played (3,378), fifth in career 3-point attempts (413), seventh all-time in career 3-pointers made (124) and 10th in field goal attempts (993).

Miller also became the first Seahawk under Woods to sign a professional contract, inking a deal with A.D. Sanjoanense in Sao Joao, Portugal in June 2025. 

With Woods leading the way, the Seahawks made significant leaps in multiple statistical categories. Woods' efforts in uniting the Wilmington community paid off as UNCW jumped from 11th to fourth in home attendance, with an extra 2,000+ fans entering Trask Coliseum during the 2024-25 season, including the highest attended conference game for the program in the last five seasons. The program also finished the spring semester with a 3.825 GPA, the highest for any team on campus.

The Seahawks' academic success during the 2024-25 academic year paid off as the team earned the 2024-25 CAA Team Academic Excellence Award with a 3.764 GPA.

"I want to thank Chancellor Volety, Mike Oblinger, and Tiffany Tucker for believing in me," Woods said. "The three of us will do remarkable things together. It will be a pleasure to work for such an amazing administration.  I am ready to lead this program to progressing daily, while positively impacting the lives of these young ladies."

AT CHARLOTTE

Charlotte racked up five winning seasons and four 20-win campaigns in the Queen City with Woods on the staff. The 49ers recorded a C-USA winning percentage of .500 or better in nine straight seasons from 2013-22, capped by a 15-3 conference mark in the 2022 championship season. 

Woods primarily worked with Charlotte's backcourt, helping numerous players run the team’s high-octane offense while contributing on the defensive end. She mentored several All-Conference performers, including Syracuse transfer Jade Phillips, a 2020 C-USA first-team and C-USA All-Defensive selection who averaged 14.1 points and 8.7 rebounds per game over two seasons. 

In addition to Phillips, Woods headed up the recruiting efforts for three-time All-Conference selections Jada McMillan and Octavia Jett-Wilson. McMillan started 117 games and collected 120 steals. Jett-Wilson was the 2022 C-USA Player of the Year and is Charlotte’s all-time leader in games played (143), games started (123) and minutes played (4,157). She ranks second in free throws made (490) and third on the school’s all-time scoring list (1,812). 

Woods’ recruiting acumen has extended from the state of North Carolina to the national level. The 49ers featured their first all-North Carolina freshman class in 2018-19, and Charlotte has added several Power Five transfers in recent years.

AT STETSON

At Stetson, Woods played a key role when the Hatters and coach Lynn Bria cranked out a school record 23 victories and the program’s first WNIT berth in 2012. Woods and the Hatters captured the 2013 Atlantic Sun Championship, earning an first-round matchup vs. UCLA, the No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Woods recruited Stetson’s all-time leading scorer, Brianti Saunders, who scored 1,975 points for the Hatters. Saunders joined Victoria McGowan, Jama Sharp, and Sasha Sims as former players for Woods who made the ASUN Conference’s All-Decade Team. McGowan was inducted into the ASUN Hall of Fame in 2025.

McGowan was named 2012 ASUN Player of the Year and earned Tournament MVP honors in 2011 after helping Stetson capture the ASUN title. McGowan is being inducted into the ASUN Hall of Fame in 2025.

COLLEGIATE/PROFESSIONAL PLAYING CAREER

Woods played four seasons at Belmont Abbey (2002-06), where she blossomed into an NCAA Division II Bulletin Second-Team All-American, averaging 24.1 ppg, less than .01 ppg behind the national leader. Woods was also selected Carolina-Virginia Athletic Conference (now Conference Carolinas) Player of the Year after averaging 7.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists during her senior campaign. 

Woods earned degrees in Accounting and Business Management at Belmont-Abbey and graduated in 2006 as the school’s fourth all-time leading scorer with 1,641 points. Her 676 points scored in 2005-06 remain a school record for a single season.

Woods was inducted into the Gaston Sports Hall of Fame in 2022 and played professionally in England for the Nottingham Wildcats in 2007-08, leading the team in assists and ranking second in scoring.

 The Nicole Woods File

 Full Name: Alicia Nicole Woods
 Hometown: Gastonia, N.C.
 Education: B.A., Accounting, Belmont Abbey, 2006; B.A., Business, Belmont
 Abbey, 2006; M.A., Public Administration, SIU Carbondale, 2011

Woods Year-by-Year History

"We're very excited to welcome Nicole to the Seahawk family. She has an excellent basketball pedigree and will bring new excitement to our program. Our student-athletes and staff will enjoy getting to know Nicole as the program prospers. It's a great day for our women's basketball program and Seahawk Nation."
-Michael Oblinger, UNCW Director of Athletics

"Nicole is the perfect choice to lead the UNCW Women’s Basketball program. She has been an integral part of building and sustaining success during her 10 years working for Charlotte Women’s Basketball. Her impact starts with people and her ability to connect, engage and motivate others to become the best version of themselves. But she is also a tremendous basketball mind, hard worker and great leader to all around her. Nicole will lead with integrity and heart and will pour into the lives of her players. I am confident that the team, athletic department and university will all benefit from her joining the community. I cannot wait to watch Nicole transform the program and will always be cheering from afar."
-Cara Consuegra, Marquette Women's Basketball Head Coach

"Nicole Woods is one of the best and brightest coaches in the business. She has established an incredible reputation for being one of the best recruiters in the country. Her authenticity has enabled her to create deep relationships with people on all levels. It’s no surprise to me that Nicole has become an amazing leader and ready to lead her own program."
-Lynn Bria, Stetson Women's Basketball Head Coach

"Head coaching success comes from those that are tremendous leaders and possess the strategy and recruiting knowledge necessary to outperform an opponent. Nicole Woods has for more than a decade, as an assistant coach, at three highly successful programs developed the knowledge necessary for success. She has demonstrated a highly refined ability to recruit students that are talented athletically, but more importantly, a match for the institution. Daily, Nicole demonstrates her commitment to leadership, living her values, every moment, every day, all the time. She treats her student-athletes in the same way she demands to be treated with dignity, respect, energy, and enthusiasm. She is ready to be a head coach!"
-Jeff Altier, Stetson Director of Athletics

"Nicole is a level-headed leader, who brings consistency wherever she goes-never gets too high or too low. In the years of working along side Nicole, she’s been the most professional individual I’ve ever worked with. Nicole is an individual who takes pride in bringing other individuals along. She genuinely LOVES to see others succeed and her ability to celebrate other people is contagious."
-Tanisha Wright, Atlanta Dream Head Coach, WNBA

"Nicole is a light among coaches in the basketball community. When she walks into a high school or travel team gym her presence is known. She has built strong relationships and is well-respected among her colleagues. A continuous learner, Nicole is a constant at our A Step Up professional development symposiums. Her ability to develop talent is due both to her attention to detail and energy on the basketball court. Her faith leads her and her light helps to guide others looking to turn their potential into something more. I am confident that she can help take any program to the next level."
-Felicia Hall Allen, Founder of Felicia Hall Allen & Associates