CHAPEL HILL — The C.B. McGrath era began sooner than expected when UNC Wilmington participated in the North Carolina Disaster Relief Fund Jamboree at the Dean E. Smith Center on Sunday.

The Seahawks were joined in the jamboree by in-state schools East Carolina, UNC, and UNC Greensboro. It was a homecoming of sorts, with all programs having ties to UNC coach Roy Williams and the Tar Heels through their head coaches.

The Seahawks won their first two exhibitions in close outings before falling to defending national champion UNC in the finale.

UNCW 19, UNCG 16

It took only 34 seconds for junior Devonate Cacok to remind people that no matter how much he worked on expanding his game this summer, he is still one of the most prolific slam dunk artists in the nation.

Cacok played 12 of 13 minutes in the period, putting up eight points, six rebounds, and a block. He did convert a pair of mid-range jump shots – something that could be a valuable tool for the Seahawks if he continues to hit it often.

“That was the main thing I worked on this summer,” said Cacok of his mid-range jump shots. “Not a lot of people really expect it, but being able to be on the court and show I have that ability now, I want to showcase it.”

UNCW 24, ECU 22

The Seahawks played the Pirates at a faster pace compared to the Spartans. leading to 10 more shot attempts in the period, though it did not affect their efficiency.

UNCW shot 47 percent from the floor against ECU, a slight drop from the 50 percent it shot against UNCG in its initial contest. Redshirt senior Marcus Bryan saw the bulk of the action and was the Seahawks leading scorer with seven points.

Bryan committed a foul late with 18 seconds left in the period to give the Pirates a chance to tie or win the contest, but a strong defensive effort preserved the victory.

UNC 38, UNCW 22

The hype leading up to this matchup was not as much about the players on the court, but the classic teacher vs. student chess match between the head coaches.

On the court, the Tar Heels handled business easily after playing complacently in their loss to the UNCG. Williams went small against the Seahawks, matching forward Luke Maye up with Cacok. The move did not stop Cacok, who finished with eight points, but it allowed the Tar Heels to shoot 65 percent from the floor and pull away late with a 10-0 run.

“He’s a really good player, I just tried to wall him inside,” Maye said of Cacok. “He caught two alley-oops and almost dunked a third one. He’s really athletic and it was a good game.”

Sunday would not be UNCW’s lone meeting with two of the programs. The Seahawks will travel to face ECU on Nov. 30, then visit UNCG on Dec. 13. A future home-and-home series has been agreed to by Williams and McGrath between their respective programs and is expected to commence in the next few seasons.

Assistant Sports Editor Brandon Sans can be found on Twitter @bsans10. Any tips or suggestions should be forwarded via email to [email protected]. For video updates from The Seahawk, subscribe to our YouTube channel.