What was once a promising outlook on the 2016-2017 men’s basketball season has become slightly grimmer in the last couple weeks at UNC Wilmington.

Originally set to return all but two players from this past season’s rotation, the Seahawks were informed that junior Chuck Ogbodo would explore the possibility of transferring. The 6-foot-9 Nigeria native averaged 3.5 points and 3.3 rebounds in 19 game appearances.

The possible loss of Ogbodo did not seem too significant at the time, but recent rumors of redshirt junior C.J. Gettys leaving the program have caused a stir.

Gettys, a full-time starter in UNCW’s run toward a conference championship and NCAA Tournament bid, is a 7-foot-0 center who averaged 5.4 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. A departure would have the Seahawks missing his presence in the post more than his offensive production.

Rumors regarding Gettys leaving were first reported by WECT, but have yet to be confirmed by UNCW Athletics or head coach Kevin Keatts.

On the flipside of the transfer scenario, Wilmington has been placed on the shortlist of multiple athletes that could make an immediate impact on the Seahawks next season.

LaRon Smith, a 6-foot-8 forward from Bethune-Cookman, first played college basketball for Georgia State when the Panthers were still members of the CAA. He may be interested in returning to the conference, made known via reports by ESPN’s Jeff Goodman.

Smith averaged 7.1 points and 6.9 rebounds per game in 32 starts this year. His 96 blocks on the season, an average of three per game, ranked sixth nationally.

It was good enough to earn him MEAC Defensive Player of the Year and make his name jump off the page for UNCW. His production would go a long way towards helping the Seahawks fill the hole left by Gettys and/or Ogbodo.

More significantly, UNCW was among a much longer list of potential destinations for more high-profile candidates Caleb and Cody Martin. The twin forwards announced their intention to leave North Carolina State University on March 24.

The two are the most recent athletes to leave Raleigh. A slew of transfers has been heavily detrimental to the program in recent years, and the absence of the Martin twins will noticeably thin the Wolfpack’s depth chart.

Caleb and Cody started a combined 35 games for NC State during their sophomore campaigns, while averaging 11.5 and 6.0 points, respectively.

UNCW head coach Kevin Keatts may not have the Martins as high on his list as Smith, however. If they did decide to make Wilmington their new home, they would have to sit out next season per NCAA rules, resuming their careers in the 2017-2018 school year.

Ambrose Mosely, a graduate transfer from Old Dominion University, announced his commitment to join the Seahawks on Sunday night. The guard averaged 3.4 points and 4.2 rebounds per game in his third season with the Monarchs.

Regardless of how the transfer carousel continues to spin over the next month or so, it will be interesting to see how Keatts and his coaching staff pursue recruits to help UNCW get back to the NCAA Tournament next year.