Adell Harris, the recently hired head coach of the UNC Wilmington women’s basketball team, might be a new start for the Lady Seahawks, but she’s still shooting for the stars.   

“We want to be champions,” Harris said. “The conference tournament is March 17. To say that’s not something that’s on our mind constantly would be a lie.”

Coach Harris steps in as a young aspiring coach who has more than proven herself as a Division II coach and now looks to improve a strong team coming off a 20-13 record in 2011-2012.

All the puzzle pieces are there for the Seahawks to become a championship contender: a strong-willed coach, a team which has talent from the freshmen to the seniors, and a potential star in senior Karneshia Garrett, who could be one of the best players not only in the CAA, but in the country. The drive of her and her teammates will determine just how much the team can achieve.  At the college level, teams’ skillsets are often similar, so the team with the most desire often gets the “W.”  

“I’m optimistic,” said Coach Harris. “I look at failure as a process.”

Champions are not made overnight, which is why Coach Harris and her staff are creating relationships amongst the players that will hopefully breed a championship attitude.  

It’s not how you start; it’s how you finish. With tough openers against West Virginia and Wake Forest on the road, the Lady Seahawks will be put to the test early.  The schedule will become much more manageable when the team plays CAA opponents instead, and when the dust settles in March, the Seahawks very well could be the team standing.