Trevor Deloach, the lone scholarship senior on the UNC Wilmington men’s basketball team, has served several different roles for the Seahawks this season. He’s been an asset off the bench, a high scorer and a leader for the underclassmen.

The Seahawk: After playing junior college ball, what made you decide to want to come to UNCW?

Trevor Deloach: A former assistant coach really recruited me hard out of junior college and pushed me to check out the campus. I really liked the campus; it wasn’t too far or too close from home. I also have a little daughter, so I didn’t want to be to far away from home.

TS: As you’ve transitioned from school to school and team to team, how has it been changing coaches throughout your career?

TD: I learned a lot from each coach. They each have their own style, their own way of coaching and their own way of relating to players. Learning how to transition and adapt with the different coaches and situations I was placed in will hopefully benefit me in the future, such as in the work force dealing with different bosses.

TS: How has your role as a player evolved from your freshman year to your senior year?

TD: Coming into college, I was a very good scorer. I put up really big numbers my senior year. Freshman year, I was a redshirt freshman at (the University of) South Carolina, and that year I had to adapt to the speed of the college game and had to get acquainted to the different college arenas when I traveled with the team. Then, junior college was a lot different. It was every man for himself, and I had to adjust to that both on the court and in life. When I came to UNCW, I had to adapt to a different system of play. I had learned a lot and was ready to play my first year here. When coach (Benny) Moss got fired, the whole system changed, and I had to learn a new one again. Last season I was depended on as more of a scorer, and this year I thought I was going to be more of a scorer, but I’ve been more of a role player this year. I just want to do whatever it takes for us to win.

TS: How has Coach Peterson helped the many freshmen on the team adapt to the college game?

TD: Coach Peterson is doing a really good job relating to the freshmen and helping them to adjust to the college game and college in general. It’s different for them because each one of them is coming from high school, and each one of them is coming from schools where they were the superstar. Coming to college they have to adapt to having a different role on the team, the different defensive and offensive systems we run, scouting reports and traveling around to different arenas. He’s helped them with adjusting to all of those things and has done a good job with telling the freshmen what and what not to do.

TS: Do you feel that the team looks to you as a leader?

TD: Yes, everyone looks up to me as a leader, because I’ve already been there before. I can relate to things in the classroom, on the court and in the real world because I’ve already got my degree. On the court, I have seen just about everything in college basketball that there is to see, so I can give out a lot of pointers to the younger guys.

TS: Congratulations on getting your degree. What did getting that mean to you and your family?

TD: Thank you. It was great. I think I’m the first person in my family to graduate from college, so it was a huge honor for me. My mom was so proud of me; I just wanted to do it for myself and for her, because she didn’t get a chance to do it. She was a really good basketball player in high school, but she lost her hand going into her senior year so she never had an opportunity to do what I’ve done.

TS: What is your favorite game memory from your career here at UNCW?

TD: My favorite memory was the William & Mary game from last year when we played them at home. Tanner Milson’s father had just passed away, and it was his first game back. I think he just got back here the day of the funeral and played that night. We wore Milson shirts to warm up in. We won, and I think I had 28 points. It was really memorable because it was such an emotional game.

TS: Throughout your life, what has the game of basketball meant to you?

TD: Basketball is my love. At a young age, I just felt like it was something to do, but when I got to age 10 or 11, I started playing with the older guys and could see that I could be really good. Throughout my whole life, I’ve just wanted to win, and I took that very seriously. I kept working on my game and my love for the sport and my competiveness kept escalating. I got really good in high school, and my grades were good so I started getting recruited. I just want to go as far as basketball can take me.

TS: As a family man, what’s your plan after you finish up here at UNCW?

TD: Playing basketball overseas for a few years would be ideal, and then in a few years when my little girl starts school, I probably will try to get a coaching job in the United States somewhere close to home, so that she can live with me and I can be there for her.