After a season crippled by injuries, the Seahawk men’s basketball team became even more depleted Tuesday night when Head Coach Benny Moss announced that Kevon Moore and Jerel Stephenson will be transferring from UNCW. Both players informed Moss of their decisions in individual meetings last week.

“I wish both of them the best of luck in their future endeavors,” Moss said. “While they move on with the next stage of their lives, I look forward to working with our team to get ready for next season.”

Moss has been unavailable for further comment.

Stephenson started 23 of the 28 games he played and was the team’s second leading rebounder. He averaged 7.7 points per game and looked to be a vital part of the offense in the near future.

Moore, a 6-foot-2 guard from Bowie, Md., was a solid sixth man for the Seahawks, averaging 9.1 points off the bench.

Both Stephenson and Moore are yet to comment on their decisions to leave UNCW.

Moss has compiled a 34-60 record over three years as the Head Coach at UNCW. The Seahawks ended the year with a 7-25 mark; the worst record in school history. However, next year had tremendous opportunity for improvement. With a fully healthy squad and the addition of incoming post players Matt Wilson and Keith Rendlemen, the Seahawks were poised to surprise a lot of people in the CAA.

Both Moore and Stephenson averaged over 23 minutes per game and had integral roles in the offense. There will be a great deal of speculation as to the reason for the transfer, but as for now, it seems as though homesickness is their cause of departure. But it is important to not overlook that this could be a sign that things aren’t turning around as planned for the men’s hoops team. But if there is a bright side to this mess, the Seahawks now have two [possibly three if Freshman Brad Bald does not return due to health issues] scholarships to offer for next year. However, this is undoubtedly not the way Moss envisioned his offseason.