After the semester winds down and exams are completed, students will be heading home for the holidays and for most, a much needed break.

For UNCW’s women’s basketball team, the end of the semester marks the beginning of a month full of work.

On Dec. 13, as the last students head home to spend time with family and friends, the Seahawks will travel to Greenville to take on rival ECU. Three days later, a home game against Costal Carolina will take place; five days after that, on Dec. 21, UNCW heads across the state to take on Charlotte’s 49ers.

Finally, nine days and three games after the last exams have been given, on Dec. 22, the team gets its “break” and everyone can go home-for four days. Then it’s off to New Hampshire, a state not known for its mild winters.

After a day of practice, the Seahawks head to the Granite State for Dartmouth’s Blue Sky Classic. Wilmington will take on Fairfield Dec. 29 in the first game of the tournament and will play either Dartmouth or Kansas the following day.

Although having only four days off during the holidays, the team realizes that the winter break is a crucial time in their development as a team. Since the players will not have classes to attend, they can focus strictly on basketball and on making improvements.

“The winter break is a taste of being in the pros,” said head coach Ann Hancock, “because of not having classes we are able to practice more and work on player development. We also get to change things up a little and work on new schemes.”

To accommodate for the lack of time the players get to spend with their families, the coaches work hard to create a sense of family within the team. The players are often fed home-cooked meals, and on one night, they participate in a gift exchange (among teammates) during their traditional Christmas get-together.

Senior starter Jennifer Kapper realized the importance of the team’s time together during the holidays.

“Because we are the only people on campus during the break, it really builds our team chemistry and gives us a sense of family.” Kapper said. “I miss my family, but I have 14 other family members that I will be playing and practicing with everyday over the break.”

Among the busy schedule during the winter break, the coaches’ main goal is preparing for 2004 and its more important games.

“All games and practices are geared toward making improvements so that we will be prepared when it comes time for conference games.” Hancock said.

The women will get an early test of their ability in their first CAA game Jan. 4 at home against Delaware.