Since the conclusion of last season, there have been many changes withing the Sea Dawg organization. The biggest change has been the switch from the American Basketball Association to the newly developed Premier Basketball League (PBL), which is entering its inaugural season.

The PBL is a minor league, offering professional basketball in 11 cities within the United States with plans for future international expansion.

The PBL intends to recruit the best non-NBA players in the world and showcase these young stars in a setting that will enable fans to become pare of the experience and personally see the development of these players and teams.

The Sea Dawgs have some local flair this year, names that maybe familiar to Wilmington basketball fans. Head Coach Kevin Whitted, pictured, returns to the team after guiding them to a 22-9 record last season. He is the all-time leading scorer at Laney, where he broke the record set by Michael Jordan. He went on to play in the NBA before starting his coaching career. Assistant Coach Patrick Boykin is a Hoggard graduate and Wilmington native, who played at UNCW under coach Kevin Eastman.

The Sea Dawgs roster also has some players who have local ties. Zack Herman and Joseph King are both UNCW graduates, Raheim Murphy played at CFCC, and James Rhodes and Tre’ Whitted were both born here in the Port City. The Sea Dawgs return their leading scorer Cedric McGinnis, a 6′9″ power forward who averaged 22 points and eight boards per game. McGinnis is the team captain.

Head Coach Kevin Whitted told the Cape Fear Sports Report, “We’re going to play the right way…we’re going to be exciting, I think that is one thing that provides a lot of entertainment, we have a lot of guys that are athletic. We want to win, entertain and make people smile. We have all the ingredients to make that happen.”

The Sea Dawgs will open their season on the road at Maryland on January 5, and then have their first home game the following day, Sunday, January 6. For ticket information, you can go to wilmingtonseadawgs.com.

- JESSE JONES, CAPE FEAR SPORTS REPORT