Media Contact: Mimi Cunningham, Assistant Vice Chancellor for University Relations910/962-3171 (O) 910/256-4904 (h) [email protected]
WASHINGTON WIZARDS TRAIN AT UNC WILMINGTON OCT. 2-10
With the excitement of Michael Jordan's return to the court, the University of North Carolina at Wilmington is working to claim a share of the spotlight when the Washington Wizards hold training camp at UNCW's Trask Coliseum. Reporters who want to branch out beyond covering the Wizards are being given these story ideas:
University of North Carolina at Wilmington Media Briefs
* UNCW Not a Stranger to Celebrities
UNCW and the City of Wilmington are no strangers to the hot lights of celebrities. Home to the largest studio east of Hollywood, Wilmington is also home to more than 1200 film professionals living in the area. More than 300 movies and made-for-tv movies including Domestic Disturbance, The Jackal, Firestarter, Black Knight, and I Know What You Did Last Summer have been filmed in or around the Wilmington area. Currently, the hit television show Dawson's Creek is filmed in the city and on the UNCW campus. Wilmington's Regional Film Commission estimates that the city benefits from movies and television productions in the area to the tune of $100 million each year.
* UNCW Basketball Program . . . How does it benefit from the Wizards visit?
The reputation of UNCW's men's basketball team has grown and improved, with post-season berths in three of the last four years. UNCW's Sports Information Director Joe Browning says that having the Wizards practice on UNCW's home turf benefits the school's program tremendously by creating excitement about the program. This excitement increases awareness of UNCW and its basketball program, thus helping the recruiting and fundraising efforts.
* University Prepares for the Wizards and Michael Jordan
UNCW students and administrators are excited about hosting the Wizards and Michael Jordan as he returns to NBA basketball as a player. But when a university plays host to an event this big, a huge amount of planning must be done. Many say that Michael Jordan's visit to Wilmington and UNCW potentially is bigger than a presidential visit. There must be preparations regarding parking, accommodations, security, and the influx of worldwide media.
* The Wizards Choose UNCW for Training Camp . . . Why?
Michael Jordan was born and raised in this town, but Wilmington and UNCW have grown dramatically since then. Wilmington is a beach community with a wonderful quality of life and booming growth. The city's own university, UNCW, also has experienced phenomenal growth over the past ten years. This year, a record number of incoming freshmen arrived on campus in August. Fall enrollment for 2001 is more than 10,000, up 41 percent from ten years ago. The Wizards held training camp at UNCW last year, and SID Joe Browning believes the team came back because Wilmington and UNCW in particular have tried hard to make sure that Michael and all of the members of the Wizard team feel at home and can relax and practice . . . .which is the real reason they are here.
* Wizards Coach Doug Collins and UNCW Basketball Coach Jerry Wainwright Share the Stage
Coach Collins and Coach Wainwright will share the stage at a fundraiser on Tuesday, October 2 at 6:30 p.m. at the Hilton Riverside in downtown Wilmington. More than 300 people are expected to attend the sold-out fundraiser, which is being hosted by the Rebounders, the Seahawk student aid club for the UNCW Men's Basketball Program. Proceeds from the event will benefit the UNCW Men's Basketball team. Media may cover the talks expected to begin around 8:15 p.m.
* UNCW - - A School Aiming for the Bright Lights
UNCW capitalized on the popularity of Wilmington as a film location by this year adding a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Film Studies. Legendary filmmaker Frank Capra, Jr. and Mark Fincannon, an Emmy Award winning casting director, have both served as visiting professors at the school.
* The East Coast's Best School for Surfing Is Serious about Marine Science
UNCW, which was recently ranked by swell.com as the number one U.S. college in the East for surfing, is also home to one of the world's premier Marine Science programs and facilities. Situated on Myrtle Grove Sound just five miles south of Wrightsville Beach on the Intracoastal Waterway is the $17.5 million Center for Marine Science that UNCW opened just over a year ago. At a second facility, on Wrightsville Beach, UNCW researchers led by Dr. Wade Wattanabe are leaders in mariculture technology and applications. Also among the esteemed faculty in the Marine Science Program at UNCW is Dr. Laela Sayigh, associate professor of biological sciences and an expert on dolphins. Dr. Sayigh was featured earlier this year on PAX-TV in a special entitled, "Encounters with the Unexplained: Are Dolphins Smarter than Us?" In Key Largo, Florida, UNCW's National Undersea Research Center operates the world's only undersea laboratory, Aquarius.
* The Wizards Christen Trask Coliseum's Floor
Tuesday, October 2, 2001, the Wizards will christen the new floor of Trask Coliseum on the UNCW campus. The new floor, which was just completed, replaced the original floor laid in 1977. In addition to the floor, Trask Coliseum underwent a number of other renovations, all completed in time for the Wizards visit.
University of North Carolina at WilmingtonContacts for the Media
October 1, 2001
Jim Leutze, Chancellor
Mark Lanier, Special Assistant to the Chancellor910/962-3030
Mimi Cunningham, Assistant Vice Chancellor for University Relations910/962-3171[email protected]
Peg Bradley-Doppes, UNCW Athletic Director910/962-3232[email protected]
Joe Browning, UNCW Sports Information Director910/962-3236[email protected]
Jerry Wainwright, UNCW Basketball Coach910/962-3321[email protected]
Director of Film Studies Dr. Philip Furia910/962-3321[email protected]
Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Patricia Leonard910/962-3117[email protected]
Center for Marine Science Director Dr. Daniel G. Baden 910/962-2300[email protected]
Associate Professor of Biological Sciences Dr. Laela Sayigh910/962-2342[email protected]
Student Body President Adrien Lopez910/962-3553[email protected]
Filmmaker and UNCW Visiting Professor Frank Capra, Jr.910/962-7502[email protected]
Screen Gems - 910/343-3500 or 910/675-8479
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