Unaware of the near tragedy it had almost caused moments earlier, the Atlantic Ocean churned peacefully in the background as waves rose, crested, and splashed across the shoreline at Wrightsville Beach.
Meanwhile, there was chaos unfolding, the water a stark contrast, as paramedics frantically performed chest compressions on Nicole Woods’ temporarily lifeless body for five minutes as she lay motionless on her back in the sand. The head women’s basketball coach at UNC Wilmington was rescued from a rip current after saving her 8-year-old nephew, Noah, on May 21.
She wasn’t breathing.
She didn’t have a pulse.
Paramedics ultimately used a defibrillator to restart Woods’ heart, giving her a new lease on life—one that she’s blessed to experience and now more determined than ever to maximize her second chance.
“I’m a walking miracle,” Woods said to The IX Basketball during a Zoom call. “I’m going to tell as many people as I can about the rip currents, and that the good Lord saved me. I can tell you what I’m going to make the best of my life. I can tell you that. I’m good mentally and physically and have a clean bill of health now.”
Considering she almost drowned, was on a ventilator, spent over 24 hours in ICU, stayed five days in the hospital recovering, and overcame a bout of pneumonia, Woods is grateful. The outpouring of compassion was overwhelming. As she slowly improved, Woods was greeted by “almost 600 text messages, and I don’t know how many voicemails,” not counting the social media notifications.
Love came from everywhere, including her colleagues around the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) as many coaches and administrators from the other 12 schools consistently checked in with Woods. CAA commissioner Joe D’Antonio and his staff made sure to support Woods, as did the UNCW administration, who visited her in the hospital. Delaware head coach Sarah Jenkins flew to Wilmington to be near her friend.
She heard from the Wilmington mayor. Many of her conference colleagues learned of the beach incident the day that the CAA spring meetings started.
“I almost feel bad because my family, my loved ones, the ones around me, they had to go through the trauma of the entire event,” Woods said. “I was in it, and it was scary. Then I woke up and don’t remember a lot of the bad pieces that people are telling me. So, I don’t necessarily have those kinds of thoughts, memories, or things of that nature.
“I’m more concerned, of course, about my family and friends, the ones that went through the traumatic event that I wouldn’t wish on anybody. Getting a phone call about your spouse or your sister, or whoever it is and I think the words that they used were that they’re working on her. Nobody wants to ever hear that about a loved one.”
It was a family outing in which Woods took her two daughters, ages 15 and 10 months, and her niece and nephew, both 8, to the beach about six miles east of Wilmington. Even though she had to set up in a different location a little further away than her normal spot, there still was a calmness Woods recalled despite the beach being busier than usual since it was the start of Memorial Day weekend.
Plus the water only reached the calves as they played, and there weren’t any warning flags blowing. The kids weren’t swimming in the middle of the ocean. They were in the crash zone with other little kids playing and picking up seashells. After noticing her nephew in distress, Woods reacted instinctively. She had one thought.
“I took my stuff out of my pockets, I looked at my 15-year-old, and I told her, I said, ‘I’m going to go get Noah, I’ll be right back,’ just like that in a calm tone,” Woods said. “It wasn’t necessarily an emergency, but once I got out there, I realized that it was. I just remember thinking my nephew can’t go out like this. …Thinking back on it, I feel almost selfish because I’ve got a whole family here, I’ve got a wife, I’ve got two children, an 11-month-old, a 15-year-old, and they could have lost me.”
Even though she’s a strong swimmer, Woods got caught in a rip current and had to make an immediate decision because she knew, at that moment, that her and her nephew could not get out of the water safely together. She pushed her nephew first to Wrightsville Beach Ocean rescue captain, Sam Proffitt, who came into the water to assist. At the same time, Woods knew that the last thing she could do in life was make sure her nephew was safe.
As she was in the water, a fortuitous occurrence may have saved Woods’ life.
“The Wrightsville Beach Ocean Rescue Captain told me in his 26 years he’s never had a situation like what happened with me,” Woods said. “He saw my nephew out in the water, and he dove in to get to him and gave him the buoy, and he was above water, and when he got to him, he felt something hit his leg up under the water, and my nephew was standing on top of me. That’s how he was able to stay above the water. I happened to bump his leg, and here I am today. He was able to save both of us.”
Proffitt ultimately got both of them out of the water.
Woods, who was underwater for a minute, also owes everything to Ryan Gillespie, Giuseppe Marturano, and Dashaun Brown, who heard the screams for help as they were playing soccer on the beach. They rushed into the rough water to save Woods and her nephew. Gillespie and Brown helped long enough for emergency medical services to arrive. Marturano called 911.
A chilling thought was if Woods had been set up at her usual location on the beach, nobody may have heard her screams for help.
Sergeant Misty Edwards arrived first and managed Woods’ children while corporal Jamel Cooper, and EMS’ Arnold Work and Eric Elder performed CPR on her.
The emotional trauma for Woods’ family was just as intense.
“My wife said to me that she feels as if it had gone the other way, that she would have lost me anyway, and if something happened to my nephew, I would not have been able to live with myself,” Woods said. “All of that didn’t go through my mind at the moment. It just was save him. I’ve lived a good life in my mind. Whatever else the good Lord has is what he has. Kudos to the gentleman who jumped in to help save us, and the EMS workers just all the way down the line. I’m a walking miracle.”
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Woods still wears the white hospital bracelet on her wrist, a daily reminder of how quickly everything changed and how close she came to not making it home. It’s also a symbol of courage and compassion.
“I’m still processing everything,” Woods said. “I had two bracelets. I had my normal bracelet, and then I had a bright yellow one that said fall risk, and it was something about that that got me. I was fine 24 hours before. I got my niece and nephews for the holiday weekend, and how quickly things can change just like that. I know my wife said when she got there, it was like a movie scene. It was unbelievable that it was really me, first of all, and second of all, that I’m still here to tell you about it.”
In the hospital, Woods was sedated. She couldn’t open her eyes because the large amounts of sand in them burned. She could barely speak, so her first form of communication after groggily waking up was writing the word “drown” on a sheet of paper. Once she was assured everybody was good, Woods then wrote, “I am sorry.” Her wife, Denitra, had to reassure Woods that she did nothing wrong.
“I just remember feeling like you want to wake up from a bad dream,” Woods said. “You keep trying to wake yourself up, and I remember saying to myself, like, wake up, ‘Cole, wake up, and I couldn’t wake up. I could hear my wife talking to me and everything, but I could not wake up, and my wife works in trauma. I can tell she does because I didn’t realize how bad I was until maybe Friday afternoon.”
Once Woods was moved out of the ICU, she started feeling much better. She struggled with eating because she had ingested seashells, rocks, and seaweed from the ocean, which messed up her stomach and prevented her from keeping food in her system. Even now, Woods’ sternum is still sore from the chest compressions, a small inconvenience that she happily experiences because it’s a reminder that the pain is proof of life.
Another sign of normalcy occurred this week, as she was greeted with a standing ovation from her players upon Woods’s return to the gym. Summer workouts started. During Woods’ absence from the program, associate head coach Cherie Lea held things down.
Prior to her accident, Woods’s recruiting haul produced eight student-athletes for her 2026-27 roster, including six transfers and two freshmen.
The overall support for Woods was positively overwhelming, starting with UNCW’s chancellor, Aswani K. Volety, athletics director, Michael Oblinger, and senior woman administrator, Stacy Kosciak. Friends and family visited Woods so often that she had to schedule naps and rest. Woods was also thankful for all the meals her family received during her recovery, which eased the stress of cooking.
“Stacy saw me at probably one of my lowest points, and I know when I finally saw her at work, she got teary-eyed, because she’s like so many people don’t realize how close we were to losing you,” Woods said. “Everybody’s been amazing in terms of the support and wanting me to make sure I take my time to get back, because they know me, they know I’m just going to get right back to things.”
Reflecting on that day, Woods has a message she wants to convey about rip currents, especially as the summer beach season gets into full swing.
“If you’re in a rip current, they used to tell you to swim sideways immediately,” Woods shared. “They now say to flip over backward and kind of float. Float out of the rip and then swim to the side to be able to get out of it. That’s the most important thing. If you feel like you can’t do anything, that’s where the dead man’s float comes in to be able to keep you above water and take your head up to get air and back down, just until some help can get there, because the worst thing you can do is panic.”
Woods continually shook her head throughout the conversation, acknowledging constantly how she was a miracle.
Woods’ story was shared nationally with Good Morning America and Inside Edition. She also had gratitude for the staff of Novant Regional Medical Center, specifically Dr. Danielle Prime (NICU), Dr. Kevin O’Neil (pulmonologist), and Dr. Charmaine Lewis (doctor). She also wanted to emphasize the major role of the EMS at the beach.
“Another big reason why I’m able to sit here and talk to you is that they kept that oxygen flowing to my brain whenever my heart had basically stopped,” Woods said. “Novant Regional Medical Center, they will never hear a bad word out of me. I tell you, they took care of me in every way. Everybody was great. It was just a perfect storm.
“My staff has been great during all of this. My wife was a rock star in every area and kept the family together. My wife was there pretty much by my side the whole time. She came home, took care of the baby, nursed her, got her together, and then left her with family to come back with me the whole time. My daughter is in the midst of getting ready for final exams at school, and she still knocked it out of the park with straight A’s on all her tests. All of that is a testament to my wife. She’s the real rock star.”
Woods will keep pointing to her wife as the glue, to the rescuers as the lifesavers, to doctors and nurses as the ones who carried her home, and to everybody else who kept her encouraged. Yet even in their eyes, the picture is clear: she’s the coach who ran into the ocean, the hero who nearly died trying to protect her family and the walking miracle still standing.
Ali Jaques leads Campbell’s new era
Everything happened so quickly that Ali Jaques had to adjust in the moments after accepting the role of becoming Campbell’s fifth women’s basketball coach in program history.
Instead of returning to her Connecticut home after her in-person interview to help her husband, Marc, recover from an injury, Jaques was on the phone with Southwest making flight arrangements to head to New Orleans to recruit.
The ink on the contract probably wasn’t even dry yet when Jaques had to immediately grind. The recruiting trail yielded immediate results, as less than two weeks on the job, she announced a signing class of six incoming players to go along with the five returnees.
Good thing, her husband is also a basketball coach because he quickly understood.
“My poor husband had just had surgery on his arm, so he was in a straight cast on his right arm,” Jaques said over Zoom to The IX Basketball. “I called him, like, ‘Babe, I’m not coming home tonight, so you’re going to have to have your sister come help you or something. I might be back on Sunday, I got to go recruiting.”
And with that, the Jaques’ era officially in beautiful Buies Creek is underway. She’s living out of a suitcase for now and loving every second of it. Fortunately, she doesn’t have to worry about washing clothes since she has new Campbell swag to wear.
“I landed at about 3 o’clock in the morning and got a little bit of sleep,” Jaques said. “I had a Zoom with the team the next morning at 9 a.m., introduced myself, and got in the gym and went recruiting. It was important to get out and in front of people, just because our roster was pretty much decimated to five players. I kind of put (hiring a) staff on the back burner a little bit, because time was of the essence.”
While watching future Camels, Jaques also met with the five returning players to make sure there was an alignment with her blueprint for success. Like many new coaches hired, time was a valuable commodity and sleep was a luxury that could be sacrificed if needed. Campbell is hiring a winner and a tireless worker.
She has won everywhere she’s been, which was most recently at Rhode Island, helping the Rams win the Atlantic 10 tournament championship and participating in the NCAA tournament. Jaques also had success as a long-time head coach at Siena. Jaques was a member of New York University’s 1998 Division III national championship team.
With her infectious personality and diligent approach to building relationships, Jaques has always been a people person. It has shaped her philosophy of leading women.
“It’s really about empowering our players because in the new era that we’re in right now, it’s different, but eventually the air is going to come out of the basketball, and I want to help women to be able to support themselves and sustain themselves when their playing careers do end,” Jaques said. “I think that a lot of players go through somewhat of an identity crisis when they don’t have, ‘hi I’m Ali, the basketball player,’ attached to their name, and I think helping them work through that and find different avenues for them to be competitive in their lives, whether you know, in whether it’s in business or whether it’s in the healthcare industry, or maybe it’s coaching.”
Jaques grew up in a family where athletics were practically the family business. One brother played football at the University of Rochester, another played lacrosse at VMI, and her sister played basketball at Scranton before serving the country in the military. Her brothers married former college athletes, and all four of Jaques’ nieces are active in sports.
Suffice it to say, family reunions come with plenty of love, laughter, and fiercely contested games.
Jaques was a two-sport standout in soccer and basketball. She followed her dad into the gym when she was younger because he taught basketball for two hours. Those moments mattered for Jaques, who was beginning to understand what it meant to be accountable, dedicated and passionate.
“My mom was more of the academic, really making sure that we took care of our schoolwork,” Jaques said. “I got started because my dad treated me as an athlete, not his little daughter, and I’m grateful for that. He’s no longer with us, but, I wouldn’t be anywhere without him. He held me accountable. He taught me how to compete and the value of teamwork. I owe everything related to sports to my father encouraging me and being demanding.”
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After leaving Siena, Jaques took a year away from the sidelines even though she was still around the game, attending women’s basketball practices all over the country, which enabled her to add to her playbook. She also did television work, fulfilling a lifelong passion.
“I spent time watching not just players, but staffs interact,” Jaques said. “I think that for us it’s getting the right staff together and the right balance of people. That’s really critical. … After that year of just kind of observing, having the chance to go back and be an assistant again … So for me, just kind of getting back to that, and really enjoying the process of being in the gym with them individually, and spending time was really refreshing for me.”
Jaques’ energy was palpable during the Zoom call. She’s excited about the challenge of keeping Campbell near the top of a balanced and competitive Coastal Athletic Association (CAA). The Camels lost in the CAA championship game two years ago and finished second in the regular season standings last year. Campbell has also won at least 20 games in each of the last two seasons.
“We are thrilled to welcome Coach Ali Jaques to Campbell as our next head women’s basketball coach,” said Campbell Director of Athletics Hannah Bazemore said in the hiring release on Campbell’s website. “Coach Jaques is a proven winner with a strong track record of developing women and student-athletes into leaders both on and off the court. Her vision, energy, and experience make her the ideal person to build upon the proud tradition of Campbell Women’s Basketball. I can’t wait for her to get started in The Creek!”
Emerson Thompson, Jessica Woods, Jasmine Felton, Peris Smith, and Mikayla Taborn are returning for Campbell for the 2026-27 campaign. Felton was the Camels’ third leading scorer last season, averaging 9.7 points per game.
Thompson, Woods, Smith and Taborn are looking forward to playing bigger roles this season. They all played under 10 minutes per game last season. Four of her six signees are international players: Amit Arieli (Israel), Durusah Bilen (Turkey), Clara Comas and Laura Martín (Spain).
Influenced by working under legendary Joe McKeown at Northwestern, Jaques is a defensive disciple. Prior to Rhode Island, Jaques served as an associate head coach at George Washington and assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Seton Hall under Tony Bozella for one season apiece.
Defense will be one of the tenets of her strategy. Unified by a common goal, Jaques believes that the Camels will be among the CAA’s defensive elite.
“We’ll probably move in that direction here at Campbell,” Jaques said. “I like being aggressive. I like getting after people. I like game planning. I like throwing different schemes at people, and that’s just fun for me. … We want to be able to shoot the three, not at all costs. We want to play inside out, but offensively, we want to try to push tempo and really run as much as we possibly can without sacrificing possessions.
“Obviously, we want to take care of the ball, so you know you’re always going to see a tough, hard-nosed team that’s going to defend and live and die for each other on the court defensively, because that’s my DNA, that’s my makeup, that’s what’s won championships for us in the past.”
Jaques’ philosophy includes understanding and investing in her players, focusing on details, and leading with passion. From her mom to her time working at Northwestern and competing for New York University, academics will always be a priority for her program.
“I was ready to be a head coach again, and I just needed an opportunity,” Jaques said. “Our president, Dr. Downs had a very strong vision of what he wanted moving forward for women’s basketball, and he was looking for an aggressive coach, and so when he said that on the Zoom, what he was looking for, I was like, literally laughing in my head, because I’m like, be careful what you ask for, because I’ve been known to be aggressive at times.”
Throughout her career, Jaques has mostly learned the intricacies of the game and developed relationships by working early in her career at Dayton, Furman, Sacred Heart, and Rider. So she has a special appreciation for the uniqueness of a program like Campbell that’s a pillar of its community.
“I’m really blessed,” Jaques said. “I feel like the balance of academics and athletics fits who I am. So, for me, it’s not like a tough sell, or I’m not out of my element. Talking to our players is what’s been the most impressive thing. They’re studying amazing things like pre-law. We’ve had discussions of internships with judges and lawyers. I’ve had some really great talks with our players, and it’s more than just basketball, so I appreciate that.”
Busy summer for Augustin and Robinson
Head women’s basketball coaches Tamisha Augustin of Hampton and Tarrell Robinson of North Carolina A&T worked the 2026 NBA Draft Combine in Chicago last month. It was a monumental opportunity for both leaders as they assisted with on-court workouts of the potential draft picks.
However, each coach departed Chicago with several strategies and tools to enhance their growth and leadership in their respective programs. Every year, the NBA selects a mix of collegiate and professional basketball coaches who have built a reputation for strong player development and for teaching pro-level concepts with clarity and efficiency to assist with on-court workouts.
The first two days involved putting players through extensive drills and meetings to discuss the preparation required for everything. Coaches also examined how they can intentionally strengthen their player development.
Robinson’s responsibilities were overseeing the Star drill. During live action, coaches took players through various basketball game scenarios and let them play them out. Robinson also led drills with transition-offense advantage and 5 v 5, playing out of long defensive closeouts.
“Being able to see what elite really means at the highest level was exactly what I thought it was,” Robinson said. “The things that separate programs and organizations in general are attention to detail and promptness. I noticed how everyone was early to everything. People were preparing to prepare. The conversations and insights that went on before we actually started the meetings or workouts were next level.”
Augustin had a pre-existing relationship with former Los Angeles Lakers champion and head coach Derek Fisher. She was also joined in Chicago by her athletic director, Anthony Henderson, who participated in the draft combine, meeting with front-office staff and general managers regarding roster construction and player compensation as Hampton navigates this new era of college athletics with NIL and revenue sharing.
“For me, it was all about the player development side of things,” Augustin said. “But the other opportunity is a little bit cliché, but for me, it was about helping young people still accomplish their dreams. When you get an opportunity like that as a coach, it’s not about you. It’s about again, putting these young men in the right opportunity, the right sets, the right offense that they can showcase their skills to be able to get drafted.”
Augustin believes this can translate into how she approaches this upcoming season at Hampton with her program. Under Augustin’s leadership, the Pirates’ win total has increased in each of her first two seasons, both overall and in league play. Augustin also has NBA G League coaching experience, serving as an assistant coach with the Grand Rapids Gold in 2021-22.
“I think that is a key takeaway for me as I continue to develop these young women who want to be pros and want to be in different situations,” Augustin said. “The more that you’re able to put them in situations about their strengths and weaknesses that they like and feel comfortable, the more you’re going to get out of them as well, but it challenged me as a coach to think of what those things are.”
For Robinson, his biggest takeaway was that every detail matters. He received a call weeks after the combine, asking for his opinion on specific players and who he connected with.
“There are levels to it,” Robinson said. “The one thing they kept preaching is that our job is to make sure the players work hard in their workouts/drills and not overcomplicate things by talking too much or trying to teach things you do with your team. One of the biggest takeaways I got from the experience is that you’ve got to find a way to get your team up to play at a high level when the moment comes.
“Having talent is great, but being able to motivate that talent is the secret to success. Something else that stood out to me is that on both ends of the floor, the possession is always about hunting or finding the advantage you have to score or get a stop. Whether it’s your personnel or your system, you are always chasing the mismatch or a strategy to put your opponent on their heels. Things that you may already know, but were confirmed at the highest level.”
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Robinson will look to use the knowledge he gained to lead the Aggies back to the top of the CAA after a rare sub- .500 season. The Aggies recently announced their nine-member incoming class, highlighted by six Division I transfers and three high school recruits. Two of the transfers in Maraja Pass (Elon) and Icyss Storm (UNCW) have CAA experience.
With key returnees in seniors Paris Locke and Darrionna Howard, along with sophomore guard Crystal Hardy, Robinson said he and his staff strategically targeted players who could provide shooting, scoring, depth, and versatility at every position.
As a long-time Lakers fan, Robinson was excited to work with Fisher.
“Working with Derek Fisher was surreal for me,” Robinson said. “I did a great job of keeping my excitement in. I didn’t ask for a pic or an autograph. I just made it my business to be the best professional I could be. So, when I got a high-five from him, it sent me through the roof. Coach Fisher would say at the end of the day it’s just basketball, and I agree.”
Augustin also stressed the value of the relationships. She observed that there were people from the NBA program who were former WNBA and NBA players who wanted to coach in the NBA one day. Augustin worked with Rivers, Doc’s son, a former Milwaukee Bucks assistant coach, while she was in Chicago.
“I appreciate the opportunity that was extended to me,” Augustin said. “I thank my athletic director, Anthony D. Henderson, for also allowing me to do so and for helping put me in that position. Overall, this was a phenomenal opportunity, and I was glad that I did it. When I got there, I was still able to pick up a lot of old relationships I had from the G League. You see all the NBA Scouts as well, and they’re scouting live, and it’s a free interview for most of those people out there who are out there working in front of all of the GMs, as well as the executives, the team Vice Presidents, and NBA scouts.”
Emma Von Essen embracing Upshot opportunity
Hofstra alum Emma Von Essen’s head is still spinning.
It’s understandable because the affable Von Essen has enjoyed a whirlwind three months. She fueled Hofstra’s Cinderella run to the CAA championship game with a stunning run through Washington, D.C. that will resonate forever in Long Island. Then, a few weeks later, she earned a roster spot as a member of the Jacksonville Waves in the Upshot League.
“To be a professional basketball player so early is cool,” Von Essen told The IX Basketball while sitting in the stands inside the Novant Health Fieldhouse in Greensboro postgame following her squad’s 83-79 loss. “This league is like it’s basically like a G League for the WNBA. It’s the best league, besides the WNBA, which is so cool. And to be part of the first year is just amazing.”
Von Essen isn’t the only CAA alum in the Upshot League. Elon graduate Quinzia Fulmore, who also played at Towson, is a member of the Charlotte Crown.
It came with one minor logistical hurdle for Von Essen, who has played in seven games through June 16.
“I thought (the CAA tournament) was going to be my last basketball game, so it was definitely very fast with everything here,” Von Essen said. “I had to come (to Jacksonville) and then fly back for graduation. I really didn’t even finish school. I had to miss the last couple of weeks of school, so it was very fast.”
The learning curve has also been steep for Von Essen, who is essentially one of the youngest players on a veteran-laden Jacksonville roster. The lack of consistent playing time hasn’t bothered her as she’s just thankful for the opportunity to absorb wisdom and grow her game.
“I have a different role, so it’s kind of like being back in high school where I have to build my way back up,” Von Essen said. “These girls have been amazing, and they’re a lot older than me, too, so that’s another thing. I’m a lot younger, but they’ve been great role models and have taught me so much. So, the growth that I’m getting is really from them, and it’s great.”
Reflection is something Von Essen hasn’t had much time to do because of how quickly things have accelerated in her life. She’s moved to a new city, learning a new system, and making decisions without the benefit of a travel itinerary she was used to whenever Hofstra traveled.
Fortunately for Von Essen, she’s playing for a coach who is familiar with her talent and sweet-shooting stroke. Jacksonville’s head coach and Wilmington, Delaware native Jessica Bogia is a former Hofstra assistant coach. She started 96 of the 127 games she played during her career, finishing with 1,137 points to rank 18th in Hofstra women’s basketball history. Von Essen was a prolific three-point shooter, finishing second all-time in program history with 244 threes.
Her sterling performances in Washington, D.C., during the CAA tournament will live forever in Hofstra history. First, she made the game-winning 3-pointer with 1.2 seconds remaining to beat Towson in the first round.
Then, she made huge hoops during the rest of the weekend in wins over Campbell and Drexel as the Pride advanced to the championship game, where it led by three points at halftime before falling to the No. 1 seed College of Charleston. She was named to the 2026 CAA All-Tournament Team after averaging 10 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 1.8 made three-pointers to help the Pride become the lowest-seeded team ever to reach the championship game.
All of that is still a refreshing blur to Von Essen.
“Words can’t even explain it,” Von Essen shared when asked to put that weekend into words. “Honestly, it feels so long ago now, but it wasn’t at all, which is so weird. That was definitely the best week of basketball I’ve ever had in my entire life. If I could relive that, I would pay a million dollars.”
Now, Von Essen is embracing another journey and opportunity. It’s slow now, but she’s remaining ready whenever the Waves need a clutch shot.
