A women’s basketball player at the University of North Carolina Wilmington was arrested last week and faces four felony charges, according to court records obtained by USA TODAY Sports.
Paige Smith, 20, was arrested at 10:55 p.m. on Feb. 10 at New Hanover High School in Wilmington and faces charges of felony possession of marijuana (between 1.5 ounces and 10 pounds in North Carolina), possession with intent to manufacture or sell or deliver marijuana, possession with intent to sell or deliver a controlled substance within 1,000 feet of school property, and maintaining a vehicle or dwelling or place for controlled substances. Smith also faces a misdemeanor charge for possession of marijuana paraphernalia.
According to a release order from the New Hanover County District Court, Smith was “in possession” of “approximately half of a pound” of marijuana that was “packaged for delivery and distribution” in a high school parking lot. The report says there was also a gun in the vehicle — a Mercedes-Benz CLA 250 — at the time of the arrest, “even though it did not belong to the defendant.” The order adds that Smith has no prior criminal record.
A spokesperson for UNC-Wilmington athletics told USA TODAY Sports that Smith is still enrolled at UNCW — and has been since June 2025 — as a pre-psychology major, but has been suspended from the women’s basketball team since Feb. 9, the day before her arrest. She is no longer listed on the Seahawks’ online roster.
