Western Carolina Catamounts men's basketball
Western Carolina Catamounts | |||
---|---|---|---|
| |||
University | Western Carolina University | ||
Head coach | Tim Craft (1st season) | ||
Conference | SoCon | ||
Location | Cullowhee, North Carolina | ||
Arena | Ramsey Center (Capacity: 7,826) | ||
Nickname | Catamounts | ||
Colors | Purple and gold[1] | ||
NCAA tournament appearances | |||
1996 | |||
Conference tournament champions | |||
1996 | |||
Conference division season champions | |||
1996, 2009, 2011 |
The Western Carolina Catamounts men's basketball team is the intercollegiate men' basketball team that represents Western Carolina University. The team currently competes in the Southern Conference. Western Carolina won the 1996 Southern Conference tournament and participated in the 1996 NCAA tournament.
Team history
The school's first basketball team convened for the 1928-29 season and has played continuously since. The Catamounts were 1930 Southeastern Junior College champions and made their first NAIA tournament appearance in 1947. Jim Gudger brought success to the program, leading them to its first 20-win season in 1952-53, a North State Conference tournament championship in 1959, two Carolinas Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tournament championships in 1962 and 1963, four NAIA District tournament appearances in 1959, 1963, 1966, and 1968, and an appearance in the
Larry Hunter (2005-2018)
In 2005, Western Carolina hired
Mark Prosser (2018-2021)
Mark Prosser was hired to succeed Larry Hunter on March 27, 2018. After leading the team to a 7-25 record in his first season, Prosser led the Catamounts to a 19-12 record during the 2019-20 season. The 12 win improvement was the second-most in Division I. The Catamounts were set to compete in a postseason tournament before the COVID-19 pandemic canceled all postseason basketball tournaments. After leading the team to an 11-16 record during the 2020-21 season, Prosser accepted the head coaching job at Winthrop.
Justin Gray (2021-2024)
On April 13, 2021, former Wake Forest standout Justin Gray was hired as Prosser's successor, the 19th head coach in program history.[2] Leading the team to a 11-21 record in his first season, Gray turned a corner and led the Catamounts to a 18-16 record and 4th place finish in the Southern Conference, their best finish since 2014-15. Gray again led the Catamounts to a 4th place finish in the Southern Conference in his third year, finishing with a 22-10 record during the 2023-24 season. The 22 wins were the most in a season for the Catamounts since 2009-10. After a successful three-year stint, Gray accepted the head coaching job at Coastal Carolina.[3]
Tim Craft (2024-present)
On March 13, 2024, Tim Craft was hired from Gardner-Webb to become the next head coach, succeeding Gray.[4]
Facilities
Breese Gymnasium served as the home of Catamounts basketball until 1956. The team moved into the larger Reid Gymnasium the next year and played there until 1986. The success under Jim Gudger, combined with the compacted seating, gave a home-court advantage to the Catamounts. The Catamounts moved to the Ramsey Center in 1986 and have played there since. The Ramsey Center was dedicated in front of a still-record crowd of 8,114 when the Catamounts hosted N.C. State on December 6, 1986. In addition to hosting N.C. State, the Catamounts have also hosted Kansas, Florida State, and South Carolina in the Ramsey Center.[5]
Notable players and coaches
Catamounts in the NBA
Western Carolina Catamounts in the NBA | ||||
Player | Position | Years in NBA | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Mel Gibson | G | 1963-1964 | ||
Bubba Wilson | SG | 1978-1980 | ||
Frankie King | G | 1995-1997 | ||
Jarvis Hayes | SF | 2003-2010 | ||
Kevin Martin | SG | 2004-2016 |
Rivalries
App State
Western Carolina and Appalachian State played their first game against each other on December 16, 1927. The two teams met consistently until Appalachain State moved to the Sun Belt Conference in 2014. The last game between the two teams occurred on December 4, 2017, with the Catamounts winning 72-71 on a last-second dunk by Mike Amius.[6] Appalachian State leads the all-time series 108-68.[7]
Seasons
Since 2009-10
Season | Coach | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2009-10
|
Larry Hunter | 22–12 | 11–7 | T-4th | CIT First round | ||||
2010-11
|
Larry Hunter | 18–15 | 12–6 | T-3rd | |||||
2011-12
|
Larry Hunter | 17–18 | 8–10 | T-7th | |||||
2012-13
|
Larry Hunter | 14–19 | 9–9 | T-5th | |||||
2013-14
|
Larry Hunter | 19–15 | 10–6 | 5th | |||||
2014-15
|
Larry Hunter | 14–16 | 8–8 | 4th | |||||
2015-16
|
Larry Hunter | 16–18 | 10–8 | T-5th | CBI First round | ||||
2016-17
|
Larry Hunter | 9–23 | 4–14 | T-8th | |||||
2017-18
|
Larry Hunter | 13–19 | 8–10 | 6th | |||||
2018-19
|
Mark Prosser | 7–25 | 4–14 | T-8th | |||||
2019-20
|
Mark Prosser | 19–12 | 10–8 | T-5th | |||||
2020-21
|
Mark Prosser | 11–16 | 4–13 | 9th | |||||
2021-22
|
Justin Gray | 11–21 | 5–13 | 10th | |||||
2022-23
|
Justin Gray | 18–16 | 10–8 | 4th | CBI First Round | ||||
2023-24
|
Justin Gray | 22–10 | 11–7 | 4th | |||||
Total: | |||||||||
National champion
Postseason invitational champion
|
Notable moments
First 3-point shot in NCAA history
On November 29, 1980, Ronnie Carr hit the first 3-point shot in NCAA history against
Appalachian State free throw
On December 9, 2012, in a game against Appalachian State in Cullowhee, Mountaineer center Brian Okam shot a free throw that landed 10 feet short of the basket. A Western Carolina TV analyst commentating on the game soon reacted, in a surprised manner, "I'm not sure what that was. Good lord." The incident has gone viral on YouTube, reaching over 19 million views.[10]
Postseason appearances
NCAA tournament
The Catamounts have appeared in one
Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
---|---|---|---|
1996 | Round of 64 | #1 Purdue | L 71–73 |
CIT
The Catamounts have appeared in one CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT). Their record is 0–1.
Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2010 | First round | Marshall | L 88–90 |
CBI
The Catamounts have appeared in two College Basketball Invitational (CBI) tournaments. Their combined record is 0–2.
Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2016 | First round | Vermont | L 74–79 |
2023 | First round | Charlotte | L 56–65 |
NAIA tournament
The Catamounts have appeared in seven
Year | Tournament | Round | Opponent | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1947 | National | First round | Canterbury (Ind.) | L 55–68 |
1959 | District District |
Semifinals Finals |
Wofford Leinor-Rhyne |
W 74–58 L 42–48 |
1963 | District District National National National National National |
Semifinals Finals First round Second round Elite Eight Semifinals Championship |
Erskine Leinor-Rhyne Montana State - Billings Miles Lewis & Clark Fort Hays State Pan American |
W 52–51 W 64–56 W 64–61 W 107–86 W 77–57 W 100–84 L 62–73 |
1966 | District | Semifinals | Erskine | L 58–68 |
1968 | District | Semifinals | Pembroke State | L 76–93 |
1971 | District District |
Semifinals Finals |
Newberry UNC Asheville |
W 69–68 L 61–62 |
1972 | District District National |
Semifinals Finals First round |
Mars Hill Newberry Pittsburg State |
W 68–65 W 84–68 L 75–98 |
References
- ^ Western Carolina University Athletic Guidelines (PDF). October 1, 2014. Retrieved April 9, 2016.
- ^ "WCU Selects Justin Gray as Head Men's Basketball Coach".
- ^ "Justin Gray Named Coastal Carolina Men's Basketball Head Coach". Coastal Carolina University Athletics. 2024-03-11. Retrieved 2024-03-15.
- ^ "Western Carolina Tabs Tim Craft as Head Men's Basketball Coach". Western Carolina University. 2024-03-09. Retrieved 2024-03-15.
- ^ "Liston B. Ramsey Regional Activity Center".
- ^ "Appalachian State vs. Western Carolina - Game Recap - December 4, 2017 - ESPN".
- ^ "Men's Basketball History vs Appalachian State University".
- ^ "Western Carolina Career Stats - All-time Game Results".
- ^ "25 Years Ago Today (Nov. 29), WCU's Ronnie Carr Made History".
- ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "WCU vs App State- Worst free throw ever". YouTube.