Williams to play in Senior Scout Bowl on Saturday

Western Carolina senior linebacker Rock Williams will play in Saturday's FCS Senior Scout Bowl at Doug Shaw Stadium in Myrtle Beach, S.C.

The  FCS Senior Scout Bowl is sponsored by the Collegiate Development Football league.

Williams is a first team All-Southern Conference linebacker that lead the Southern Conference with 12 tackles per game despite missing two games due to an injury. An Academic All-District III selection, Williams finished with 108 tackles including 52 solo stops and 3.5 tackles for loss. He forced a team-high four fumbles, recovering one during the season.

Williams is just one of three Southern Conference players involved in Saturday's all-star event, joining Furman running back Jerodis Williams and Cass Couey, kicker from The Citadel.

Purple & Gold Congratulates Rock on his selection, and a great season at Western Carolina.

Courtesy WCU Sports Information


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Catamountsports.com to get an update

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2013 Baseball Team Captains

The Catamount baseball team announced its team captains for the 2013 season. Three seniors - right-handed pitcher relief Preston Hatcher, left-handed starter Morgan McKinney and first baseman Tyler White - and one junior in outfielder Cody Jones have been selected to lead the Catamounts.

Courtesy WCU Sports Information



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Game #11 - Georgetown Hoyas

#15 Georgetown University Hoyas
Conference:  Big East
Game Location:  Verizon Center, Washington, DC
Date:   Saturday, December 15th
Time:  12:00 p.m. ET
Series:  First Meeting
Radio: Catamount Sports Network 
TV: MASN
Live Video:   GU Hoyas All Access   &  ESPN3
Mascot:  Jack the Bulldog
What is a Hoya?



Georgetown's current head coach John Thompson III is the son of former Georgetown  head coach John Thompson, Jr. (Georgetown's head coach from 1972 to 1999).  Thompson (III), served as an assistant coach at Princeton under head coaches Pete Carril and Bill Carmody where he learned the "Princeton Offense". When named head coach at Georgetown, he immediately introduced the Princeton offense  (with variations) to the Hoyas, and has been very effective with the offense.

Thompson returns for his 9th season at Georgetown and entered the 2012-13 season with just two starters and nine letter winners and was picked to finish in fifth place in the Big East Conference this year.  Like the Catamounts, the Georgetown roster features zero seniors and is predominantly made up of underclassmen, with a combined group of 10 freshmen and sophomores.

The Hoyas are coming off a 2011-12 season that saw the team finish with a 24-9 record, reaching the third round of the NCAA Tournament.

Sophomore forward Otto Porter Jr. is expected to lead the Hoyas this season, and is one of 50 college basketball players selected to the Wooden Award Watch List.  He was named an Associated Press preseason honorable mention All-American and a preseason All-Big East First Team selection..

The Hoya's shooting woos are well documented this season. In Georgetown's sixth game, the 15th-ranked Hoyas and the Tennessee Volunteers put on one of the most dreadful shooting displays in Division I basketball this season. The Hoya won 37-36, then turned around and shot even more poorly in last Saturday's 46-40 home win against Towson.  Along with the Hoyas 36% shooting against the Volunteers, they set a school record for fewest points since the shot-clock was installed. The Hoyas hit only 29% Saturday against Towson, in the first half, missing 22 of their first 24 shots.

Thompson attributes their offensive struggles to his team's youth. During games, he rotates seven players, five of whom are sophomores or freshmen. However, as poor as their shooting from the field is this season, Georgetown has excelled in defense. The Hoyas  rank in the top tier in the country in points-per-game defense (54.1) and has limited opponents to 37 % shooting overall this season..

The Hoyas won their fifth-straight game this past Monday night and improved to 8-1 overall with a 89-53 win over the Big South's newest member, Longwood. Their lone loss came at the hands of #1 ranked Indiana back on November 20th, by final score of 82-72 in overtime.

Georgetown has wins over Duquesne, Liberty, UCLA, Tennessee, Texas, Towson and Longwood.

As expected, Otto Porter Jr. leads the team in scoring with 11.7 points per game and is second on the team in rebounds, grabbing 7.3 per game.  If the Cats can control their turnovers, and put together two halves of decent shooting, this game is within the reach of the Catamounts.

Sumler, King, & Tankelewicz, all need to be on their game for a win.


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Sinclair Honored by College Sports Madness

James Sinclair (WCU photo by
Mark Haskett)

Catamount sophomore James Sinclair is the Player of the Week for the Southern Conference as selected by College Sports Madness.

Sinclair led the Catamounts in two games last week, averaging 12.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.

In the game against #13 Illinois, Sinclair scored a total of 13 points and had eight rebounds, amd three assists against the Fighting Illini. In the big game Saturday against archrival Appalachian State, he scored 12 points, along with seven rebounds and two assists.     This is Sinclair's first selection as Player of the Week.    Purple & Gold congratulates James Sinclair on his selection for this honor.


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Gone Viral - 1,740,139 views on YouTube

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2013 Football Commit WR Steffon Hill

Steffon Hill
Ht: 6'0"
Wt: 185 lbs
Class: 2013
Wide Receiver
East Henderson HS
Hendersonville, North Carolina 
MaxPreps Profile



East Henderson wide receiver Steffon Hill has made a verbal committment to play football for Western Carolina University.  Hill made 55 receptions for 960 yards and six touchdowns as a senior this season for the Western North Carolina Athletic Conference champion Eagles (11-2). He was also named the WNCAC Special Teams Player of the Year.

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Scanning the SoCon - Week Six

Each week, twelve bloggers/message boarders (one representing each team) all will vote on a Game of the Week and Power Rankings. At least four will answer a series of questions on their team and around the SoCon. 




POWER RANKINGS 
1) Davidson 131 (10)
2) College of Charleston 120 (1)
3) Elon 111
4) Wofford 91
5) Western Carolina 87
6) UNCG 84
7) Chattanooga 56
8) Georgia Southern 47
9) Samford 45
10) The Citadel 34
11) Appalachian State 30
12) Furman 22

GAME OF THE WEEK 
Elon at Massachusetts- 7 votes
Others receiving votes- Western Carolina at Georgetown (2), Chattanooga at LSU (1), UNC-Wilmington at Davidson (1)

QUESTIONS
Sum up your team since the last time you wrote.

To read the entire article and see the answers to this week's questions, visit MocsMania





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What's Iamarino saying about replacing CofC

John Iamarino.  Photo/Chattanooga 
Times Free Press

There does not seem to be any sense of urgency within the Southern Conference office or its membership to find a replacement for Charleston or to take action on the inevitable departure of Appalachian and Georgia Southern.

"I don't think there's any reason for us to rush," said SoCon Commissioner John Imarino to the Chattanooga Times Free Press.

"Common sense tells us we're not going to be able to add anybody for the '13-14 year. That would be an extremely short time frame." My question is why does he feel that way? I think there are probably several schools that would love to join the Southern Conference for next season.

Imarino told the Times Free Press that there are high-ranking people at SoCon schools who believe the prudent thing to do is wait. Obviously then, the remaining schools in the SoCon are far from a consensus on when or how to act. This inaction or ability to come to a consensus, could spell disaster for the conference, and result in the departure of other member schools to some other conference that may be perceived as a more "stable conference".

"That's the question I think we need to start out with as we have these discussions," Imarino said. "I know that there are a couple of institutions that have expressed the opinion that these changes that are taking place are clearly not over yet and could continue for months and years."

"In the meantime, perhaps we might be better suited -- this is their stance, not necessarily mine -- by waiting a little bit to see what the landscape looks like in the near future as opposed to right now."

Iamarino wouldn't name any schools that the SoCon's may be considering. That could signal that the differences within the conference membership are so far apart, that no schools have been contacted or any off the record negotiations have been held.  He told the Times Free Press that  "every school within the SoCon footprint that might be a good fit "is in play." Again, what is the criteria for a "good fit"? That certainly rules out any OVC or CAA schools as being considered.

Then Imarino added  "Of course that's assuming the SoCon's presidents and chancellors, who will make the final decision, decide to do anything".

Why didn't he just say, "OK, everybody abandon ship" ?




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2013 Football Commit DB - Fred Payne

Fred Payne
Ht: 5'11"
Wt: 185 lbs
Class: 2013
Cornerback
Gainesville High School
Gainesville, Ga.


Fred has received an offer from Western Carolina and made a verbal commitment to the Catamounts.

Cats pick up win over Mountaineers

Tom Tankelewicz drives on App St.
(WCU Photo by Mark Haskett)

With a 70-64 victory over the Mountaineers, the Catamounts evened its record against Appalachian State in games played in Cullowhee with their third straight win over the Mountaineers, in the 178th meeting all-time between the two schools  The WCU vs. ASU basketball series is the longest active series in the Southern Conference.  

With this win, the Catamounts go to 2-0 in Southern Conference play, and head coach Larry Hunter earns career victory #620.

Late in the first half of the game, the Mountaineers reeled off a 16-2 run that closed out the half and a put the Mountaineers up by 10 points, 36-26.  In the second half, the Catamounts began to slowly chip away at the ASU lead. However, it wasn't until Tawaski King made two free throws at the five minute mark, that the Catamounts had their first lead of the second half of the game. But ASU did not give up.

The Mountaineers regained the lead in the final four minutes before a Tom Tankelewicz three pointer gave the Cats a 61-60 lead with just under three minutes to play. The Cats then scored nine of the next 13 points to complete their second half comeback, and stay perfect in conference play.

Tom Tankelewicz led  the Catamounts with a career-high 19 points, Tawaski King added 14 points and eight rebounds, with Trey Sumler putting  in 13 points, and sophomore James Sinclair rounding out the four Catamounts in double figures with 12 points.

The Cats will now break for final exams, and return to action next Saturday, Dec. 15 against #15 ranked Georgetown in Washington, D.C. The game is scheduled for a noon tip-off, and will be televised on MASN and ESPN3.


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Sumler honored for 1,000th Career Point

Prior to Saturday's game with Appalachian State, Trey Sumler was honored for scoring his 1,000th career point as a Catamount. Sumler made his 1000th point at #13 Illinois. 

(WCU Photo by Mark Haskett)

2013 Football Commit QB/ATH Tyrecous Garrett

Tyrecous Garrett 
Ht: 6'1"
Wt: 180 lbs
Class: 2013
Running Back / Quarterback
Boiling Springs HS
Boiling Springs, South Carolina

Garrett has received an offer from Western Carolina and made a verbal commitment to the Catamounts. He also received an offer from Louisville.

Walker named Head Coach at Catawba College

Western Carolina's Defensive Coordinator Curtis Walker has been named the new head coach of his alma mater, Catawba College.

Walker, a former All-American football player for the Catawba Indians, is not only returning to his alma mater, he is also re-joining the Indians' football staff that he served under then head coach David Bennett.  

"Curtis helped us lay a solid foundation for our future and we're going to miss him." said WCU head coach Mark Speir. "We greatly appreciate all of Curtis Walker's efforts during his time on our coaching staff and what he meant to our program with his leadership in our football program here at Western Carolina University,"

Walker was a three-time All-American linebacker for Catawba in 1989-92. He was inducted into the Catawba Sports Hall of Fame in 2004 and South Atlantic Conference Hall of Fame in 2008.  Walker still holds the Indian's single game record for tackles, 25 stops against Wofford in 1991, and the all-time single season record for fumble recoveries set in 1991.

We wish the best of luck to Coach Walker in his new job at Catawba.



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Quote from Illini Coach John Groce on WCU

Illinois coach John Groce

‘I thought they were the tougher team for the bulk of the game,’’ Illinois Head Coach John Groce said of Western Carolina after the game. ‘‘That’s disappointing. They did a lot of things better than us. We have to learn quickly that you have to play a complete 40-minute game. But as I said after the Gardner-Webb game, we’re not going to give it back. We made plays late in the game.’’




View Groce's press conference after the game here

View Coach Hunter's press conference here

What did Jerry Moore do to the Yosef Club?

We thought everyone at ASU loved Coach Moore, maybe not so much the Yosef Club?

Click here to view the tweet from Yosef.

Game #10 - Appalachian State

Game #10 - Appalachian State
Location: Ramsey Center, Cullowhee, NC
Date:  Saturday, December 8th
Time: 4:30 p.m. ET
Series: The Cats are 67-117 against ASU
Radio: Catamount Sports Network
TV: none
Live Video: Catamount All Access


The Appalachian State Mountaineers will travel to Cullowhee on Saturday to play the Catamounts as part of a double header in the Ramsey Center. The WCU women's team will play Tennessee Tech in game one of the day, starting at 2:00 pm.

ASU is 1-6 on the season if you count their win over NAIA's Montreat College, otherwise they are 0-6, with no Division I wins coming into the game.

At home and on the road, the Mountaineers have rolled off Division I losses like no other team in the conference,  except maybe Furman.  However, the Paladins have only played 5 Division I teams, and have a 0-5 record against them.

The Big South's High Point & Cambell both have had their way with the Mountaineers, both with 20+ point wins over the Mountaineers.  The closest sign of life thus far in the Mountaineers, came at home in Boone, with a 1 point loss to Duquesne, 72-73.

Head Coach Jason Capel is in his third season at Appalachian  and is coming off a 13-18 (7-11 SoCon) season.  Chapel returned 6 players from the the 2011-12 season, and like WCU, returned 3 starters.  The Mountaineers returns 3 guard starters from last season, Tab Hamilton, Jamall Trice, and Mike Neal.  Last season, Trice averaged 9 ppg, while both Hamilton & Neal averaged 8 ppg. Chapel brought in a total of 9 new players in the offseason.

Redshirt sophomore Jay Canty (forward / 6-6 / 200 lbs) is the current leading scorer this season, averaging 18 points and 6 rebounds per game.  Canty is followed by senior Nathan Healy (forward / 6-7 / 210) with
14 point per game and 5.6 rebounds and sophomore Tab Hamilton (guard / 6-3/ 180 lbs) with 12 point per game.

If the Cats take care of the ball, reduce the turnover rate, they should be able to move to 2-0 on in conference play.  The Mountaineers will come to Cullowhee wanting to get that first Division I win on the backs of the Cats, it will be a battle.



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Cats upset bid at Illinois falls short

Illinois' Sam McLaurin loses control 
of the ball (AP Photo/Heather Coit)

Champaign, Ill. - The Catamounts came within eight points of upsetting the undefeated and 13th ranked Illinois Fighting Illini on their home court. The Cats fell by a final score of 72-64.

Despite being down by 10 points at halftime, the never say die Cats were able to fight their way back to tie the score at 54-54 with 5:53 to play.

However, the Fighting Illini rallied for a 14-to-4 run that stretched the lead back to a 10-point margin. The closest the Catamounts were able to get the remainder of the game was six.

For the second consecutive game, leading scorer Trey Sumler was held to less than 10 points, but did reach the 1,000 career point milestone. 

While off his pace in shooting, Sumler pulled down a game-high nine rebounds and four assists.  Preston Ross led the Catamounts in scoring with 17 points, and for the third time this season scored in double figures. Brandon Boggs added 16 points off the bench, Sinclair put up 13 points and eight rebounds, while Tawaski King scored 10 points.

The Catamounts out rebounded Illinois by a margin of 41-to-34, including 18 offensive boards by both teams.

The two areas of the game that allowed the Fighting Illini to gain a victory over the Catamounts were turnovers and second-chance points. The Cats gave up 22 forced turnovers that resulted in 29 point for the Illini,  while Illinois took better advantage of their offensive rebounds, scoring 22 second-chance points.     

The Catamounts now return home for to host Appalachian State as part of a hoops double-header on Saturday. The Catamount women host Tennessee Tech beginning at 2:00 pm with the men's game scheduled for 4:30 pm.


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Bid on a trip with the Catamounts to Tennessee

Have you ever thought about what it would be like traveling with the basketball team to an away game?  Well, now is your chance to find out.

A Travel Trip for Two with the Catamount Men’s Basketball Team to game with the University of Tennessee (Dec 20 - 21, 2012) is being auctioned by the Athletic Department.

You can bid on the chance for two to travel with the Catamount Men’s Basketball Team to Knoxville, Tennessee as Western Carolina takes on the Vols on December 21, 2012. The team will depart on December 20, after practice and will spend the night in Knoxville, Tennessee, returning after the game on December 21. This trip is all inclusive.

Trip and Game Details
This trip is for 2 (Two) to Travel with the Men’s Basketball Team to the game with the University of Tennessee.

Experience Includes: 
*Shoot Around
*Scouting Report
*Video and Walk Thru Sessions
*Meals with the Team
*Basketball Game
Travel Date: Dec. 20, 2012
Game Date: Dec. 21, 2012
Game Time: 7 p.m.

To get more details and submit a bid, click here

Scanning the SoCon - Week Five

Each week, twelve bloggers/message boarders (one representing each team) all will vote on a Game of the Week and Power Rankings. At least four will answer a series of questions on their team and around the SoCon. 




POWER RANKINGS
1) Davidson 131 (10)
2) College of Charleston 122 (1)
3) Elon 109
4) UNCG 90
5) Wofford 86
6) Western Carolina 78
7) Chattanooga 59
8) Samford 49
9) Georgia Southern 42
10) The Citadel 41
11) Appalachian State 31
12) Furman 21

SoCon Monster Game of the Week
Charlotte at Davidson- 6 votes
Others Receiving Votes- Louisville at College of Charleston (5)

Questions
Sum up your team since the last time you wrote.


To read the entire article and see the answers to this week's questions, visit MocsMania

Basketball: Game #9 - # 22 Illinois Fighting Illini

Game #9 -  Illinois Fighting Illini
Date: Tuesday, Dec 4, 2012
Series: Illinois is 1-0 vs. the Catamounts
Location: Assembly Hall (16,618) Champaign, Ill.
Time: 8:00 p.m. ET
Radio: Catamount Sports Network
TV: none
Live Video: Big 10 Digital Network

The Catamounts will meet it's second consecutive undefeated team on Tuesday, when the Cats travel to Champaign, Illinois to meet the Big Ten's  #22 Illinois Fighting Illini.

The Fighting Illini are just off a win over Georgia Tech in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge on November 28th in Champaign, improving their record to 8-0 on the season. Illinois also won the Maui Invitational title with wins over USC, Chaminade, and then Butler for the Maui Championship.

In his first season at Illinois, head coach John Groce's Illini now owns a 19-straight home game winning streak against non-conference opponents.  Illinois is perfect 6-0 on their home floor this season.

Illinois has four players averaging in double figures so far this season. Senior guard Brandon Paul (6-4 /200 lbs) leads the way with an 18 point average, shooting 48% from the field, including 42% on 3-point shots, making 22 of 52 attempts. Senior guard D.J. Richardson (6-3 / 195 lbs) follows with a 12 point average. Sophomore guard Tracy Abrams (6-2 / 185 lbs) and senior forward Tyler Griffey (6-9 / 22)  are both averaging 11 points per game.

The Illini projected starting five consists of 3 guards one forward and sophomore Nnanna Egwu (6-11 / 235) at center, who is averaging 24 minutes per game this season and is averaging 4.3 rebounds per game and 6 points per game. Egwu also has a team high 9 blocks on the season. Groch has a very strong bench, which the will go to often.

If the Cats play in either half of this game, the same way they played in the second half of the Eastern Kentucky game, this will be a huge blow out.  If we can not get more consistent play, or should our shooting go ice cold again, it could be very ugly night in Champaign for this young team.

Second half rally dooms Catamounts, 72-70

The Catamounts traveled to Richmond, Kentucky Saturday night, flying high, coming off a road conference win over Furman.  They returned to earth quickly however, losing to Eastern Kentucky by a final score of 72-70.  The Cats overall record dropped to just 3-5 and RPI to 307 out of 347 teams.

The Catamounts have now lost the second straight game to a team from the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC), losing to Austin Peay in the Cancun Classic by a final score of 72-71.

It seems that teams from the OVC have found the key to beating the Catamounts on the road. For the second time this season, an OVC team used the same strategy to out maneuver the Cats. Back on November 20th, Austin Peay went to the locker room down 12 at the half, then rallied in the second half to defeat Western Carolina, 72-71. The Catamounts allowed the Governors to scorch the Cancun ballroom for 70 percent (14 of 20) shooting in the second half, while the Governors held the Cats to a dismal 13 of 38 from the field (34%), and 2 of 12 from 3 point range (16%).

Fast forward to Saturday in Richmond, Kentucky. The Catamounts had their game with EKU well in hand at the half, taking a 11 point lead over the Colonels into the locker room.   However, once the second half started, a replay of Austin Peay's Cancun performance unfolded. The Colonels held WCU to just 9 of 30 shots made from the field (30%) and only 1 of 13 from 3 point range (8%).  The Cats allowed EKU to penetrate inside for many easy baskets, allowing the Colonels to score 42 points in the paint.

The Catamounts leading scorer, Trey Sumler, who was averaging 18 points per game, was held to just 9 points by the Colonels.

It doesn't get any easier for The Cats, as they will travel on Tuesday, Dec. 4 to Champaign, Ill., to meet their second-straight undefeated team, the #22 ranked Fighting Illini of Illinois . Illinois is currently 7-0 overall on the season. The start time is scheduled for 8:00 pm ET in Illinois' Assembly Hall.

Women's Basketball- Cats over UNCG, 47-44

The Catamounts opened Southern Conference play with a win over UNC Greensboro on Saturday afternoon in the Ramsey Center.   The 47-44 victory evened the Cats overall record to 3-3 and 1-0 in conference.

The Cats were paced on the night by Diamond Hunnicutt and Ali Lane, both scoring 11 points, with Shauna Terry pulling down 11 rebounds.

 The Catamounts committed a total of 25 turn overs, resulting in 23 points for the Spartans, which could have been fatal, except for the extremely poor shooting form the floor by the Spartans. UNCG only made 17 of 63 field goal attempts, for 27% from the floor. The Spartans actually attempted 23 more shots than the Cats.

The Cats hosts Elon on Monday as part of the women's basketball annual "Education Day" event.

Charleston to the CAA

Today, the College of Charleston Board of Trustees voted to join the Colonial Athletic Association effective July 1, 2013.

In response, the Southern Conference released this statement: "We're naturally disappointed, but not surprised, by today's decision. Public comments made it apparent that the College of Charleston administration favored this move. Successfully assimilating changes in membership has been part of the Southern Conference's DNA for more than 90 years. With the commitment and cooperation of our Presidents and Chancellors, we will continue to explore the best options available to us to ensure a successful future for our athletic programs and the student-athletes we serve."

I do not fault Charleston's desire to move to a basketball conference, it's their premier sport, and many Charleston fans (and now the Board of Trustees) feel they should be in a conference of like minded schools. Just as ASU and GSU are seeking to move up in football to the FBS level, Charleston is seeking to move to a basketball concentric conference.

The problem now, as I see it, with three schools either moving or about to move, what does the Southern Conference do about replacements?

I'm afraid the conference commissioner is reacting to events, rather than being proactive to these same events.  In my opinion, just as the CAA did, the SoCon commissioner should have announced his intentions publicly some time ago, and then pursued a set of schools that could have been ready and waiting to fill these positions.  I'm afraid, that without a public plan in place, more SoCon schools might seek out other conference homes on their own, before the SoCon even approaches any potential replacement schools about these openings.

What if, with these three schools departing, Davidson reconsiders their decision. Then, Elon and UNCG (or Wofford) decides to depart with Davidson?  With those departures, maybe UTC and Samford decide that the OVC is looking pretty good now, and seeks re-entry.  This could turn into a completely depleted SoCon real quick.

Commissioner John Iamarino's lack of public action, just might result in his presiding over the death of the conference or at least to one that looks a whole lot like the Big South.  However, maybe I'm wrong and lots of behind the scenes negotiations have already taken place with multiple schools.  Wanna bet?

Cat Chat with Larry Hunter

It's basketball season, and head coach Larry Hunter takes over the "Cat Chat" feature.

The November 27th edition of Cat Chat on Big Wise radio (ESPN 1310), with Catamount Head Basketball Coach Larry Hunter.



                Listen here 

Game #8 - Eastern Kentucky

Game #8 - Eastern Kentucky Colonels
Date: December 1, 2012
Series: 4th meeting - EKU is 2-1, Cats won in 2011, 81-74
Location: Alumni Coliseum (6,500) Richmond, Ky.
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Radio: Catamount Sports Network 
TV: none
Live Video: OVC Digital Network


The 2012-13 season is Jeff Neubauer’s eighth year as head coach at Eastern Kentucky University. The Colonels finished last season 16-16 overall and were picked to finish fifth in the Ohio Valley Conference East Division this season by the league’s head coaches. The OVC, like the Big South,  is debuting its divisional format this season.

Entering the game with Western Carolina, the Colonels are 6-0 and off to their best start since 2005. EKU currently is  one of only seven remaining unbeaten mid-major teams.

The Colonels, like the Catamounts, are a very good team on their home court.  They have won 14 straight home non-conference games and are 37-7 under head coach Jeff Neubauer in such contests.

So far this season, EKU won the Comfort Suits Invitational, which they hosted, beating Radford, Towson, Kennesaw State, and Cincinnati Christian.  In other out-of-conference play, the Colonels defeated Norfolk State and Delaware State, all home games.   Eastern Kentucky is led by junior college transfer and All-American junior guard Glen Cosey (6-0 / 182) with 18 ppg and senior guard Mike DiNunno (5-11 / 196) with 13 ppg.

Overall, Eastern Kentucky is averaging 80 points per game, and has a .496 field goal percent average, along with an average of nine 3-pt field goals per game.  The Colonels are a good free throw shooting team, at .752 percent average and also averages 11 turnovers per game.

This game will be a challenge for the Catamounts, on the road, facing an undefeated team, large crowd expected.  However, if the Catamounts play with the enthusiasm and determination they displayed in the second half of the Furman game, they will depart Richmond with a win.

The Battle of Purple: Cats win Big

The Western Carolina Catamounts picked up their second straight win and improved their record to 3-4 overall and 1-0 in conference play with a 79-65 win over the Furman Paladins at Timmons Arena. 

This was the Southern Conference men's basketball opener for both schools.

Trey Sumler put up a game-high 24 points with Tom Tankelewicz adding 17 points in the second half.  Furman led in the rebounding category 40-32, and were able to capitalize on their rebounding edge with 11 second chance shots to the Cats five.

Turnovers were major for the Cats, as the Catamounts forced 19 turnovers by the Paladins and were able to score 17 points off turnovers, along with 18 fast break points, giving the scoring edge to the Cats.

On Saturday the Catamounts will travel to Richmond, Kentucky to meet the Eastern Kentucky Colonels at 7:30 pm.

NSCAA Team Academic Award

Courtesy WCU Sports Information - For the eighth straight year, Western Carolina women's soccer received the NSCAA (National Soccer Coaches Association of America) Team Academic Award with a 3.39 team GPA.

The Catamounts were recognized as one of 504 programs who received the award from over 990 eligible from DIV I, II, III women's soccer programs. Western Carolina was ranked number two of the nine Southern Conference teams awarded this year.

Christmas Socials

Basketball Season Tickets on sale now