Meet the Basketball Cats: Vonterius Woolbright

Welcome to our annual meet the Catamount Men's Basketball Team.

During the countdown, we'll highlight each player on the official roster, starting with the freshmen, then moving up class by class, countdown the days until "Tip-Off". 

It's 24 days until the Cats tip off the season on November 9th against the Bowling Green Falcons in the Ramsey Center.

Today, we meet another junior:

#2 Vonterius Woolbright

POSITION Guard 

HEIGHT 6-5 

WEIGHT 208 

CLASS Junior 

COLLEGE  Lawson State CC

HOMETOWN Albany, Ga. 

Prior to Western Carolina: Played his freshman and sophomore seasons at Lawson State Community College…Earned NJCAA Honorable Mention All-America honors after averaging a team-best 17.4 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 7.7 assists in 23 games…Named Alabama Community College Conference (ACCC) co-Player of the year…Averaged 8.3 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 2.3 assists in 27 games as a freshman

High School: Prepped at Thomasville High School in Thomasville, Ga., Helped lead the Bulldogs to the GSHA Class AA State Championship game as a junior, scoring with 17 points with seven assists in the title game

Meet the Basketball Cats: Tyler Harris

Welcome to our annual meet the Catamount Men's Basketball Team.

During the countdown, we'll highlight each player on the official roster, starting with the freshmen, then moving up class by class, countdown the days until "Tip-Off". 

It's 25 days until the Cats tip off the season on November 9th against the Bowling Green Falcons in the Ramsey Center.

Today, we meet another junior:

#13 Tyler Harris

POSITION Guard/Forward

HEIGHT 6-6
WEIGHT 198
CLASS Junior
HOMETOWN Charlotte, N.C.
HIGH SCHOOL Independence HS







2020-21 (Sophomore): Played in all 27 games making 20 starts…Finished in double figures in six games…Scored a career-high 19 points in the overtime win at North Carolina A&T…Pulled down a career-best 11 rebounds against ETSU…Grabbed 10 rebounds against Tennessee Tech including a career-best eight defensive…Sank five free throws at Mercer and dished out a season-best four assists to tie a career-high…Made a career-best three 3-pointers in home games against Newberry, Furman, and Chattanooga…Swatted a season-best three blocks against ETSU.

2019-20 (Freshman): Played in all 31 games during his freshman season and made six starts…Averaged 4.3 points and 2.6 rebounds per game…Finished in double figures in three games including a career-high 15 points against Bryan College…Grabbed a career-best seven rebounds against Bryan and at UNCG… Swatted a career-best two blocks against Piedmont and in the SoCon Tournament semifinal against ETSU…Made his first collegiate start at Chattanooga and finished with 12 points.

Prior To Western Carolina: Finished his prep career at Independence HS in Charlotte and was named MVP of the 2019 Southwestern Conference Tournament MVP...Began his high school career at Northside Christian where he led the Knights to the NCISAA 2A state playoffs as a junior.

Meet the Basketball Cats: Marvin Price

Welcome to our annual meet the Catamount Men's Basketball Team.

During the countdown, we'll highlight each player on the official roster, starting with the freshmen, then moving up class by class, countdown the days until "Tip-Off". 

It's 26 days until the Cats tip off the season on November 9th against the Bowling Green Falcons in the Ramsey Center.

Today, we meet another junior:

#13 Marvin Price

POSITION Guard

HEIGHT 6-5
WEIGHT 230
CLASS Junior
COLLEGE Salt Lake Community College
HOMETOWN Baltimore, Md.

Prior to Western Carolina:  Price arrives in Cullowhee following a highly successful sophomore season that saw him earn third-team National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) All-America honors after leading the Bruins to a 20-5 overall record and an appearance in the NJCAA national tournament. Price earned first-team All-Region 18 and All-Scenic West Conference honors as he averaged 12.1 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. He came through in the clutch with several game-winning or overtime-forcing shots, finishing with 14 games in double figures with two double-doubles. As a freshman in 2019-20, Price played in seven games at Ohio University for the Bobcats before transferring mid-season.

High School: Played his senior and sophomore seasons at Patterson High School, leading the Clippers to a pair of Baltimore City championships along with two regional titles and two MPSSAA state titles…Averaged 21.4 points and 10.3 rebounds to earn All-Metro honors as a senior…Also earned All-Metro honors at Patterson as a sophomore…Played at Huntington Prep in Huntington, W.Va. as a junior and Dematha Catholic as a freshman

Meet the Basketball Cats: Madison Monroe

Welcome to our annual meet the Catamount Men's Basketball Team.

During the countdown, we'll highlight each player on the official roster, starting with the freshmen, then moving up class by class, countdown the days until "Tip-Off". 

It's 27 days until the Cats tip off the season on November 9th against the Bowling Green Falcons in the Ramsey Center.

Today, we meet our another junior:

#21 Madison Monroe

POSITION Guard

HEIGHT 6-3
WEIGHT 193
CLASS Junior

COLLEGE   Independence Community College
HOMETOWN Charlotte, N.C.






Prior to Western Carolina: Monroe spent the 2020-21 season at Independence Community College in Independence, Kansas where he averaged 14.9 points and 5.4 assists in 23 games played. Monroe scored in double digits in 16 games, eclipsing the 20-point plateau six times including a season-best 33 points against Hutchinson Community College. Monroe posted two double-doubles coming against both Allen and Neosho County Community Colleges.
 
During the 2019-20 season, Monroe attended Oakland University in Rochester, Mich., where he played in 19 games with six starts. He tallied 10 points twice coming against Horizon League foes, Wright State and Youngstown State.
 
Monroe opened his collegiate career by attending the United States Military Preparatory School in West Point, N.Y., during the 2018-19 season

High School: Prepped at SouthLake Christian in Charlotte, N.C…Completed his career as the school’s all-time leading scorer…Earned NCISAA All-State honors as a junior.

Meet the Basketball Cats: Marlow Gilmore

Welcome to our annual meet the Catamount Men's Basketball Team.

During the countdown, we'll highlight each player on the official roster, starting with the freshmen, then moving up class by class, countdown the days until "Tip-Off". 

It's 28 days until the Cats tip off the season on November 9th against the Bowling Green Falcons in the Ramsey Center.

Today, we meet our first junior:

#23 Marlow Gilmore

POSITION Forward
HEIGHT 6-5
WEIGHT 191
CLASS Junior

COLLEGE  Dodge City CC
HOMETOWN Norway, S.C.

Prior to Western Carolina:  In 23 games for the Conquistadors, Gilmore averaged 9.6 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. He finished in double figures in 11 games with a season-best 20 points against Bethany College. He logged three double-doubles with a season-best 11 rebounds at Pratt Community College.
 
Gilmore spent the 2019-20 season at USC Salkehatchie in the Lowcountry of South Carolina where he averaged 5.8 points and 3.2 rebounds over 20 games. He finished in double figures six times with a season-best 22 points. The Indians won the Region X regular season and tournament title before the NJCAA national tournament was canceled due to COVID-19.

High School:  At Hunter-Kinard-Tyler High School he averaged 20.7 points, 15.8 rebounds, 6.5 assists, and two blocks as a senior and concluded his career as a four-time All-Region 3 player including the Player of the Year as a senior. He also garnered SCBCA 1A All-State honors each of his final three seasons as a prep.

2021 SoCon Football Power Rankings (after Week #6)

Welcome to Purple & Gold's 2021 SoCon Football Power Rankings.  Ratings are after week #6 of play.

Each Monday throughout the fall season we'll release that week's Power Rankings.  




 

1. (1) ETSU (6-0, 3-0 SoCon)

   Next: at Chattanooga

 

2. (2) Mercer (4-1, 3-0 SoCon)                                                               

   Next: VMI

3. (4) VMI (4-2, 2-1 SoCon)

   Next: at Mercer 

4. (6) Furman (3-2, 1-1)

   Next: The Citadel

5. (3) Chattanooga (2-3, 1-1 SoCon) 

   Next: ETSU 

6. (5) Samford (2-3, 1-2 SoCon)

   Next: at Wofford

7. (7) The Citadel (2-3, 1-1)

   Next: at Furman

8. (9) Western Carolina (0-6, 0-3) 

    Next: Bye

 

8. (8) Wofford (1-4, 0-3)

   Next: Samford 

 

                                                              

Purple & Gold's FCS Top 25 (Oct. 11, 2021)

Purple & Gold's FCS top 25 for the week of October 11, 2021.

1: Sam Houston Bearkats
2: North Dakota State Bison
3: Eastern Washington Eagles
4: Southern Illinois Salukis
5: Montana Grizzlies
6: South Dakota State Jackrabbits
7: Montana State Bobcats
8: James Madison Dukes
9: Villanova Wildcats
10: Northern Iowa Panthers
11: East Tennessee State Buccaneers
12: UC Davis Aggies
13: Southeastern Louisiana Lions
14: Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens
15: Weber State Wildcats
16: North Dakota Fighting Hawks
17: Incarnate Word Cardinals
18: Rhode Island Rams
19: Central Arkansas Bears
20: South Dakota Coyotes
21: Tennessee-Martin Skyhawks
22: Missouri State Bears
23: Kennesaw State Owls
24: Mercer Bears
25: Princeton Tigers

Meet the Basketball Cats: Brad Halvorsen

Welcome to our annual meet the Catamount Men's Basketball Team.

During the countdown, we'll highlight each player on the official roster, starting with the freshmen, then moving up class by class, countdown the days until "Tip-Off". 

It's 29 days until the Cats tip off the season on November 9th against the Bowling Green Falcons in the Ramsey Center.

Today, we meet another sophomore:

#22 Brad Halvorsen

POSITION Guard

HEIGHT 6-1
WEIGHT 161
CLASS Sophomore
HOMETOWN Kingsport, Tenn.
HIGH SCHOOL Christ School (N.C.)

2020-21 (Redshirt Freshman): Played in five games as a reserve…Scored his first career points against Piedmont in the same game where older brother Matt surpassed the 1,000-career point mark…Distributed his first career assist against Mercer…Pulled down one defensive rebound against Piedmont.

Prior to Western Carolina:   Attended Christ School.

Meet the Basketball Cats: Josh Massey

Welcome to our annual meet the Catamount Men's Basketball Team.

During the countdown, we'll highlight each player on the official roster, starting with the freshmen, then moving up class by class, countdown the days until "Tip-Off". 

It's 30 days until the Cats tip off the season on November 9th against the Bowling Green Falcons in the Ramsey Center.

Today, we meet:

#5 Josh Massey

POSITION Guard

HEIGHT 6-6
WEIGHT 198
CLASS Sophomore
HOMETOWN Monroe, N.C.
HIGH SCHOOL United Faith Christian Academy








2020-21 (Freshman): Came off the bench in 15 games…Played a career-high 16 minutes against Piedmont and scored a career-best six points after making a field goal and four free throws…Grabbed a season-high eight rebounds against Piedmont…Kicked off collegiate career against UNCW with four points and three rebounds in season opener against UNCW…Swatted a season-best two blocks at home against VMI.

High School: Attended United Faith Christian Academy and played for head coach Josh Coley...During his senior season he averaged 12.0 points, 3.1 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.2 steals and was named to the NCISAA All-State Team for the second consecutive year...Averaged 12.3 points and 2.8 rebounds during his junior season...Played AAU basketball for Nike Team United.

Meet the Basketball Cats: Davion Everett

Welcome to our annual meet the Catamount Men's Basketball Team.

During the countdown, we'll highlight each player on the official roster, starting with the freshmen, then moving up class by class, countdown the days until "Tip-Off". 

It's 31 days until the Cats tip off the season on November 9th against the Bowling Green Falcons in the Ramsey Center.

Today, we meet:

#45 Davion Everett

POSITION Guard

HEIGHT 6-4
WEIGHT 215
CLASS Freshman
HOMETOWN Columbia, S.C.
HIGH SCHOOL Ridge View HS

Meet the Basketball Cats: KJ Odour

Welcome to our annual meet the Catamount Men's Basketball Team.

During the countdown, we'll highlight each player on the official roster, starting with the freshmen, then moving up class by class, countdown the days until "Tip-Off". 

It's 32 days until the Cats tip off the season on November 9th against the Bowling Green Falcons in the Ramsey Center.

Today, we meet:

#34 KJ Odour

POSITION Forward
HEIGHT 6-9
WEIGHT 198
CLASS Freshman
HOMETOWN Nairobi, Kenya
HIGH SCHOOL Grand River Academy

Prior To Western Carolina:  Grand Rapids Academy - The 6'9" forward from Nairobi, Kenya has a 7'3" wingspan which he prominently displays on both ends of the floor. His ability to rim run, protect the basket, and finish in traffic coupled with his passion for getting better every day will make him successful. 

Meet the Cats: Marcus Banks

Welcome to our annual meet the Catamount Men's Basketball Team.

During the countdown, we'll highlight each player on the official roster, starting with the freshmen, then moving up class by class, countdown the days until "Tip-Off". 

It's 33 days until the Cats tip off the season on November 9 against the Bowling Green Falcons in the Ramsey Center.

Today, we meet:

#24 Marcus Banks

POSITION Guard
HEIGHT 6-2
WEIGHT 187
CLASS Freshman
HOMETOWN Hampton, Va.
HIGH SCHOOL Fork Union Military Academy

Prior To Western Carolina:  At Fork Union, Banks played for the postgraduate team under head coach Seth Wilson. He led the Blue Devils with an average of 17.7 points per game in scoring 321 points, shooting 53 percent from the field and 35 percent behind the arc. In addition, he pulled down an average of 5.6 rebounds per game while tallying 3.0 assists with 1.2 steals per game. A two-sport athlete, Brown also played football for the Blue Devils and head coach Frank Arritt.

 
As a junior at Bethel High School in Hampton, Va., during the 2019-20 season, he averaged 20 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and two steals per game. He earned All-Peninsula honors and was chosen as Bethel's team MVP. Banks played at Walsingham Academy in Williamsburg, Va., as a freshman and sophomore, earning second-team All-TCIS honors as a freshman. He surpassed the 1,000-career point mark during his sophomore season as he earned first-team All-TCIS honors and VISAA Division 3 All-State first-team accolades.

"Marcus is a shooter that can create his own shot," said head coach Justin Gray. "He has started to tap into his potential, and I'm really excited to continue to watch him develop. Did I mention he can score?! I love it!"
 
 

Game #6 - Mercer Bears

In the Catamounts' sixth game of the 2021 fall season, the Cats return to Cullowhee for Homecoming and will host the Mercer Bears for the third conference game of the season.  Western faces the Bears for just the eight-time since Mercer joined the Southern Conference.  Homecoming Week will be celebrated October 7-10 in Cullowhee.

 








Game #6 - Mercer Bears

When: Saturday, October 9, 2021

Time:  3:30 pm
Where: EJ Whitmire Stadium, Cullowhee, NC
Radio: Catamount Sports Network

-announcers:  Gary Ayers, PxP; Greg McLamb, color
TV/video:  ESPN3

-announcers:  Kyle Rush & Phil Cox
Live Stats:  WCU Live Stats

Game Notes:   Western Carolina   -    Mercer

Fan Message Board:  MU Bear Down

The Series: In only the 8th meeting between the two teams, the Cats own a 2-5 record against the Bears, having dropped the last five games played in the series. The Cats are 1-2 against the Bears in games played in Cullowhee. 

Games that will be played by the Bears this season, before the WCU contest:  The Bears opened the season at home with a 69-0 win against NAIA's Point University, followed by a 14-48 loss to Alabama.  Then following a bye week, they visit Furman on the road where they picked up a 24-3 win over the Paladins,  then hosted Samford in Macon, where they won 45-42 over the Bulldogs.

Last Season's Game vs. Mercer (Mar. 20, 2021) - Catamount Football Falls at Mercer, 45-28 - Macon, Ga. – Donnavan Spencer rushed for 78 yards and three touchdowns for Western Carolina, but Mercer used a downhill running attack that chewed up 308 yards as the Bears held possession for over 40 minutes on Saturday afternoon in a 45-28 victory over the Catamounts in Southern Conference action at Five Star Stadium.

Last Season's Record (Mercer): 5-6 overall, 2-4 home, 1-5 away, 5-3 SoCon  (SoCon wins: WCU, VMI, Samford)

This Season's Record (Mercer):  3-1 overall,  2-0 home, 1-1 away, 2-0 SoCon (SoCon wins: Furman, Samford) 

Head Coach: Drew Cronic was named the 20th head football coach in Mercer University history on December 10, 2019. He spent the previous two seasons as the head coach at Division II Lenoir-Rhyne University in Hickory, N.C. A native of Sharpsburg, Ga., Cronic is considered one of the more innovative offensive minds across all levels of college football. Driven by the motto “Raise the Bar”, he has posted a 47-6 record in four years as a head coach. He has also helped lead his teams to four straight conference titles – Reinhardt (2016), Furman (2017) and Lenoir-Rhyne (2018, 2019). 

Cronic's Collegiate Record: 55-13 

Mercer Record:  8-7 

Kerwin Bell's record vs. Mercer:  0 - 0

Drew Cronic's record vs. WCU:  1 - 0

Mercer Offensive Formation:  Multiple (Spread Wing)
Defensive Formation:  Multiple

Last season's "SoCon Freshman of the Year" quarterback Carter Peevy returns, however, junior QB transfer Fred Payton seems to have moved to the starting role over Peevy since the Alabama game. 

Wide receivers Ty James and Ethan Dirrim, both sophomores in 2021 and were named by the coaches of the SoCon to the All-Freshman Team return. James led the team in both receptions (30) and receiving yards (518) while Dirrim led the Bears in receiving touchdowns with four.  

On defense, Mercer returns several key players highlighted by junior safety Lance Wise. Wise picked up 86 tackles in 2020, including 43 solo tackles. He also led the SoCon in pass breakups with nine and made one interception. He was named First-Team SoCon by both the media and the league's coaches.  In the trenches, then-sophomore defensive lineman Solomon Zubairu was a leader on the Bears' defense. Zubairu led the SoCon in tackles for loss with 10.5 — the second-most in a single season in Mercer program history. He was also third in the conference in sacks with 5.5 and recovered two fumbles.       Redshirt Freshman running back Fred Davis rushing for 276 yards and five touchdowns in the Bears game with Samford. His 276 rushing yards shattered the previous school record of 202 yards. The Redshirt Freshman averaged nearly 10 yards per carry (9.9) on the game while rushing for touchdowns of 31, 21, 54, one and two yards and was selected as the the SoCon Offensive Player of the Week.

2021 Mercer Statistics (Fall 4 games):

Rushing Offense: 1160 yards
Yards per game: 290
Yards per rush: 6 yards
Rushing 1st downs: 56
TDs rushing: 14
Passing Offense: 788 yards or 197 yards per game
Avg. per pass: 9 yards
Passing 1st downs: 37
Passing: Att-Comp-Int: 88-52-5

TDs Passing: 7
Total Offense: 1948 yards or 487 yards per game
Fumbles-Lost: 7 - 3
3d Down Conversions: 26 of 50 (52%)
4th Down Conversions: 3 of 4 (75%)
Field goal attempts: 2 of 4
On-side kicks: 0-0
Red Zone Scores: 12 of 15  
Red Zone Touchdowns: 12 of 15  

PAT:  20 of 21  

WCU 2-Deep Roster vs. Mercer

Courtesy WCU Athletics Media Relations   

 

2021 SoCon Football Power Rankings (after Week #5)

Welcome to Purple & Gold's 2021 SoCon Football Power Rankings.  Ratings are after week 5 of play.

Each Monday throughout the fall season we'll release that week's Power Rankings.  




 

1. (1) ETSU (5-0, 2-0 SoCon)

   Next: The Citadel

 

2. (3) Mercer (3-1, 2-0 SoCon)                                                               

   Next: at Western Carolina

3. (5) Chattanooga (2-2, 1-0 SoCon) 

   Next: at VMI 

4. (2) VMI (3-2, 1-1 SoCon)

   Next: Chattanooga 

5. (4) Samford (2-2, 1-2 SoCon)

   Next: bye

6. (6) Furman (2-2, 0-1)

   Next: at Wofford

7. (8) The Citadel (2-2, 1-0)

   Next: at ETSU  

8. (7) Wofford (1-3, 0-2)

   Next: Furman  

 

9. (9) Western Carolina (0-5, 0-2) 

   Next: Mercer