CULLOWHEE, N.C. – The 2019-20 edition of the Western Carolina men's basketball team showcased an improved squad across the board with standout seasons from several players along with multiple historic victories. 
 
The Catamounts finished 19-12 for the highest win total by a WCU team since the 2013-14 season. WCU ranked as the second-most improved team across all of NCAA Division I men's basketball improving by 12.5 games from the 2018-19 season, a 7-25 campaign one season ago. WCU averaged a Southern Conference-leading 78.8 points per game this season to rank 17^th nationally after averaging 72.0 points per game in 2018-19 to finish in a three-way tie for 186th in the NCAA.
 
"We developed a comfort level within our system.," head coach Mark Prosser stated. "Our student-athletes bought in. Even last year when it didn't seem to work, they stuck with it. They never wavered and stayed committed even when it would have been easy to second guess what we were doing and it is a testament to our guys for sticking with the system we were teaching them. Once there's some success you continue to gain confidence and continue to buy-in and improve, which we continued to see as the season progressed."
 
One of the biggest keys to the Catamount turnaround was redshirt junior guard Mason Faulkner. After sitting out the previous season due to NCAA transfer rules, the Glasgow, Ky. native averaged a team-best 17.7 points per game, the third-most by an individual in the SoCon. In the third game of the season against North Carolina A&T, Faulkner added his name to the record books with the first triple-double in the program's Division I era with 13 points, 10 assists, and 10 rebounds.  Faulkner became the second player across the Division I level to have two triple-doubles this season as he completed the home finale against Samford with 16 points, 10 rebounds and a career-high 12 assists.
 
Faulkner was one of four players to earn multiple SoCon Player of the Week presented by GEICO honors and was the only player to claim the award in consecutive weeks on Nov. 19 and 26. He earned First Team All-SoCon honors from the league's coaches and Second Team All-SoCon from the SoCon Sports Media Association (SCSMA).
 
"Mason is a special player and a special competitor," said Prosser. "He works tremendously hard, he is a leader by example because of the time he puts in and how good he wants to be. He was able to become a first team player because of how hard he works. He benefited by playing with other good players and they benefited from playing with him as well."
 
Forward Carlos Dotson followed a solid junior season with an even stronger senior campaign. Dotson ranked second on the team with 15.5 points per game - sixth-best in the SoCon - and led the team as well as the conference with 9.7 rebounds per game - marks that went to 17.5 ppg (4th) and 10.9 rpg (1st) in league-only games. The Riverdale, Md. native tied for seventh nationally with 18 double-doubles this season and had a stretch of six straight double-double performances. In a road contest against UNCG on Feb. 12, Dotson scored a career-best 32 points after going 11-for-20 from the field and sinking 10 of 15 free throw attempts.
 
Dotson was one of four players to be named SoCon Player of the Week presented by GEICO more than once as he took home the honor on Dec. 10 and Feb. 18. Additionally, Dotson became the first WCU player to earn the SoCon Player of the Month award since Torrion Brummitt in 2016 when he was named the Player of the Month for February. Dotson was a First Team All-SoCon selection by both the coaches and media.
 
"Carlos had a better understanding of taking care of his body to get the most he could out of a 30-game season," explained Prosser. "He worked hard last summer to get into shape to compete at a high level. He wasn't satisfied with being a third team selection last year and he earned first team because of the hard work that he put in. He approached this year like a professional with conditioning and nutrition. I'm proud of what he accomplished this season and look forward to seeing how his career progresses moving forward."
 
An area where the Catamounts excelled this season came behind the 3-point line. WCU averaged 9.7 made 3-pointer's per game, ranking 17^th nationally. Senior forward Onno Steger led the SoCon and finished 15^th nationally in 3-point field goal percentage at 42.8 percent. Steger also surpassed an individual milestone by usurping the 1,000 career point mark in the SoCon semifinals against ETSU.  Junior guard Matt Halvorsen finished 24^th nationally in 3-point field goal percentage making 40.2 percent of his shots. Steger and Halvorsen combined for 158 of WCU's 302 made 3-point field goals this season (52.3%).
 
"Onno has a skill level and the ability to shoot that should translate into a professional career," said Prosser. "His fit into our system was so natural but he worked hard at it. He was a senior leader who stuck with it, bought in and saw the fruits of his labor pay off in a big way this season."
 
A midseason injury to standout sophomore guard Kameron Gibson allowed for the further development in a pair of Catamount freshmen as guards Trayvion McCray and Tyler Harris filled key roles in their first collegiate season. Fans also got a glimpse of the future in the play of freshman post Xavier Cork alongside Dotson in the low block.
 

In a season that saw 19 memorable victories, WCU's most unlikely had to be the 96-94 double overtime triumph at Jacksonville on Nov. 21. The Catamounts trailed by 22 points, 67-45 with 6:16 remaining in regulation and battled back to force overtime with the contest tied at 76. After the first overtime ended with the teams knotted at 86, WCU led by three points with just over a minute remaining in the second overtime and held on for the win. The Catamount victory marked the latest comeback for a win by a team trailing by more than 20 points according to known NCAA Division I records. Other notable victories for WCU in the regular season include a season sweep of Wofford for the first time since the 2006-07 season and a sweep of Samford, the first for the Catamounts since 2011-12.
 
WCU went 18-11 overall during the regular season with a 10-8 SoCon record and an 8-3 non-conference mark. The Catamounts earned the No. 5 seed in the 2020 Ingles Southern Conference Tournament and won their first game in the tournament since the 2015-16 season with a 70-56 quarterfinal triumph over Mercer before falling to eventual champion ETSU in the semifinals. Despite the improved season, Prosser is hungry to see the Catamounts take the next step.
 
"Our goal was to win the Southern Conference and play in the NCAA Tournament," said Prosser. "Our student-athletes played hard, but we didn't reach our final goal. It will be motivation moving forward to next year. We showed that we compete with the upper teams. We'll keep on trying to build until we are there."
 
In addition to Dotson and Steger, WCU had two additional seniors on its 2019-20 squad as Cherokee native Jason McMillan and Roanoke, Va., product Adam Sledd played their final games in the Purple & Gold this season. Looking ahead, the Catamounts return 11 players from this year's roster including redshirt freshman Ahmir Langlais, with several incoming freshmen.
 
Official team practice for the 2020-21 season is scheduled to begin in the fall.
 
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