CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Under the watchful eye of first-year head coach Justin Gray and his coaching staff, the Western Carolina men's basketball team held its first official team practice of the 2021-22 preseason on Tuesday afternoon on Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center.

"Our guys play hard," said Gray who was hired in mid-April. "One of the common things we talk about is being relentless. Our guys go hard and we also compete. That's something that I want to stand out every single day. I also want us to have a tight unit. There's a lot of emotion out there, guys are helping guys up and getting on the floor and supporting each other. Those three things are huge for us."

The spirited, high-energy practice lasted roughly two hours and saw Gray and his staff open the practice session by implementing a number of team concepts. Following the opening team stretch, the squad worked on rebounding, defensive containment, transition defense, and increasing the pace of practice to match the speed that Gray is looking for from the Catamounts on offense and defense.

"There's a lot of different lingoes, so to speak. We have a lot of different people, it's a new staff as well. What we're doing now is team concepts, things we want to happen," explained Gray. "We want to make sure we're playing fast, we've got to get up and down, we've got to have space, we've got to rebound, we've got to be tough. Those are the things we accomplished today."

With the first practice in the books, Gray is focused on what he wants his squad to improve on beginning with the team's second team workout on Wednesday.

"We'll need to work on the communication between everyone. That's something that is always important with a new team. And then the standard of how hard I want to play. That's something that we're getting adjusted to but the guys go hard. I appreciate the effort that they give."

The Southern Conference will hold its annual media day in Asheville, N.C. on Oct. 26. WCU is slated to face Campbellsville Harrodsburg in an exhibition contest on Nov. 2 before opening the season at home on Nov. 9 against Bowling Green.

Season tickets are on sale now including a $101 All-Hoops Season Ticket good for all men's and women's basketball games. Adult season tickets for men's basketball are just $81. Youth season ticket pricing is also available starting at just $36. A special discounted season ticket rate is available for WCU faculty and staff. For more information about WCU faculty and staff ticketing call the ticket office at 828-227-2401. Fans can also purchase or renew their season tickets online at CatamountSports.com
 
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