GREENVILLE, S.C. –  The SoCon unveiled its preseason awards and the coaches' predictions of the forecasted finishing order for the 2024-25 season on Wednesday morning. Returning just four players from last year's roster with only one seeing playing time a year ago, Western Carolina was tabbed eighth in the polls now under the direction of head coach Tim Craft, an 11-year veteran coach who begins his first season at the helm in Cullowhee.

Craft and staff will look to senior Bernard Pelote to help lead WCU into the season as the lone player returning to the Purple & Gold who logged minutes a season ago. Pelote appeared in all 32 games on last year's 22-win team, averaging 6.7 points and 4.5 rebounds per contest. Pelote – the team's only senior entering 2024-25 – is joined by redshirt sophomores Marcus Kell and Cinque Lemon, along with redshirt freshman Kamari Jones who were all a part of last season's roster – but that trio didn't see on-court action.

All told, 11 of the 15 Catamounts on the roster are entering their first season on the hardwood in the Purple & Gold, lending itself to the unknown by the league's coaches and the host of hoops pundits.

The Catamounts have the task of replacing much of last year's production that came from the team's senior class. WCU was led by three accomplished seniors Vonterius Woolbright, Russell Jones Jr., and Tre Jackson as the trio each finished their combined collegiate careers as 1,000-point scorers a season ago.

Woolbright earned a conference single-season record nine SoCon Player of the Week honors, eclipsing the previous benchmark set by former Davidson star and SoCon Hall of Famer Stephen Curry in 2008-09. Woolbright also swept the league's four monthly awards during the 2023-24 and was additionally a two-time Oscar Robertson Trophy National Player of the Week. The SoCon's top player, Woolbright was among 40 national finalists in consideration for the trophy and for All-America plaudits from the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA).

Woolbright averaged a SoCon-best 21.1 points and 12.0 rebounds per game, scoring in double figures in all 32 of WCU's seasonal games. He finished third nationally with 27 double-doubles, ranked behind Akron's Enrique Freeman (31 in 35 games) and Purdue's Edey (30 in 39 games). Among his 27 double-dips were a nation-leading five triple-doubles, matched by Utah's Deivon Smith.

Jackson finished his WCU career fifth in program history with 210 made 3-pointers as he totaled 285 over his career that started for the Columbia, S.C. native at Iowa State. He sits in the single-season program record book for threes in a season at second with 113 during the 2022-23 season and fourth a season ago with 97 made triples. He also finished his time in Cullowhee sixth in program history at .399 percent from beyond the arc.

Jones Jr. totaled 702 points during his two seasons in Cullowhee after spending the beginning of his collegiate career with Winthrop as he eclipsed 1,000 career points last year in a home win over VMI. He also filled up the stat sheet with 273 career assists and 161 steals in his two seasons with the Catamounts. He was tied for ninth last season in threes made in the SoCon as he connected on 80 made threes.

Regular-season and tournament champions Samford was picked by the league's coaches to successfully defend its title, garnering six of the 10 first-place votes from the coaches. Chattanooga and ETSU followed in the second and third, respectively, as both Tennessee schools picked up a pair of first-place votes.

Wofford finished just below the first-place vote earners, receiving 58 total points accrued as Furman had 47 for fifth place followed by UNCG tallying 41 points for sixth.

Mercer was tabbed seventh by the league's coaches with 35 points as the Catamounts received 25 points for eighth with The Citadel (17) and VMI (10) rounding out the 10-team field.

Four teams put two players apiece on the preseason All-SoCon team with Chattanooga, ETSU, Samford, and Wofford combining for eight of the 10 honorees. Furman and UNCG both put one player on the preseason squad. UTC's Trey Bonham – who began his career at VMI back in 2021-22 – was selected to the all-conference team and dubbed the SoCon Preseason Player of the Year.

Western Carolina tips off the 2024-25 season on Monday, Nov. 4, with a Catamount basketball doubleheader as the men's squad faces Bob Jones with the women's squad battling Warren Wilson on Ingles Court in the Ramsey Center.

WCU welcomes eight new faces to Catamount Country this season – but not to the collegiate basketball hardwood. Craft and staff recruited five NCAA Division I transfers – Cord Stansberry (Pepperdine), Chase McKey (Marshall), Brandon White (Texas A&M), Carson Brown (Jacksonville) and Vernon Collins (Princeton). The roster also includes junior college transfers Brandon Morgan (Caldwell CC), Chevalier "Ice" Emery (Dodge City), and Jamar Livingston (Walters State).

The Catamounts also welcome in a trio of freshmen including CJ Hyland (Loganville, Ga. / Grayson HS) – who was inked by the previous coaching staff – Max Williams (Hanover HS), and Fischer Brown (Wasatch Academy).

Ahead of jumping center in early November, WCU has a handful of preseason events on deck. The Catamounts are slated for their annual preseason preview event, "A Night in The Whee," which is a fan event in Cullowhee featuring both the men's and women's teams on Oct. 22. The two squads will also participate in the inaugural "Catamount Basketball on the Boundary," featuring youth clinics and a pair of intrasquad scrimmages for the men's and women's squad held at the Birdtown Gym in Cherokee, N.C., on Oct. 29.

More information regarding those preseason events as well as Catamount Basketball season tickets will be made available at a later date.

Keep track of everything related to Catamount men's basketball and WCU Athletics through our social media outlets on Facebook (fb.com/catamountsports), Instagram (@catamountmbb @wcu_catamounts), and Twitter (@CatamountMBB @catamounts).

2024-25 Southern Conference Preseason Coaches Poll

2024-25 Preseason Southern Conference Player of the Year
Trey Bonham, Sr., G, Chattanooga

2024-25 Preseason All-Southern Conference team
Quimari Peterson, Sr., G, ETSU
Jaden Seymour, R-Sr., F, ETSU
Pjay Smith, Sr., G, Furman
Donovan Atwell, So., G/F, UNCG
Collin Holloway, Sr., F, Samford
Rylan Jones, Gr., G, Samford
Honor Huff, Jr., G, Chattanooga
Trey Bonham, Sr., G, Chattanooga
Kyler Filewich, Sr., C, Wofford
Corey Tripp, Sr., G, Wofford