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Vonterius Woolbright - NBA G League Draft

Woolbright Drafted to Blue Coats in NBA G-League

10/27/2024 5:30:00 PM

By: Greg Hartlage, Director of Media Relations
CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Reigning Southern Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year Vonterius Woolbright was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats, with the third pick of the 2024 NBA G League Draft on Saturday.

Woolbright joins the Blue Coats after spending part of his summer on the mini-camp roster for the Houston Rockets summer league team. The Blue Coats are slated the begin the 2024-25 season on Saturday, Nov. 9 against the Raptors 905, the G League franchise affiliated with the Toronto Raptors.

Woolbright was one of two Southern Conference players selected in the two-round draft, joined by Matt Ryan (Chattanooga) who was selected first overall.  

Originally from Albany, Ga., Woolbright rewrote the Western Carolina and SoCon record books throughout the 2023-24 season as he earned a league-high nine SoCon Player of the Week honors, surpassing the previous benchmark set by former Davidson star and SoCon Hall of Famer Stephen Curry back in the 2008-09 campaign. He also garnered all four of the league's monthly awards in 2023-24.

Woolbright was additionally named a two-time Oscar Robertson Trophy National Player of the Week and was among 40 national finalists in consideration for both the trophy and for All-America plaudits from the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA).

He was among 35 men's basketball student-athletes named to the 2023-24 Lou Henson All-America team honoring the nation's top mid-major players. He was also one of 30 NCAA college basketball players named to the 2023-24 Lute Olson All-America team, both released by CollegeInsider.com.

A first-team All-Southern Conference selection and the SoCon's Malcolm U. Pitt Player of the Year, Woolbright was an honorable mention on the 2023-24 Associated Press (AP) All-America team. He additionally landed on the first-team All-District 21 selection from the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC).

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.

He is the first player in the SoCon to finish the regular season averaging over 20 points per game since VMI's Bubba Parham in 2018-19, while also becoming the first Catamount to average over 20 points per game since Kevin Martin (24.9 ppg) back in 2003-04.

On the WCU single-season lists, his 675 points in the 2023-24 season rank eighth, his 384 rebounds place him seventh, and his 193 made free throws rank in a tie for eighth. His seasonal average of 12.0 rebounds per contest ranks seventh in WCU's single-season ledgers while his 313 defensive rebounds and 9.8 defensive boards per game are both single-season program records.

Woolbright's three seasons in the Purple & Gold saw him become the 49th player in program history to eclipse 1,000 career points at 1,415 to rank 19th in the record book after his collegiate career. He also cleaned up the glass with 784 rebounds, good for sixth-best in school history, while his 451 assists are the 10th-most in program history.

A first-look at the 2024-25 Catamount men's and women's basketball teams is slated for Wednesday, Oct. 30, with the special "Basketball on the Boundary" event hosted at the Peaches Squirell Athletics Center in Cherokee, N.C.. After hosting a special clinic for the school children, both of the Catamount basketball teams and first-year head coaches Tim Craft (men's ) and Jonathan Tsipis (women's) will hold intrasquad scrimmages at the facility in Birdtown. The event is open to the public and free of charge.

Western Carolina opens the 2024-25  men's basketball season under first-year head coach Tim Craft with a season-opening Catamount hoops doubleheader on Monday, Nov. 4, on Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center in Cullowhee. WCU's women host Warren Wilson College at 5 p.m., with the men to follow against Bob Jones University at 7:30 p.m. Both games will be broadcast on ESPN+ (paid subscription required) with live streaming audio from the Catamount Sports Network.

Season tickets for the home portion of the 2024-25 Catamount men's and women's basketball seasons are on sale now through the first-floor Ramsey Center Ticket Office, by phone at (828) 227-2401, and online at CatamountSports.com/BuyTickets. Options include tickets for men's or women's and an "all-hoops" package for every home game in the Ramsey Center for both squads. Single-game tickets are slated to go on sale this past Friday.

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).
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