Cullowhee, N.C. – Western Carolina men's basketball raises the curtain on the
Tim Craft era as the Catamounts welcome in NCAA Division II foe Bob Jones University (0-1) for an opening night tip from Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center. Monday's matchup with the Bruins is set for 7:30 p.m., preceded by a 5 p.m. tip for WCU women's basketball against Warren Wilson College in the first game under head coach Jonathan Tsipis.
Monday's games will both be broadcast on ESPN+ (
paid subscription required) with live streaming audio from the Catamount Sports Network (7 p.m. air time) and live stats available online at CatamountSports.com.
Matchup: Bob Jones (0-1) vs Western Carolina (0-0)
Date: Monday, Nov. 4
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Site: Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center (Cullowhee, N.C.)
Live Stats: SidearmStats
Live Video: ESPN+ (
paid subscription required)
Live Audio: Catamount Sports Network (
click link to listen)
Twitter: @CatamountMBB
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About Western Carolina:
Coming off of the second 20-win season in NCAA DI program history – and the most wins since 2009-10 – WCU embarks on its newest chapter of men's basketball under the direction of veteran head coach
Tim Craft who begins his first year on the bench in Cullowhee on Monday night.
Entering the 2024-25 season, the Catamounts are led by returning senior
Bernard Pelote, one of four returners and the lone player on roster who saw the court for WCU in 2023-24. Pelote played in all 32 games a season ago, averaging 6.7 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. The Savannah, Ga., native is joined by redshirt sophomores
Marcus Kell and
Cinque Lemon, as well as redshirt freshman
Kamari Jones who were each on the roster a season ago but did not see game action.
Craft welcomed a brand-new staff with him to Cullowhee – though two are familiar with the Catamount sidelines.
Adam Bullard and recruiting coordinator
Andrew Brown were both assistants on Craft's staff at Gardner-Webb. He also brings back veteran
Andre Gray, who spent 2008-11 in Cullowhee, and Catamount legacy
Jackson Simmons, who played locally at Smoky Mountain High and had both of his parents play for the Purple & Gold on the hardwood. Jackson served as the director of basketball operations in a previous stint with WCU like Gray, both under former head coach Larry Hunter.
In this new era of WCU basketball, Craft looks to instill a new culture that starts with "Winning the Day" and giving the best in every moment of life. He also looks to build the Catamount DNA – or core values – on four key principles: Positive Attitude, Humility, Trustworthiness, and Relentless Grit.
Finally, Craft wants the identity of the program as Key Traits of the team on and off the court to be:
- Be a Great Teammate.
- Be the More Ready Team.
- Dominate Effort Plays
- Do Your Job.
Scouting the Opposition:
Bob Jones competes in the National Christian Collegiate Athletic Association (NCCAA) in the Division II south region, joined by Carolina Christian, Pensacola Christian, Southeastern Baptist, Toccoa Falls, and Trinity Baptist.
Bob Jones (0-1) opened the 2024-25 season on Friday with a tight 90-87 home loss to Montreat on the Bruins home court. The Bruins enter the new season off a 21-5 record, including a fifth-place finish in the NCCAA DII National Tournament after defeating Kansas Christian 84-50 in the season finale. Bob Jones was the DII Region Champion a season ago after defeating Pensacola Christian for the top spot last season. Seventh-year head coach and Bob Jones alum Burton Uwarow leads the Bruins.
In the season-opening defeat, junior forward Shad Vander Hart led all scorers with 30 points, connecting on 8-of-14 field goals and making 14-of-18 from the charity stripe for the Bruins. Senior guard Devin Dean scored all five of his field goals with 14 points and a team-high six rebounds, while senior forward Trevor Brunson added 13 points, and sophomore guard Brandon Wilkins finished with 10 points for Bob Jones. Bob Jones attempted 48 free throws in the loss, led by the 14 foul shots made by Vander Hart. Brunson was also strong on the defensive end, as he could force five steals.
Series History:
Western Carolina and Bob Jones have never met on the men's basketball hardwood in either school's history to kick off the 2024-25 season on Monday night. The Catamounts look to continue their strong work on opening night as WCU has won three of its past four opening-night bouts, including a convincing 106-65 win against Dalton State a season ago. WCU has won its last four season-openers contested in Cullowhee, dating back to the 2009-10 curtain raiser against St. Catharine.
Following Monday's debut contest, the Catamounts open their road slate with a trip to Charlotte to battle the Queens University in game one of the ASUN-SOCON Challenge on Friday, Nov. 8. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. The matchup with the Royals will be shown on ESPN+ (
paid subscription required), with live stats available on CatamountSports.com.
Tickets for Monday's doubleheader are available through the WCU Athletics Ticket Office, located on the first floor of the Ramsey Center, by phone at (828) 2272-401, or online at CatamountSports.com/BuyTickets.
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).
