CULLOWHEE, N.C. – The Western Carolina men's basketball team took to Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center on Tuesday afternoon as the squad held its first official team practice of the 2024-25 preseason. Tuesday's session signifies the start of 20-hour weeks for WCU as the Catamounts prep for the upcoming season. 

Veteran head coach Tim Craft enters his first season in Cullowhee after spending the past 11 years leading Gardner-Webb where he amassed 188 wins in his time in Boiling Springs. He twice guided the Runnin', Bulldogs to the NCAA postseason
 

Entering the 2024-25 season, the Catamounts are led by returning senior Bernard Pelote, who is one of four returners and the lone player who saw the court 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 along with redshirt freshman Kamari Jones who were each on the roster a season ago but did not see game action. Kell played in 20 games as a true freshman back in 2022-23, twice scoring in double figures with a pair of double-doubles.

WCU welcomes eight new faces to Catamount Country – 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).

Hyland captured All-County honors and was a second-team All-Region 4-7A selection, the second regional honor of his career during his time at Grayson. Brown comes to Cullowhee with the reputation as one of the best shooters in high school as he posted over 40% 3-point shooting percentage during his prep career. Williams was a part of a Hanover HS that set a single-season record for wins.

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.

The Southern Conference Men's and Women's Basketball Media Day is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 1, at the Greenville Mariott in Greenville, S.C. The preseason polls and all-conference teams will be released at that time. WCU also has its annual "A Night in The Whee" fan event on Oct. 22 and the inaugural Catamount Basketball on the Boundary on Oct. 29. Season tickets for the upcoming Catamount men's and women's basketball season will go on sale in the coming days through the first-floor ticket office in the Ramsey Center, by phone at (828) 227-2401, and online at CatamountSports.com/BuyTickets. Details regarding the preseason events will also be shared in the coming days as well. 
 
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