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Marcus Kell B2B Player of the Week - INSIDE

Men's Basketball Greg Hartlage, Director of Media Relations

Kell Claims Back-to-Back SoCon Player of the Week Honors

Cullowhee, N.C. – For the second time in as many weeks, Western Carolina redshirt sophomore forward Marcus Kell today collected Southern Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week honors. Kell guided the Catamounts to a perfect 2-0 week, averaging 18 points and a league-best 12.5 rebounds per game to claim back-to-back weekly plaudits.

Kell is the second player in the league to go back-to-back with the weekly awards, joining Furman's PJay Smith, who grabbed the first two awards of the season. Kell and Smith are joined by Jaden Seymour (ETSU) and Ahmad Robinson (Mercer), who are the only four players to win multiple SoCon Player of the Week awards this season. Kell earned his first honor following a career week and is also the first Catamount to go back-to-back since Vonterius Woolbright did it twice last season (Dec.18 & 25) and (Jan. 8 & 15).

The conference office selects and announces its weekly award winners from nominations submitted by each institution's communications or media relations personnel.

A product of Rock Hill, S.C., Kell started the week with his second straight double-double as he led the Catamounts with 18 points and a career-high 17 rebounds in a 76-67 comeback win over mountain rival ETSU. Trailing by seven at the half, WCU put together a 45-29 rally in the second half. Kell was a key contributor, boarding 13 shots including four offensive rebounds, as Western Carolina scored on two of those four offensive boards. Kell added a pair of blocked shots and seven points in the second-half rally.

Kell's 17 rebounds against ETSU marked the most by a Catamount since Woolbright pulled down 17 against Brescia on Dec. 21, 2023. He also matched a career-high with three blocks.

Riding a hot streak of six straight games in double figures, Kell pushed it to seven on Saturday with a team-high 18 points to accompany eight rebounds as the Catamounts used a second straight second-half rally to down The Citadel on Senior Day. He started the scoring early with a team-best 11 points on an efficient 4-of-7 shooting, which included a three and a pair of free throws.

In addition to leading the SoCon in rebounding last week with an average of 12.5 per game, Kell also paced all players on the defensive glass with 8.5 per game and was tied for first with four offensive boards per outing. He also finished tied for fifth in scoring (18.0), tied for fifth in blocks per game (1.5), and was seventh in free-throw percentage (88.9%).

In conference play, Kell is second on the WCU squad with a 12.9 point per game average, reaching double figures nine times with seven straight performances. Kell is shooting 43.4% (53-of-122) from the field and 35.5% (22-of-62) from beyond the arc. He's also second on the team in blocks with 14, shooting 77.6% (52-of-67) at the charity stripe.

The Catamounts hit the road on Wednesday, Feb. 19, for a trip to Chattanooga for a SoCon showdown against the Mocs, who are currently tied for the top spot in the league standings. Tip-off from The McKenzie Arena in the Scenic City is slated for 7 p.m.  
 
Wednesday's game will be broadcast on ESPN+ (paid subscription required). Live audio coverage through the Catamount Sports Network is available online at CatamountSports.com and on 105.7 FM / 540 AM WRGC "The River" in Sylva. Live stats are also available via a link on CatamountSports.com.

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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Players Mentioned

Vonterius Woolbright

#2 Vonterius Woolbright

G
6' 6"
Senior
Marcus Kell

#23 Marcus Kell

F
6' 8"
Redshirt Sophomore

Players Mentioned

Vonterius Woolbright

#2 Vonterius Woolbright

6' 6"
Senior
G
Marcus Kell

#23 Marcus Kell

6' 8"
Redshirt Sophomore
F