2017–18 Western Carolina Catamounts men's basketball team

American college basketball season

2017–18 Western Carolina Catamounts men's basketball
ConferenceSouthern Conference
Record13–19 (8–10 SoCon)
Head coach
  • Larry Hunter (13th season)
Assistant coaches
  • Anquell McCollum
  • Brigham Waginger
  • Wilie Freeman
Home arenaRamsey Center
Seasons
2017–18 Southern Conference men's basketball standings
  • v
  • t
  • e
 Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
UNC Greensboro † 15 – 3   .833 27 – 8   .771
East Tennessee State 14 – 4   .778 25 – 9   .735
Furman 13 – 5   .722 23 – 10   .697
Mercer 11 – 7   .611 19 – 15   .559
Wofford 11 – 7   .611 21 – 13   .618
Western Carolina 8 – 10   .444 13 – 19   .406
Samford 6 – 12   .333 10 – 22   .313
The Citadel 5 – 13   .278 11 – 21   .344
VMI 4 – 14   .222 9 – 21   .300
Chattanooga 3 – 15   .167 10 – 23   .303
† 2018 SoCon Tournament winner

The 2017–18 Western Carolina Catamounts men's basketball team represented Western Carolina University during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Catamounts, led by 13th-year head coach Larry Hunter, played their home games at the Ramsey Center in Cullowhee, North Carolina as members of the Southern Conference. They finished the season 13–19, 8–10 in Southern Conference play to finish in sixth place. They lost in the quarterfinals of the Southern Conference tournament to Furman.[1]

Following the loss to Furman, Larry Hunter resigned as head coach.[2] He finished his coaching career at Western Carolina with a record of 193–229 over 13 seasons. Winthrop associate head coach Mark Prosser, son of the late Skip Prosser, was named Hunter's successor.[3]

Previous season

The Catamounts finished the 2016–17 season 9–23, 4–14 in Southern Conference play to finish in a tie for eighth place. They lost in the first round of the Southern Conference tournament to The Citadel.

Offseason

Player departures

Name Pos. Height Year Hometown Reason for Departure
Kyle Rhoades F 6'6" Senior Lumberton, NC Graduated
Elijah Pughsley G 6'1" Sophomore Lima, OH Transferred to Saginaw Valley State
Jesse Deloach G 6'7" Sophomore Grayson, GA Transferred to Columbus State

Recruiting Class of 2017

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Desmond Johnson
G 		Memphis, TN Kirby High School 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) 170 lb (77 kg)  
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A
Matt Halvorsen
G 		Kingsport, TN Christ School (N.C.) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 183 lb (83 kg)  
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A
Marcus Thomas
G 		Mint Hill, NC Moravian Prep 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg)  
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

Incoming transfers

Name Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous
School 		Years
Remaining 		Notes
Mike Amius F 6'7" 210 Junior Lake Worth, FL North Platte College 2 Eligible immediately

Roster

2017–18 Western Carolina Catamounts men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Hometown
G 0 Maurice Smith 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 215 lb (98 kg) So Lauderdale Lakes, Florida
G 1 Desmond Johnson 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Fr Memphis, Tennessee
G 2 Matt Halvorsen 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Fr Kingsport, Tennessee
G 3 Jason McMillan 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 165 lb (75 kg) So Cherokee, North Carolina
G 5 Devin Peterson 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Sr Milton, Georgia
G 11 Haboubacar Mutombo 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 190 lb (86 kg) RS Sr Pickering, Ontario, Canada
F 12 Marc Gosselin 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Jr Lyon, France
G 13 Deriece Parks 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 155 lb (70 kg) RS Sr Charlotte, North Carolina
G 21 Marcus Thomas 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Fr Mint Hill, North Carolina
F 23 Mike Amius 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Jr Lake Worth, Florida
F 24 Ashley Williams 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Sr Morehead City, North Carolina
G 32 Devonte Fuller 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) RS Sr Hickory, North Carolina
F 33 Onno Steger 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) So Upper Arlington, Ohio
F 35 Yalim Olcay 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg) So İzmir, Turkey
F 41 Charlendez Brooks 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 240 lb (109 kg) RS Sr Duncan, South Carolina
F 44 Adam Sledd 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 220 lb (100 kg) So Roanoke, Virginia
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on
  • Injured Injured
  • Redshirt Current redshirt

Roster
Last update: December 28, 2017

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (attendance)
city, state
Regular season
Nov 10, 2017*
7:00 pm, ACCN Extra 		at Clemson L 57–85  0–1
 Littlejohn Coliseum (8,188)
Clemson, SC
Nov 13, 2017*
7:00 pm, ESPN3 		at No. 12 Cincinnati L 51–102  0–2
 BB&T Arena (7,051)
Highland Heights, KY
Nov 15, 2017*
7:00 pm 		Hiwassee W 76–57  1–2
 Ramsey Center (982)
Cullowhee, NC
Nov 19, 2017*
4:30 pm, FS1 		at No. 14 Minnesota
Barclays Center Classic 		L 64–92  1–3
 Williams Arena (11,107)
Minneapolis, MN
Nov 21, 2017*
7:00 pm 		at Massachusetts
Barclays Center Classic 		L 76–85  1–4
 William D. Mullins Memorial Center (2,042)
Amherst, MA
Nov 24, 2017*
7:00 pm 		vs. UT Arlington
Barclays Center Classic 		L 65–98  1–5
 Gallagher Center (842)
Lewiston, NY
Nov 25, 2017*
4:00 pm 		vs. Alabama A&M
Barclays Center Classic 		W 82–72  2–5
 Gallagher Center (809)
Lewiston, NY
Nov 30, 2017*
7:00 pm 		at College of Charleston L 60–69  2–6
 TD Arena (3,889)
Charleston, SC
Dec 4, 2017*
7:00 pm, ESPN3 		Appalachian State W 72–71  3–6
 Ramsey Center (3,303)
Cullowhee, NC
Dec 6, 2017*
7:00 pm, ESPN2 		at No. 11 North Carolina L 61–104  3–7
 Dean Smith Center (12,720)
Chapel Hill, NC
Dec 17, 2017*
7:00 pm 		vs. UNC Asheville
Mountain Invitational 		W 76–72  4–7
 U.S. Cellular Center (1,423)
Asheville, NC
Dec 19, 2017*
7:00 pm, ESPN3 		High Point L 61–72  4–8
 Ramsey Center (1,011)
Cullowhee, NC
Dec 30, 2017
1:00 pm, ESPN3 		at The Citadel W 81–79  5–8
(1–0) 		McAlister Field House (546)
Charleston, SC
Jan 4, 2018
7:30 pm, ESPN3 		at Chattanooga W 75–63  6–8
(2–0) 		McKenzie Arena (3,844)
Chattanooga, TN
Jan 6, 2018
8:00 pm, ESPN3 		at Samford L 71–85  6–9
(1–1) 		Pete Hanna Center 
Homewood, AL
Jan 10, 2018
7:00 pm, ESPN3 		Mercer W 58–56  7–9
(3–1) 		Ramsey Center (834)
Cullowhee, NC
Jan 13, 2018
7:30 pm, ESPN3 		UNC Greensboro L 55–66  7–10
(3–2) 		Ramsey Center (1,237)
Cullowhee, NC
Jan 15, 2018
7:00 pm, ESPN3 		VMI W 65–58  8–10
(4–2) 		Ramsey Center (1,420)
Cullowhee, NC
Jan 20, 2018
4:00 pm, ESPN3 		at East Tennessee State L 50–66  8–11
(4–3) 		Freedom Hall Civic Center (5,412)
Johnson City, TN
Jan 25, 2018*
7:00 pm 		Southern Wesleyan W 108–48  9–11
 Ramsey Center (956)
Cullowhee, NC
Jan 27, 2018
4:00 pm, ESPN3 		at Furman L 66–100  9–12
(4–4) 		Timmons Arena (1,812)
Greenville, SC
Jan 29, 2018
7:00 pm, Stadium 		at Wofford L 68–77  9–13
(4–5) 		Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium (1,785)
Spartanburg, SC
Feb 1, 2018
7:30 pm, ESPN3 		Chattanooga W 70–68  10–13
(5–5) 		Ramsey Center (1,109)
Cullowhee, NC
Feb 3, 2018
7:30 pm, ESPN3 		Samford W 88–71  11–13
(6–5) 		Ramsey Center (2,017)
Cullowhee, NC
Feb 8, 2018
7:00 pm, ESPN3 		at VMI W 72–60  12–13
(7–5) 		Cameron Hall (1,043)
Lexington, VA
Feb 10, 2018
5:00 pm, ESPN3 		at UNC Greensboro L 48–65  12–14
(7–6) 		Fleming Gymnasium (1,983)
Greensboro, NC
Feb 15, 2018
7:30 pm, ESPN3 		Wofford L 69–84  12–15
(7–7) 		Ramsey Center (1,121)
Cullowhee, NC
Feb 17, 2018
7:30 pm, ESPN3 		East Tennessee State L 61–72  12–16
(7–8) 		Ramsey Center (1,836)
Cullowhee, NC
Feb 20, 2018
7:00 pm, ESPN3 		at Mercer L 64–81  12–17
(7–9) 		Hawkins Arena (3,572)
Macon, GA
Feb 23, 2018
7:00 pm, ESPN3 		Furman L 55–78  12–18
(7–10) 		Ramsey Center (1,386)
Cullowhee, NC
Feb 25, 2018
2:00 pm, ESPN3 		The Citadel W 92–75  13–18
(8–10) 		Ramsey Center (1,236)
Cullowhee, NC
SoCon tournament
Mar 3, 2017
6:00 pm, ESPN3 		(6) vs. (3) Furman
Quarterfinals 		L 73–97  13–19
 U.S. Cellular Center (5,431)
Asheville, NC
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern Time.

References

  1. ^ "Western Carolina bounced out of Southern Conference tournament by Furman". Citizen Times. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
  2. ^ "Western Carolina basketball coach Larry Hunter steps down". Washington Post. Associated Press. March 4, 2018. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on March 6, 2018. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
  3. ^ McCormick, Bret (March 27, 2018). "Winthrop basketball assistant coach lands head job". Rock Hill Herald. Rock Hill, SC. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
  • v
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Western Carolina Catamounts men's basketball
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  • Breese Gymnasium (1929–1956)
  • Reid Gymnasium (1956–1986)
  • Ramsey Center (1986–present)
People
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