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 Catamounts touring the studios at ESPN in Bristol, Conn. |
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Nov. 14, 2008
Storrs, Conn. - Western Carolina opens its 2008-09 men's basketball season Friday night as it faces preseason No. 2 Connecticut at the on-campus Gampel Pavilion.
Friday's game will be available online at www.ESPN360.com, with the Catamount Sports Network coverage to be carried by 680 AM WRGC or online at www.WRGC.com. Air-time is set for 7:15 pm with tip-off at 7:30 pm.
Tonight marks the first-ever meeting between Western Carolina and UConn on the men's basketball hardwood. Two of the NCAA's winningest head coaches will match wits as Connecticut's Jim Calhoun - second all-time with 774 wins - squares off against WCU's fourth-year head coach, Larry Hunter, who is 14th with 543 wins.
Hunter holds a 2-1 all-time record against Calhoun and the Huskies. While coaching his alma mater, Ohio University, Hunter guided the Bobcats to an 85-76 victory over 14th-ranked UConn at the Big Island Invitational in Hilo, HI. He also was a part of a 1-1 record, including a win in 2004-05, while an associate head coach at North Carolina State.
Western is 3-0 under Hunter in season openers including two wins over Bowling Green and mountain-rival, UNC Asheville. Since 1945-46, the Catamounts are 36-26 in season openers including a 17-14 mark since joining the Southern Conference.
The Catamounts are led by junior G Brandon Giles, who led the team with a 15.3 points per game average, fourth in the SoCon a season ago. He is complimented by a pair of classmates, forward Jake Robinson, who averaged 10.6 points per game and Brigham Waginger, who led the SoCon in steals a season ago.
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Guarding the trio of Huskies' seven-foot centers - including reigning national Defensive Player of the Year, Hasheem Thabeet - will come down to Catamount sophomores Richie Gordon and Blake Gallagher. The duo faced another seven-footer last season in UNCA's Kenny George.
The Huskies also counter with All-America guard, A.J. Price, who is coming off an ACL injury at the last game last season.
WCU left Cullowhee on Wednesday night before catching flights to Hartford by way of Detroit, Mich. Once the team arrived in Connecticut, the Catamounts proceeded to a tour of the ESPN Studios in Bristol, Conn., approximately 25 minutes outside of Hartford.
Following the hour-long tour, the team headed to Storrs and Gampel for an evening practice session in preparation for the season opener.
The Catamounts will return home next Thursday, Nov. 20, for its home opener against Toccoa Falls as a part of "Beat App" week.
