Photos by David Welch, Stadium Journey
Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 3.29
Ramsey Center 92 Catamount Road Cullowhee, NC 28723
Year Opened: 1986 Capacity: 7,826
Catamount Country
Basketball has been played at Western Carolina University since 1928 when it was a junior college. Just a year later, the school would be chartered as a four-year teacher’s college named Western Carolina Teacher’s College. Originally playing as members of what is now the Conference Carolinas starting in 1930, Western Carolina would continue this partnership until 1969 when they left the NAIA ranks to join NCAA’s Division I. After starting their transition as an independent program for the 1969-70 season, the Catamounts have played as members of the Southern Conference since 1977.
The highlight of Western Carolina basketball likely came in 1963 when the Catamounts advanced to the NAIA national championship game before losing to Texas Pan-American. 1996 would see another major high-water mark in Catamount basketball history, as the team won the Southern Conference tournament and advanced to their only NCAA Tournament appearance in school history. The 16 seeded Catamounts would give the number 1 seeded Purdue Boilermakers all they could handle, before falling in the final minutes by a score of 73-71.
Western Carolina basketball has had three on-campus homes, first playing at Breese Gym which was a product of the Works Progress Act of the New Deal in 1939, until that venue was replaced by Reid Gym in 1956. Reid Gym would be home to Western Carolina basketball for 30 years until it was replaced with today’s home, Liston B. Ramsey Regional Activity Center. All three of these facilities are still in use on campus.
Food & Beverage 3
Concessions are available both on the concourse and on the court level. Options are a bit on the limited side, but the staples are taken care of – hot dogs, personal sized pizzas, jumbo pretzels, and nachos with cheese sauce are available, along with the familiar candy, popcorn, and chips.
Both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages are offered. Soft drinks are from the Pepsi family, as is bottled water and Gatorade. A handful of hard seltzers and teas, as well as wine, are also available. Typical nationally recognized beers are offered, as are Sierra Nevada's’ Hazy Little Thing and the Western Carolina Catamount-branded Paws Pilsner.
Atmosphere 3
Ramsey Center is a multi-use facility that hosts concerts, graduations, and other large events, so it is considerably larger than the typical crowd basketball might draw. The upper levels of seating are tarped off, which helps to concentrate more fans around the court itself, while student seating runs the entirety of the seating bowl behind the team benches; both of these go a long way in creating as much of a home court advantage as possible.
The seats here are colored with a gradient pattern that emulates the setting mountain sun, which does a good job bringing the personality of the western Carolina mountains into the Ramsey Center. In a bit of subtlety, the interior lighting also creates a purple hue as the backdrop for the arena.
A four-sided overhead scoreboard shows a video feed of the game; despite the screens being a bit on the smaller size, they fit the size of the Ramsey Center perfectly. A secondary screen at one end of the court provides individual player statistics, but it uses a screencast computer display which can be a bit busy to sort through. Alternatively, the opposite walls of the seating area have more traditional, time-score-foul scoreboards.
In a bit of a throwback to a past era of college basketball, the Cathouse pep band is a featured part of breaks in the action at Ramsey Center, and while popular music still has its place as part of the game experience, the Cathouse band really dominates the time during stoppages in play. Many breaks in the action are filled with on-court games involving both students and members of the general fan base. Though some of the games are what might be found at many other sporting events, a handful are unique twists on old favorites.
In all, the game is a fun experience that just seems to be missing the air of excitement that consistency in the win column would bring. Over the past two decades, the Catamounts have struggled to string together consecutive winning seasons, with just two during that period – the atmosphere is right for a truly electric experience that comes with consistent winning. With four coaches since 2017, though, being able to build a stable program appears to have been a challenge; such is life for small school programs, whose coaches who are often poached by schools in larger conferences following a successful run.
Neighborhood 3
On campus, Ramsey Center is in the Western Carolina University concentration of athletic facilities. The eastern concourse of the arena overlooks the adjacent Bob Waters Field at E.J. Whitmore Stadium, home of Catamounts’ football.
The town of Cullowhee is nearly exclusively made up of Western Carolina University, so there are a limited number of places to grab a bite to eat near campus. One stop might be Rogers Bros., whose menu is typical pub grub, while Nobel Residence Hall on Centennial Drive houses a selection of options, such as Chili’s and Subway, along with a taproom for local Innovation Brewing. The neighboring town of Sylva has a larger selection of restaurants, both chain and locally owned, as well as the main brewing operations for Innovation Brewing.
Throughout the winter months, the Tuckaseegee River is a popular spot for fly fishing. The area is also known for its numerous waterfalls through nearby Cashiers, Franklin, and Highlands. In addition, the Blue Ridge Parkway that runs just west of Cullowhee is known for its picturesque drives.
Though Cullowhee itself might not have an abundance of stops to fill the time before or after a game, the area has plenty of options to make a full day of a trip to Catamounts basketball.
Fans 3
Crowds at Ramsey Center do tend to be a bit on the smaller size, averaging roughly 1,800 fans per game; this puts the Catamounts in the lower half of the Southern Conference in terms of attendance overall.
Students do their part showing up to support Catamounts basketball – a line for students starts forming more than an hour before the doors open. While students fill much of the seating behind the benches, however, they tend to be a bit more reserved in their enthusiasm, other than a cluster of them at center court. Credit should be given, though, to the Catamounts pep band and their efforts to create a home court atmosphere.
Support for the basketball program seems to be split evenly between students and alumni/community members.
Access 3
With no direct interstate access in the immediate vicinity, Cullowhee, North Carolina is not a town that one would just happen upon while passing through the area. The town is most readily accessible from the south via US Highway 23, or from northern points by way of US-74. The mountainous nature of its surroundings also limits the number of roads leading to Cullowhee.
Parking is available in close proximity to Ramsey Center, with surface lots concentrated on the west and northwestern sides of the arena – both of these lots are just a short walk across the street. A large parking garage is also found to the south.
Inside the facility, an exterior concourse runs around the entirety of the arena and is wide enough to make navigation pretty easy. The top of the seating area is also wide enough to allow fans to move to almost any other part of the arena without losing their view of the court – this set up is a small, but nice feature that helps simplify getting around the arena.
Return on Investment 4
Online tickets for Catamounts basketball games start at $11 for adults and $6 for children. A $3 fee is added to online ticket purchases, so you should factor in roughly $15 per ticket when you attend.
Concessions prices at Ramsey Center are as forgiving as you will probably find at any other college basketball arena; given these low costs, the primary factor in terms of return on investment may simply be the time associated with traveling to Cullowhee.
Extras 4
Catamount mascot Paws is an active part of the game experience – the purple accented mountainous feline makes its way around the stands, helping lead the rounds of the Western Carolina fight song, stopping for photos, and assisting with on-court contests.
The wall of the southwest entry point displays the story of Henry Logan, who became the first Black intercollegiate athlete in the state of North Carolina in 1968. Logan was a four-time NAIA All-American and still holds the school record for points in a game (60), points in a season (1,049), and career scoring average (30.7). Logan also led the nation in scoring as a senior, averaging 36.2 ppg.
The rafters of Ramsey Center recognize the retired numbers of Catamount legends, as well as the accomplishments of the teams that call the venue home, namely men’s and women’s basketball, and volleyball. One banner of note that hangs amongst the Catamounts retired numbers is one recognizing Ronnie Carr, who made the first three-point basket in college basketball history.
Western Carolina also might display the largest American flag in all of college basketball during the singing of the National Anthem; just prior to the start of the song, a massive flag unfurls at the visiting end of the floor, an impressive display of patriotism.
Final Thoughts
Western Carolina does a good job at taking what could easily feel like a dated facility and bringing a modern feel to it, helping to create a comfortable college basketball atmosphere that nicely complements the game on the court. But the experience goes beyond just the comfort of the arena – there also seems to be a special connection between the athletic program here and the surrounding community. Unlike larger schools with massive followings, Western Carolina appears to have a deep emotional bond with its students, alumni, and community members; this close-knit relationship helps makes the game experience truly special, going beyond just the action on the court.
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