SoCon Basketball: Ranking of 25 best players from last decade (2013-23)

By Joey Loose | Aug 25, 2023

Mar 23, 2019; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Wofford Terriers guard Fletcher Magee (3) leads his team in a huddle before their game against the Kentucky Wildcatsin the second round of the 2019 NCAA Tournament at Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports /

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SoCon Basketball Forward Luka Garza #55 of the Iowa Hawkeyes goes to the basket in the first half against forward Carlos Dotson #4 of the Western Carolina Catamounts (Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images) /

21. Carlos Dotson

A 6’7 power forward from Riverdale, Maryland, it wasn’t an easy route to success for Dotson. He was a medical redshirt at Anderson, a D2 school, spending two seasons there before transferring to the College of Central Florida. With two years of eligibility remaining, he got his chance at Western Carolina, joining the Catamounts back in 2018 and helping lead the program into a turnaround.

As a redshirt junior, Dotson averaged 13.9 points and 9.5 rebounds, playing a major role right off the bat with the Catamounts, albeit in a 7-win season. He had three different 27-point performances, including in their SoCon Tournament loss to VMI in early March. The turnaround happened in his senior season, as Dotson would lead Western Carolina to a 19-12 mark while averaging 15.5 points and 9.7 rebounds a game. Not only did he maintain his role as a rebounding fiend, but he helped manufacture a 12-win improvement.

After being named Third Team All-SoCon as a junior, Dotson earned the nod at First Team in his final collegiate season. He had become the league’s top rebounder and was one of the best interior scorers as well. His effective field goal percentage was nationally ranked and he did help lead the Catamounts to that turnaround in Mark Prosser’s second year coaching the program.