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Western Carolina redshirt freshman Drew Hollifield drives toward the basket.

There aren鈥檛 a lot of Division I arenas in America where the gym is still rattling with the home team up by 51 on a D-III school. Inside the Liston B. Ramsey Regional Activity Center, Drew Hollifield commanded a presence that did just that in October.

The 甜瓜视频app student section was rambunctious, chanting 鈥淲e want Drew鈥� as the game鈥檚 waning minutes ticked off the clock. With three minutes left in the game, WCU coach Tim Craft sent his five-foot-11 guard from Shelby in. 

The students went nuts, and the Catamount bench roared alongside them as Hollifield tallied his first minutes in a college game.

Hollifield鈥檚 road to this moment was unlikely. He came to WCU to play football, but one text from one of Craft鈥檚 assistant coaches sent Hollifield鈥檚 collegiate athletic career on a whole different trajectory. Now, he鈥檚 playing the game he鈥檚 loved his whole life: basketball.

鈥淚t was pretty awesome鈥� I don't know, it was just an unreal feeling,鈥� Hollifield said. 鈥淚 was on the football team, now I'm just on the basketball team randomly, like people don't do that, so I feel like it was very, very special to me.鈥�

Hollifield was a playmaker on the hardwood at Shelby High School. He was a four-year starter, a four-time all-conference honoree and he eclipsed 1,000 points scored during his time as a Shelby Golden Lion.

Despite it all, Hollifield didn鈥檛 garner any basketball offers. He instead received interest to play football at the collegiate level, a sport he was good at, but not one he had played very long.

He only started getting reps on the gridiron in middle school, but still put together a nice highlight tape in high school. WCU was one of those schools that came calling, and not too long after, Hollifield committed to play safety for the Catamounts.

Hollifield redshirted his freshman year with the football team, still doing drills and showing up to the weight room every day, but early in the fall, Craft had a player go down with a long-term injury.

He needed a replacement, and Craft remembered Hollifield鈥檚 uncle, Aubrey Hollifield, had let him know his nephew was coming to WCU. Craft knew Aubrey from his time at Gardner-Webb University, which is just down the road from where Aubrey formerly coached basketball at Shelby High.

鈥�I reached back out to his uncle, and I was like, 'Hey, do you think Drew would still be interested?' and he was like, 'Oh yeah, for sure,鈥欌�� Craft said.

WCU assistant coach Andrew Brown had also known from his time at GWU, and he texted him to inquire about his interest in joining the men鈥檚 basketball team. Hollifield鈥檚 response?

鈥溾�楾wo sports? Sign me up. I鈥檒l do it,鈥欌�� he said.

Hollifield joined the men鈥檚 hoops team once football season ended in 2024, but he sat out his freshman year and instead helped the team in other capacities.

鈥淚 didn't know the plays or anything. I was just there to practice,鈥� Hollifield said. 鈥淚 still got to get all the gear, travel, and I met some really close friends that I'll have for the rest of my life. I was just coasting. It was just awesome just having that feeling.鈥�

Hollifield eventually withdrew from the football team the following spring to focus on basketball. This winter, he鈥檚 still a key piece for the Catamounts on the court, even if he doesn鈥檛 see it as much as the starters.

Drew Hollifield attempts a 3-pointer with the WCU bench and student section looking on.

So far this season, Hollifield has seen action in four games, including one against Duke University, his favorite childhood team, at its famed Cameron Indoor Stadium and a seven-point performance versus Virginia University of Lynchburg.

鈥淗e just jumped right in and fit right in with us,鈥� Craft said. 鈥淗e's got a great everyday work ethic. He's got a lot of humility, which is a big part of who we want to be as a program in terms of he's willing to do anything for the team and take on any role that's being asked of him.鈥�

Although he will admit he misses football from time to time, Hollifield is glad things worked out the way they did. He鈥檚 playing the sport he wanted to play collegiately in the first place; it just took him a different route than most.

He鈥檚 also studying health sciences with aspirations to become a dentist.

Though what鈥檚 next in his journey isn鈥檛 set in stone, Hollifield is hoping to continue what he鈥檚 been doing for the rest of this season and beyond: helping his team win games in whatever way he can.

鈥淔or this season, we鈥檝e got to keep getting better. I鈥檝e got to help them get better and practice every day,鈥� Hollifield said. 鈥淚'm going to try everything in my power to help them get ready for the games.鈥�