University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville Athletics announces 2023 Hall of Fame Class
01.05.2023 | Baseball, Men's Basketball, Women's Basketball, Athletics News
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – The UNC Asheville Athletics Department announced its 2023 Hall of Fame Class on Thursday. The three newest members of the Athletics Hall of Fame, sponsored by TD Bank, include Betsy Blose (Women's Basketball), Kevin Mattison (Baseball), and John Williams (Men's Basketball). The trio will be formally inducted in a ceremony on February 17. With these three enshrinees, the Bulldog Athletics Hall of Fame now contains 66 members.
Betsy Blose – Women's Basketball – 2002-2012
Blose coached the Bulldogs for 10 seasons from 2002-2012. In her time leading the Bulldogs, Blose racked up a program record 125 wins and guided the 2006-07 team to the program's first NCAA Tournament appearance after capturing the Big South Tournament Title with a 67-57 win over Radford. She was named the Big South Coach of the Year in 2003-04 after leading the Bulldogs to 19 wins after winning just three games the season before. Overall, Blose coached three players that earned All-Big South Tournament Team and All-Big South First Team honors, five that garnered All-Big South Second Team accolades, seven that landed on All-Freshman team, and four that were named the Big South Rookie/Freshman of the Year.
After 2012, Blose remained an integral part of UNC Asheville Athletics serving as Special Assistant to the Director of Athletics, engaging and connecting student-athlete alumni back to the University, and participating in countless athletic events including providing color commentary for the broadcast of basketball games.
Kevin Mattison – Baseball – 2005-2008
Mattison was a four-year starter for the Bulldogs in the outfield. He holds the Big South record for triples (23) in a career. Mattison had a stellar senior campaign in 2008 where he earned a spot on the All-Big South team and was named to the Brooks Wallace Award Watch List. He is UNC Asheville's all-time leader in triples (23), total bases (423), and runs scored (192). Mattison also ranks second in at bats (861) and hits (250), third in stolen bases (51), while being fourth in home runs (27) and fifth in RBI (135) along with doubles (46). He holds the single-season program record for triples in a season with eight and he achieved that twice in his Bulldog career. After his time as a Bulldog, Mattison was drafted in the 28th round (838th overall) in the 2008 MLB Draft by the Florida Marlins and he made it to the Major Leagues in 2012.
John Williams – Men's Basketball – 2007-2011
Williams led the Bulldogs to a Big South Conference Regular-Season Championship as a freshman (2007-08) and a Big South Tournament Championship in 2011. He totaled 255 blocks in his career, which are the second-most in school history. He is 17th in career scoring at Asheville for Division I players and eighth in rebounding with 684. He is one of just 18 players in Big South history to record more than 1,000 points (1,169), more than 500 rebounds (684) and 200 blocked shots (255). He earned a spot on the Big South All-Tournament team in 2011 after helping win the 2011 title and was named to the All-Big South Second Team in 2009-10.
Williams completed his career by becoming the first Bulldog to compete in the Slam-Dunk contest that is held at the Final Four every year. He was picked to compete in the event in Houston and put on an impressive display of dunks, finishing second in the competition despite not missing a dunk.
Williams graduated in 2011 and then played for the world-famous Harlem Globetrotters for several years as he was known as "John the Jet." He returned to Asheville and has become a top college basketball analyst throughout the southeast and a very successful high school girls' basketball coach at Asheville Christian Academy. He has led the school to two state championships in the past three years.
Betsy Blose – Women's Basketball – 2002-2012
Blose coached the Bulldogs for 10 seasons from 2002-2012. In her time leading the Bulldogs, Blose racked up a program record 125 wins and guided the 2006-07 team to the program's first NCAA Tournament appearance after capturing the Big South Tournament Title with a 67-57 win over Radford. She was named the Big South Coach of the Year in 2003-04 after leading the Bulldogs to 19 wins after winning just three games the season before. Overall, Blose coached three players that earned All-Big South Tournament Team and All-Big South First Team honors, five that garnered All-Big South Second Team accolades, seven that landed on All-Freshman team, and four that were named the Big South Rookie/Freshman of the Year.
After 2012, Blose remained an integral part of UNC Asheville Athletics serving as Special Assistant to the Director of Athletics, engaging and connecting student-athlete alumni back to the University, and participating in countless athletic events including providing color commentary for the broadcast of basketball games.
Kevin Mattison – Baseball – 2005-2008
Mattison was a four-year starter for the Bulldogs in the outfield. He holds the Big South record for triples (23) in a career. Mattison had a stellar senior campaign in 2008 where he earned a spot on the All-Big South team and was named to the Brooks Wallace Award Watch List. He is UNC Asheville's all-time leader in triples (23), total bases (423), and runs scored (192). Mattison also ranks second in at bats (861) and hits (250), third in stolen bases (51), while being fourth in home runs (27) and fifth in RBI (135) along with doubles (46). He holds the single-season program record for triples in a season with eight and he achieved that twice in his Bulldog career. After his time as a Bulldog, Mattison was drafted in the 28th round (838th overall) in the 2008 MLB Draft by the Florida Marlins and he made it to the Major Leagues in 2012.
John Williams – Men's Basketball – 2007-2011
Williams led the Bulldogs to a Big South Conference Regular-Season Championship as a freshman (2007-08) and a Big South Tournament Championship in 2011. He totaled 255 blocks in his career, which are the second-most in school history. He is 17th in career scoring at Asheville for Division I players and eighth in rebounding with 684. He is one of just 18 players in Big South history to record more than 1,000 points (1,169), more than 500 rebounds (684) and 200 blocked shots (255). He earned a spot on the Big South All-Tournament team in 2011 after helping win the 2011 title and was named to the All-Big South Second Team in 2009-10.
Williams completed his career by becoming the first Bulldog to compete in the Slam-Dunk contest that is held at the Final Four every year. He was picked to compete in the event in Houston and put on an impressive display of dunks, finishing second in the competition despite not missing a dunk.
Williams graduated in 2011 and then played for the world-famous Harlem Globetrotters for several years as he was known as "John the Jet." He returned to Asheville and has become a top college basketball analyst throughout the southeast and a very successful high school girls' basketball coach at Asheville Christian Academy. He has led the school to two state championships in the past three years.
LJ Thorpe Chalk Talk | Men's Basketball
Wednesday, August 27
Alumni Interview || Clay Edmondson || Baseball
Monday, August 04
Why Asheville || Payton Rolfsen || Volleyball
Thursday, July 24
Why Asheville || Addie Cooper || Women's Soccer
Tuesday, June 17