Mocs see promise in ’08-09

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. — The perspective makes all the difference in how the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men’s basketball season will be recalled.

From one angle, the Mocs underachieved by losing to seventh-seeded Elon in the Southern Conference tournament quarterfinals.

From another, the Mocs overachieved after being picked to finish fourth in the North Division but earning its championship.

“We’ve got that North ring, but I’d rather have this one here,” senior Kevin Bridgewaters said after Saturday night’s loss. “It was an advantage for us to be picked fourth. We came out knocking heads.

“We lost a few we should have won, like this one.”

The Mocs were picked to finish fourth in the preseason because they had only two seniors, Bridgewaters and Marcus Watts, and they were unimpressive as juniors. With seven juniors, real success appeared to be a year away.

“I want to go to the NCAA tournament every year,” coach John Shulman said. “I worked my guts out to be a head coach. I’m not working for next year. That’s not who I am.”

Shulman said he recruited junior college transfers Keyron Sheard, Kevin Goffney and Qavotstaraj Waddell to help the 2007-08 Mocs win.

“I wanted this team to win a division championship and have a chance to go to the NCAA tournament,” Shulman said. “We did that. We put ourselves in great shape with a great draw.”

The Mocs won 13 SoCon games, up from six against 12 losses a season ago. They won their first seven, then went 6-7 over the final two months of the season.

In that time, players missed 38 games due to injuries, suspension or personal matters. Sheard dislocated his collarbone, Khalil Hartwell tore his ACL and Waddell’s father died.

“We didn’t play very good basketball for the last month of the season,” Shulman said. “We won games. I pushed and squeezed everything out of the guys I could squeeze.”

They won the North Division because Bridgewaters and Watts improved more than expected, the transfers embraced their roles and the team as a whole simply persevered. They never let their problems turn one loss into a substantial losing streak like other SoCon teams did this season.

“Sometimes it’s a rocky start with juco players,” junior Nicchaeus Doaks said. “They have to get used to players, coaches and school. They came in and did a good job of adapting.”

Shulman may have also had something to do with UTC’s early-season success. But it may have cost the Mocs in the end.

“I think I went to the whip too early, like I was riding a horse,” Shulman said. “I went hard when we lost everybody, and we were tired the rest of the year.”

The Mocs went a week without a game before falling to the Phoenix 60-57, so tired legs were not an excuse. Elon scored on two offensive rebounds and the Mocs couldn’t convert key free throws in the final minute.

Now the seniors will be gone, the juniors will be seniors and the sophomores and freshmen will be more experienced as well.

“We’re ready for next season right now,” Sheard said. “Go tell the conference that if they want to start the season right now, we’re ready. We’ll play today.”

Sheard should move into the starting point guard role and Goffney should move into the lineup at small forward. With 2007-08 starters Doaks, Khalil Hartwell and Stephen McDowell also on the floor, the Mocs should start an all-senior lineup.

“What happened this year ain’t happening next year,” Doaks said. “The players coming back are focused. We’ll work hard every minute in the weight room. In pickup, guys are going to listen, they’re going to go hard.

“Me, Khalil and Zach (Ferrell) have been here forever. Now it’s our turn.”