UTC gets Clemson transfer, loses two

The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga women’s basketball roster is going through an offseason shakeup.

Reserves Andrea Neil and Anelia Murray have left the Lady Mocs, but 6-foot-2 forward Whitney Hood said she is transferring to UTC after playing the last two seasons at Clemson.

Hood is the sister of former UTC men’s player Ricky Hood, who is married to former Lady Mocs standout Nicole Mattison. Because of the family ties, Hood said she knew all about the program and was looking forward to being a part of it.

“I like the fan base, the support the team gets, the city and the kind of program they have,” said Hood, who will have two years of eligibility remaining after she sits out the 2009-10 season.

Hood said the lack of support for Clemson’s program was a factor in her decision. As a sophomore, the Meridian, Miss., resident started 16 games, averaged 21.6 minutes and was third on the team in scoring with 7.2 points per game.

She had 11 points and six rebounds in Clemson’s 79-74 win over UTC last season.

After playing sparingly for UTC the last two seasons, the 5-10 Murray has transferred to Division II member West Georgia, where the Lithonia, Ga., resident will be eligible to play right away. Even with the Lady Mocs’ roster depleted by injuries last season, Murray played in only 23 games, averaging 2.3 points and 2.2 rebounds in 8.3 minutes a game.

“With Anelia, it was all about playing time,” Lady Mocs coach Wes Moore said. “When we met in the spring I wanted Anelia to stay, but there was no way I could guarantee her more playing opportunities.”

In the post the Lady Mocs return Southern Conference player of the year Shanara Hollinquest and reserves Megan Rollins, Capriee Tucker and Bailey Dewart. Tucker and Dewart missed most of last season with knee injuries. The Lady Mocs also add 6-2 former Cleveland High standout Michelle Davis, who sat out last season after transferring from North Carolina State.

As a freshman last season, the 5-9 Neil played in 31 games, starting two, and averaged 3.8 points and 1.8 rebounds a game. She hit four 3-pointers and scored a season-high 16 points at Western Carolina on Jan. 12.

Moore said Neil, from Memphis, planned to remain at UTC but has decided to stop playing.

“She just said right now her heart is not in basketball,” Moore said. “She said she actually felt that way even last summer, before she came here, but because of the scholarship she felt like she needed to give it a chance. At this point she’s just more interested in being a student.”

The Lady Mocs still have starting point guard Tagan Hatchett returning next season, along with sophomore Tenisha Townsend.