Jurick decides he won’t play for Mocs

Philip Jurick drove a few blocks to play basketball in his neighborhood gym on Wednesday afternoon.

The drive may have helped clear his mind and determine his future after ruling out the Universisty of Tennesee at Chattanooga as a possibility.

The 6-foot-11 center from East Ridge informed Mocs basketball coach John Shulman Wednesday morning that he will not be part of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

“There is some stuff going on right now that affected the situation and I wasn’t really committed I guess, so I didn’t want to get myself involved in UTC,” Jurick said before entering the gym. “It wasn’t a quick decision. I didn’t think it would be my best route to go at this time.”

Then late Wednesday, he contacted Chattanooga State coach Jay Price and said that he’d like to play a second season with the Tigers.

“He’s coming back to Chatt State,” Price said, after sundown Wednesday. “That’s what he told me less than 20 minutes ago. He’ll play here and open up opportunities from there.

“After last week, every indication that I had was that he was ready to move into UTC. I was assuming that it was a done deal and he would sit out a year.”

Jurick was admitted to UTC and could have joined the Mocs program on full scholarship, and practiced with the team while sitting out — similar to a typical transfer. That would have left him with two years to play two seasons beginning next fall.

“There were a few things that I didn’t think I was really ready to be committed to for three years,” Jurick said Wednesday afternoon. “I didn’t want to let anybody down when I got in the program.

“I thought about a few things and realized it wasn’t the best situation for me to be in right now.”

Jurick became a star at East Ridge High School and had college scholarship offers to Indiana and other high-profile basketball schools before deciding on Tennessee. He redshirted a year in Knoxville, then transferred to Chattanooga State where he played last season.

In order to transfer back to a four-year school, such as UTC, with full eligibility for this season, he needed to graduate. Jurick came up two classes short of graduation which left him in the situation of being on the team but needing to sit for a season.

The decision that Jurick delivered to Shulman stunned the coach. Jurick had been on campus and was prepared to register for classes on Tuesday, but a computer glitch delayed the process a few hours.

When Jurick returned in the afternoon, he didn’t want to do it. So Shulman let Jurick sleep on his thoughts.

“I gave him some time to think about it, but he should have had the decision ready to roll,” Shulman said. “He told me his heart wasn’t in it. In order to be successful, you have to be two feet in. I don’t want anybody here that doesn’t have two feet in.”

The night didn’t change his mind.

“I’m disappointed Philip is not going to be with us,” Shulman said. “I thought we could make an impact on him. We’ve got great depth at the 5, and he would have added to that. I’m not worried about our team, so much as I’m worried about Philip because I want the best for him.”

Price apparently will have Jurick for the next year. He believes could teach the prospect the necessary skills to acquire a lucrative professional contract.

“He can be an impact player at the highest level,” Price said. “He’s got so much upside it’s unbelievable.

“But as for playing overseas or in the NBA I think he needs to finish what he started at Chattanooga State.”

Advancing his basketball career is paramount to Jurick.

“Basketball is important to me,” Jurick said. “I’ve been doing in for a while. I’m not going to give up. I have to find the right situation where I will enjoy playing ball and having a good time again.

“I’d like to see how far I can get with it.”