Ronrico White of UTC slams during warmups.

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga basketball coach Will Wade and incoming freshman Christian Kennedy have agreed to part ways.

Kennedy, a 6-foot-10 center from Warner Robins, Ga., will be going to Daytona State, a junior college where he is expected to redshirt for the upcoming season.

"It's a mutual agreement that he wasn't going to get the early playing time that he wanted here, so his parents and I sat down and they asked me to help him look for options," Wade said. "He needed a bridge year. He did everything we asked and he was a great student."

Kennedy's departure will leave Wade with 11 scholarship players for the 2013-14 season. A key player is currently injured.

Junior guard Ronrico White underwent hip surgery to correct a torn labrum and is rehabilitating back at home.

"He'll go in for a checkup in three to four weeks and we'll have a better idea of what his outlook is," Wade said. "He could be back in December. The worst-case scenario is that he could miss the season."

Junior Lance Stokes had a bone spur removed and should be back in two weeks, and junior Martynas Bareika suffered a concussion but should be ready for next week.

All of the players are away from campus but will return by Saturday. They begin classes next Monday and will resume workouts on Tuesday. Coaches get two hours per week with the players until late September.

The official start of practice will be 42 days before the Mocs' first game (Nov. 8 against Covenant), not the traditional weekend of Oct. 15.

"That's a new rule, even though the girls have had it forever," Wade said. "And you can practice on 30 of those days."

Contact David Uchiyama at duchiyama@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6484. Follow him at twitter.com/UchiyamaCTFP.