UTC guard Ronrico White shoots during a Mocs' basketball practice at McKenzie Arena in Chattanooga, Tenn.For the second consecutive year, Ronrico White's first game of the basketball season will come against Hiwassee College. Only this time, he's getting a chance to start the season with his University of Tennessee at Chattanooga teammates.
The Mocs host the Tigers from Madisonville, Tenn., at 5:30 p.m. today at McKenzie Arena. The game will be followed by the UTC women facing Villanova as part of the Tip-Off Challenge.
White missed the first nine games of the 2013-14 season following hip surgery.
He and fellow senior Lance Stokes will be playing their last "first game" of a season tonight. White still remembers his first game in a Mocs uniform, when he had 15 points and five assists in an 82-64 win over Tennessee Wesleyan on Nov. 1, 2011.
He also remembers how tonight's opponent hung around with the Mocs last season, before the home team pulled away late in an 86-68 win on Dec. 10.
"They were able to match our level of play," White said. "They had a solid game plan against us, and they did a good job of executing it."
But last season's Hiwassee team won't look like this year's version. Tigers who scored 53 of those 68 points are gone, leaving only three returning players from that game. And Will Raby succeeded Hugh Watson as coach.
Of course, the Mocs return only half of their players who participated last December, so a lot of newcomers will be getting experience tonight.
The Tigers are 0-5 and have averaged about 25 turnovers a game, but they present some challenges with their athletic ability. UTC coach Will Wade and his staff didn't finish their preparation for tonight's game until 11 a.m. Tuesday.
"They do a lot of the same stuff as last season," Wade said. "They've had a lot of personnel change, but there are some similarities in what they do."
After the months of practice, individual workouts and chatter about the upcoming season, it begins today.
"I'm really excited about it," White said. "We started working on this season the week after the Southern Conference tournament. We're all excited about this season ahead and ready to get it started."
Bareika to miss first semester
The Times Free Press learned Thursday evening that University of Tennessee at Chattanooga senior forward Martynas Bareika will miss the fall semester of the 2014-2015 season due to eligibility issues.
The fifth-year senior from Lithuania is on pace to graduate, and will be able to return when the Mocs travel to The Citadel on Dec. 11. There were multiple appeals by the UTC athletic department, but were denied by the NCAA.
Bareika's absence will pave the way for more playing time for Chuck Ester and Duke Ethridge to gain more time as they both make the transition from the junior-college game to the NCAA Division I level.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him at twitter.com/genehenleytfp.