The first UTC mens basketball practice of the season was Friday at the Chattem Practice Facility.The buzz surrounding the start of basketball practice is finally over for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men's basketball team, which had a two-hour session Friday.
Coach Will Wade said afterward that the Mocs spent periods of time working on execution against both man-to-man and zone defenses; another period working on their half-court defense, focusing on closing out against shooters and defending the 3-pointer; and the final part of practice working on their press.
"We had a good day," Wade said. "We were trying to keep it even-keel with it being the first day, because we don't want there to be a nosedive in intensity after today. The guys were excited. They want to compete, and we had to battle fatigue and see how we responded."
Casey Jones, Lance Stokes and Ronrico White were limited in action in Friday's practice, so other players got extended time on the floor. Wade wanted to see how the team fought through those circumstances and was pleased with what he saw.
"We were tired at the end, but I really wanted to see how things we worked on in the summer carried over," Wade said. "We're executing our pressure defense better, and practicing at a good pace."
The Mocs will practice again at 9 this morning and will go tailgate before the football team's 4 p.m. homecoming game against Virginia Military Institute.
Mobley leaves
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga guard Jacolby Mobley has left the program, Wade announced Friday.
In addition, freshman Brandon Maxwell will redshirt.
Mobley, a 6-foot junior, averaged 15.1 points in 52 games with East Mississippi Junior College, including averages of 16.5 points and 2.9 assists his sophomore year. Maxwell, a 6-1 freshman, led Orlando Prep to the 2014 Florida Class 2A state championship, averaging over 14 points per game.
Their departures leave the Mocs in a similar position at point guard as they were in last year -- with sophomore Greg Pryor and senior White as the main players at the position. Freshman walk-on K.J. Bates also will have an opportunity to earn some playing time, according to Wade.
"If we stay healthy, we'll be fine," Wade said. "K.J. will give us some depth at the position, but we also have other ways to bring the ball up the court."
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him at twitter.com/genehenleytfp.