Time and time again this season, Rodney Chatman has found ways to make an impact for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga basketball program.
Not surprisingly, he has gone through the ups and downs of being a freshman. Mocs coach Matt McCall has thrown him into the fire and dealt with the results, which have been mostly positive.
Because of the early part of the season, the confidence Chatman now plays with is obvious on the court.
"Through the first half I tried to develop my game to where I could back up Greg (Pryor) and help the team defensive-wise and make our team better," Chatman said after the Mocs' 80-64 win over Furman on Saturday. "It started over the summer. Coach McCall really pushed me in conditioning, telling me he needed me to come in and play right away."
The 6-foot-1 point guard from Lithonia, Ga., had eight points and a pair of assists Saturday. For the season, he's averaging 5.3 points and 2.3 assists per game in fewer than 20 minutes per outing. On a team with plenty of experience, including four-year starting point guard Pryor, Chatman's contributions haven't gone unnoticed.
"I've been hard on Rodney, too," McCall said after Saturday's win. "He takes to the coaching. The only reason I'm hard on him is because I know how good he is, and sometimes he gets casual with it. When he's sharp and he's crisp, he's going to be one of the best point guards in this league. He's got Greg here to learn from and grow from."
McCall praised Chatman's defense, saying he "relishes in that."
Four games into the Southern Conference schedule, Chatman has defended UNCG point guard Dionte Baldwin, Wofford point guard Eric Garcia and Furman's trio of John Brown, Daniel Fowler and Devin Sibley. In his second game of the season, he went against North Carolina's Joel Berry, considered one of the top defenders in the country.
Chatman has had his good performances coupled with some bad, but such is the life of a freshman point guard.
"I've just always told him to play your game," Pryor said. "You're going to have ups and downs your freshman year. It's not going to be easy at all and you'll want to give up sometimes, but you've got brothers here and we'll never be the ones down on you. Even when coaches get on you, we'll pick you up no matter what. If we know you're lacking, we're going to get on you.
"He's come a long way with that. He's a terrific point guard and was a great player when he got here. It's not just me, everybody has a hand."
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenleytfp.