Mya Long, BaylorThe learning curve for University of Tennessee at Chattanooga basketball player Mya Long has been a steep one.
Things that worked in high school aren't working now. Turnovers plagued her early on in practices, but the 5-foot-10 freshman appears to have a skill that could get her on the court early this season, much like it did a former Moc.
Defense.
"I feel I could help us there. I could play defense like Red," Long said recently in reference to former UTC guard Alicia Payne. "She says I've got it, but she definitely gets on me and reminds me that defense is the most important thing. If you want to play, that's what you've got to have.
"She told me she wasn't the best shooter, not the best offensively, but she knew in her head if she wanted to be out there, she had to play good defense and by any means she was going to play good defense, and look at her now."
Payne, who was a two-time Southern Conference defensive player of the year, is now a student assistant for the Mocs, who open their 2017-18 schedule next month.
Long came to UTC after a successful career at Baylor School, where she averaged 17 points, five rebounds, 2.5 assists and two steals per game as a senior. One stat she didn't keep up with was turnovers - "I always had the mindset that I'd get the ball back," Long said - but she had some trouble with that when the Mocs first started practice. After the first practice, Mocs coach Jim Foster made all of the freshman take basketballs back to their rooms to "learn to respect the ball," and while Long is improving in that regard, she has a long way to go.
"In college, I have to pay attention to every single turnover. I have to look at it like it's important," Long said. "I can't make careless mistakes, and I have to be smarter on offense, play smarter."
She has the assistance and help of four other talented freshmen she has been able to lean on, as well as sophomore guard Lakelyn Bouldin, who was the lone freshman last season - and therefore, one of Foster's main targets in terms of doing things right.
It worked. Bouldin averaged 10.4 points per game and hit 66 3-pointers in her first season, earning All-Socon freshman honors as well as being named to the All-SoCon tournament second team.
"When Lakelyn came in, she was the only one," Long said. "I felt down about things, but I've got other freshmen going through the same thing. I just needed to keep fighting. Lakelyn told me that's what she had to do.
"I jump up and make passes and turn the ball over sometimes in practice, and Coach Foster tells me that those are the two things that'll have me on the bench. I asked Lakelyn if he told her stuff like that, and she said she struggled until halfway through the year in practice. She worked on what he said and got on the floor. If we all just work on what he wants us to do and execute whatever he wants us to do, I think we'll be fine."
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenleytfp.