If one thing is for certain about University of Tennessee at Chattanooga basketball guard C.J. Massengill, it's that he won't be shaken by the talent level of the Southern Conference.
The 6-foot-2 freshman walk-on point guard played at area prep school power Hamilton Heights, which last season alone sent guards Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to Kentucky, Nickeil Alexander-Walker to Virginia Tech and Therron Shelton-Szmidt to Middle Tennessee State.
As a result, Massengill averaged only 1.5 points and 1.4 rebounds per game, but he has positioned himself to potentially play a role in the Mocs' backcourt this season. UTC has only one scholarshipped point guard, sophomore Rodney Chatman, on the roster.
"Hamilton Heights was tough. But it was fun, though," Massengill said. "I learned how to guard bigger players that are going to play on the biggest Division I levels: Shai and Nickeil are two of the hardest guards I've ever had to face, because they're long, lanky and very athletic.
"Hamilton Heights taught me how to play harder and how to play defense. That's what I had to improve on in order to play at that level of competition."
Basketball runs in his family's blood as well. His cousin Mariah just graduated from Eastern Kentucky, scoring 622 points in a four-year career after scoring 2,466 for Silverdale Baptist Academy. His sister Jazmine, a 6-foot senior point guard at Hamilton Heights, is rated as the No. 26 player in the country and committed to Tennessee last season.
Massengill didn't join the Mocs program until the fall and missed the summer conditioning program. Yet coach Lamont Paris was pleased with his physical condition.
"He's in good shape," Paris said. "He's probably a little more advanced; he has a good frame physically, but he's a ways away in a lot of areas, but he's a good kid who works hard."
With the backup role behind Chatman uncertain, there's a chance that Massengill could get a chance to play right away, especially on a roster dearth of bodies and experience at the position. He's been watching Chatman, trying to absorb as much as he can about how the sophomore goes about his business.
"I'm just approaching this season with an open mind," Massengill said. "I'm a freshman, so I'm not in the best position to get playing time, but talking to coaches, they want me to keep learning and absorbing all the stuff they're teaching in practice and continue to try to learn and get better because I may have opportunities in games.
"We're really young, but I'm looking forward to this season. We're learning a lot every day and we're getting closer to getting better. This is a great opportunity, so I'm trying to learn and get better every day."
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenleytfp.