Last season Lamont Paris inherited a pretty blank slate, as in addition to it being his first season as the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men's basketball coach he had so little experience returning from the previous season.
This season, while the slate is still relatively blank, there's been somewhat of a foundation laid and a few bricks to help provide some structure.
The Mocs have eight new players who will be expected to contribute to the team's success, but also important is the return of five players who were around the program last season. While David Jean-Baptiste is the lone player returning with a full season of on-court experience under Paris, transfers Jerry Johnson and Ramon Vila sat out last season but were able to practice and redshirt freshmen Justin Brown and Duane Moss also were in the program.
Moss appeared in seven games before a ruptured disk ended his season prematurely.
The new players were able to get some work in this summer under NCAA rules allowing the coaches eight hours a week with the players, so the official practice season doesn't feel entirely new. But Paris does have players who can aid if there's confusion.
"It's good for team chemistry," Vila said recently. "We're expecting all those new guys to help. Last year there were only three of us practicing, but it gave us a chance to get an idea as to how things go. The new guys are going to love it."
Paris agreed with Vila's assessment. The freshman class of guards Maurice Commander and Donovann Toatley and forwards Kevin Easley and Keigan Kerby benefited from the summer work, as did junior college transfers Rod Johnson and Jonathan Scott and graduate transfer Thomas Smallwood. Walk-on A.J. Caldwell, a South Alabama transfer, also spent the summer in Chattanooga, while Maryland walk-on transfer Alex Tostado came at the start of the school year.
"We'll have all these new faces as players this season, and most will be guys that didn't play but they were also around for practice," Paris said. "They know the teaching methods and they know what the expectations are. I think although they won't have played any minutes in games here, having that core group is important.
"I think when you're doing it with 13 brand-spanking new players it's a challenge from the non-basketball side of things."
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenley3.