Ansley Chilton and Sydney Vanlandingham spent the 2013-14 basketball season as spectators, but for much different reasons. Chilton was redshirting with the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga women after having shoulder surgery, while Vanlandingham had transferred to UTC after playing a season at UT-Martin and nearly becoming burned out with the sport entirely.
They spent last year as practice role players on the team’s romp to the Southern Conference championship, wins over top-10 opponents Stanford and Tennessee and a 29-4 record that ended in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
UTC’s Sydney Vanlandingham plays in the game against Wofford Monday at McKenzie Arena.As the 2015-16 season begins tonight, their roles have been adjusted slightly, but their confidence has grown tremendously.
The 25th-ranked Mocs host McNeese State in the first round of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament at McKenzie Arena at 6:30. That could start a span of five games in nine days to start the year off. UTC will host Butler on Sunday, and if the Mocs win they’ll play the winner between Indiana and Tennessee State on Tuesday and could have games Thursday and Nov. 22 if they keep winning in the WNIT.
If they lose tonight, they’ll play Butler and then could host a four-team consolation tournament that would start a week from today.
Both Vanlandingham and Chilton went through transition phases last season.
“They both got better and improved,” UTC coach Jim Foster said. “Sydney struggled; she took a year off, and you can’t stop performing at a high level on a daily basis, walk away and expect to be the same. She had to go through the process of working through some things, but I thought she had a good offseason and improved in a lot of areas.
“As far as Ansley, bigs mature late. You’ll really be able to judge her as we start to play games, because she has the luxury of playing against one of the best defensive players in the league and one of the better shot blockers in the country (Jasmine Joyner) and she’s starting to have a degree of success against that.”
Already a little rusty from missing a year and playing intramural basketball, Vanlandingham had to learn a new position, moving from the wing to playing the 4. She said getting over “bad habits” from playing pickup basketball was a tough change.
“Last year I wanted to help out so much, but I didn’t know where I fit in at,” she said. “I was kind of running around, going hard but without direction. This year I feel I know my position, know my job and I understand my responsibility, so I have a lot more confidence in that.”
Chilton played guard at nearby Dade County High School. After her shoulder surgery, she had to have knee surgery not long after, so this has been the healthiest she’s been during college. At 6-foot-3, she’s the second-tallest player on the Mocs’ roster and will spell Joyner, the SoCon preseason player of the year. She brings a different skill set to the table with her ability to shoot from 3-point range.
“I can’t wait for this year. Being third-string last season was difficult for me because in high school I never missed a game,” she said. “It’s been a difficult road, but I’m ready to show Coach Foster what I’m capable of. Our schedule is going to be difficult, but for me? I practice against Jasmine Joyner every day. I get my stuff thrown at me, and that has made me so much better.
“I can’t wait to see how I play against other post players. We’re going against challenging schools, but I think we’ll be ready.”
Bouldin signs
UTC announced Wednesday that Lakelyn Bouldin, a senior star at Van Buren High School, signed her letter of intent to join the program in 2016-17.
Bouldin, a 5-7 guard, has started three full seasons for the Lady Eagles after playing in the postseason as an eighth-grader. She averaged 23 points, four rebounds, three assists and 2.7 steals per game helping season, helping the team to a 28-5 record and a Class A state sectional.
She joins Clemson transfer Shelbie Davenport, who is redshirting this year, as newcomers for next season. The Mocs lose only one player this year, senior guard Alicia Payne.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him at twitter.com/genehenleytfp.