Recently, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men’s basketball team has had more time off the game floor to hone their offense and shooting.
The evidence of that has come in the team’s play.
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Mocs forward Justin Tuoyo dunks the ball during practice at McKenzie Arena in this 2013 photo.Since a 18-day stretch with eight games to start the season, the Mocs have spent more time on the practice floor, with the opportunity to work on shots they had been previously missing. With more rest time in between games and more time to focus on the details, the team has been locked in as of late.
The Mocs (6-5) are shooting 56 percent from the field and 51 percent from 3-point range since the Georgia game, which has included wins over NAIA Montreat, Southern Conference opponent The Citadel and non-conference foe Northern Kentucky. They shot an impressive 63 percent against the Norse, and hope to take that act on the road this evening when they face Middle Tennessee State University (5-5) in Murfreesboro at 8.
“We’re starting to get our groove now,” UTC head coach Will Wade said. “We have better shooters, and we’ve spent a lot of time working on it, so the credit goes to the guys who have worked extremely hard over the summer. My assistants have done a nice job working on game shots — where the shots will come from in the office.
“They’ve put in the work, and now it’s paying off.”
The best part is that it hasn’t just been one player; the effort has been consistent across the board. Three different players have led the team in scoring during the streak — Eric Robertson against Montreat, Justin Tuoyo against Citadel; and Greg Pryor against the Norse. It’s come from different ways: After simply overwhelming Montreat and out-executing Citadel, Northern Kentucky conceded the 3 by sagging into the lane, so of the 43 shots the Mocs took, 26 were 3-pointers with 13 made.
And if shots have been missed, they’ve been able to get to the glass, rebounding 48 percent of their missed shots.
“I like that we’re shooting it so well, but it’s a dangerous way to live,” Wade said. “We did shoot a good percentage from 2, so I think we’re doing a good job in our offense. You have to give what teams take you, so we were able to get some pretty easy 3s. Now teams are going to have to come out and cover, so with our rub cuts, you can’t switch it. Now they’re going to take the 3-pointer away because we’re shooting it so well, which will open up driving lanes.”
He stressed that keeping Tuoyo — who played only 15 minutes against the Norse before fouling out — in the game will be important to the offense, because he gives the team “a guy we can feed inside.”
The recent stretch has given the team confidence, and they like their chances of being able to take their act on the road tonight.
“It’s good to see the hard work pay off,” senior guard Ronrico White said. “We’ll take whatever the defense gives us, but if it’s open, we’ll knock it down.
“To my knowledge, all the goals are the same, so we’re just going to have to knock shots down when we get the open looks.”
Preston leaving the program
The Times Free Press has learned that freshman Shaq Preston is leaving the program.
The 6-foot-3 guard had 11 points in the season-opening win over Hiwassee, but has only appeared in seven of the last 10 games. He averaged 2.4 points and 1.4 rebounds.
The departure leaves the Mocs with 10 scholarship players heading into tonight’s game.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him at twitter.com/genehenleytfp.