Chris Early still doesn’t say much, but it’s more than ever. He’s still a bit shy but not like when he first arrived at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
“I went up to talk with him because he’s from Huntington [W.Va.] and I was too, and he said maybe two words,” Mocs teammate Keegan Bell said. “I thought, ‘What is wrong with this kid?'”
Now a junior, Early is saying more than ever to teammates, coaches, the staff and the media, and his play on the court is making a statement as well.
“I’m having a lot more fun,” Early said. “Playing better makes it more fun. And I’m just playing. I’m shooting better, playing better defense, rebounding better. It’s just working out for me right now.”
The Southern Conference will have to reckon with the transfer from Oklahoma – “That seems like forever ago,” he said – this season. Early has matured as a man, and his game has followed.
“Chris has had a difficult life, but a lot of people have, so you can’t use that as a crutch,” coach John Shulman said. “I think John Wooden said that you can’t be a good player until you’re a good player off the court.
“He’s matured off the court, which has matured his game.”
The 6-foot-7, 240-pound Early is eighth in the SoCon with 6.6 rebounds per game, and he leads UTC in 3-point shooting at 38.2 percent. He averages 8.6 points per game, and he hit critical free throws in the final two minutes of the Mocs’ 67-65 win over Western Carolina.
“If Chris can step to the line and make clutch free throws,” Shulman said after that game, “we are going to be all right.”
Early sank five of six freebies in the final 1:52 to help UTC earn its second SoCon win in two tries.
“That was huge for his confidence,” Shulman said. “I’m taking four guys after practice to shoot free throws. He’s not one of them. He made the cut.
“He’s a good shooter, and how we run our stuff now, he and Jahmal [Burroughs] get a lot of looks and Chris has had some success.”
UTC’s pick-and-roll offense gives Early the option of rolling to the basket or stepping back for an open 3-pointer.
Oklahoma recruited him as a wing player, and he’s always been able to shoot. But his size makes him a power forward in the SoCon. So he plays both on the block and on the perimeter.
“I think it goes into my preparation because I practice outside of practice,” Early said. “I don’t have to post up every time. I can do different things.”
Early didn’t have that freedom last year. At least, he didn’t play as if felt he could choose his own offense on a few plays.
He played the game while looking over his shoulder, always wondering when he’d make the mistake that would put him back on the bench. Shulman had a short leash on Early. That’s not the case as much this season.
“I was out there and thinking and worried about making mistakes,” Early said. “Then I’d be wondering if I was going to get back in or what I needed to do when I got in. I was constantly worrying and thinking.”
Now he’s just playing.
“Chris has matured even since I’ve been here,” Bell said. “You can see it on the court and off. He’s talking to more guys, handling his emotions better, and he’s been an all-around better guy and better player.”
The Mocs (4-6, 2-0) play again Friday at 6 p.m. at Elon (4-5, 0-2).
Contact David Uchiyama at duchiyama@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6484. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/UchiyamaCTFP.