Patterson named SoCon player of the MonthUniversity of Tennessee at Chattanooga senior forward Ty Patterson was named Southern Conference player of the month for December. Patterson averaged 16 points, 4.7 rebounds and three assists over his six games in December. Patterson had his first career double-double with 22 points and 11 rebounds against Eastern Kentucky.”I didn’t expect it because I only played in a couple games,” Patterson said. “I played as hard as I can to help this team win.”
A business professor had each of the students in her class say something interesting about themselves.
When Ricky Taylor’s turn came up, he announced, “I’m on the basketball team.”
Impressed, the instructor replied, “‘Ya’ll have been doing good,'” as Taylor recalls. “Teachers know about us, and students know about us.”
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga basketball team is on a modest four-game winning streak and players are walking around campus with their heads held high.
Almost too high.
“We’re going to talk about complacency today,” coach John Shulman said before practice Friday. “I don’t think we handled the success of a three-game win streak the other night. We played poorly, but we made shots and won.
“We can’t be fat and happy. We’re just 1-1 in the league and 9-6 overall.”
The discussion about complacency, contentment and overconfidence is necessary because none of the players have participated in a string of victories like this. They have yet to comprehend how to keep it going.
“Jeremy (Saffore) had two very average practices on Monday and Tuesday,” Shulman said. “And he was a complete non-factor in the game.”
The only experience these Mocs have had with success came after they defeated East Tennessee State in their first Division I game of the season. Then they lost three in a row and four of their next six.
“I think we got a little too full of ourselves and didn’t come with as much intensity to practices and we learned from that,” point guard Keegan Bell said. “Now, I don’t think we’re satisfied with where we are.”
Sitting behind Saffore on Wednesday, about five rows behind the Mocs’ bench, was former Detroit Pistons coach Michael Curry who is friends with Georgia Southern coach Charlton Young.
“Everybody wants to play in the NBA or play professionally, so it probably would have been a good night for somebody to play good,” Shulman said. “You never know who’s watching and when. So you have to continue preparing.”
Senior forward Ty Patterson had a career night in UTC’s 75-63 win over the Eagles. He scored 25 points and shot 7-of-9 from the 3-point line.
“We can’t get the big-head or thinking we’re all that,” senior forward Ty Patterson said. “We have to keep going forward and working in practice.”