Kamaal Shakur was one of six University of Tennessee at Chattanooga wrestlers boarding a jet Tuesday bound for New York.
The Mocs freshman and senior teammate John Lampe are in their first NCAA tournament trips. The others – Mike Pongracz, Sean Mappes, Scottie Boykin and Jared Johnson – have been here before.
In Johnson, UTC has a known commodity. He enters the tournament having started and ended the season – continuing to carve his niche – ranked among the nation’s top 20 heavyweights.
“Jared’s a beast, and he has a good draw,” Shakur said. “I look up to him and Scottie. They’re veterans. They’ve been there before, but all the guys we have going are solid.”
Shakur is something of an unknown quality nationally, although he chose coach Heath Eslinger and the Mocs only after rebuffing an offer from Ohio State and overtures from Iowa and Iowa State. Those who know the name may still associate it with All-America honors earned twice at USA Nationals. The 157-pounder is remembered as being special – a good blend of strength, quickness, balance and fortitude.
“He’s a Ferrari, and you drive and care for a Ferrari different than you do a golf cart. I was a golf cart with four flat tires,” said Eslinger, a three-time Southern Conference champion and a former SoCon outstanding wrestler who once was ranked as high as sixth nationally.
During the season, the coach said Shakur would one day wrestle on Saturday (the All-America rounds) at the NCAA tournament, and that it would be soon.
Shakur enters the NCAA tournament, which starts at noon Thursday at Madison Square Garden, with the Mocs’ best season record (24-6). He was named the SoCon freshman of the year and then the Outstanding Wrestler at the SoCon tournament.
“Winning freshman of the year was cool – to know that people recognized the hard work – but being named outstanding wrestler was awesome,” Shakur said. “I wasn’t expecting it at all; hadn’t thought about it. My mind was on the team race and I was headed to the locker room. I had to race back out there after they called my name.”
He posted major decisions to gain the championship match and then dominated two-time defending champion Aaron Walker of The Citadel.
“When I wrestled two of those guys during the regular season I only beat them by a point, and Walker beat me. I had something to prove,” Shakur said.
He has learned after nearly two seasons with Eslinger the value of a single point, specifically the escape. In only one match this season, a loss to Penn State’s touted Jason Nolf at the Southern Scuffle, did he allow a riding-time point.
“Escapes won a lot of matches for me,” Shakur said. “It was a problem I had coming out of high school, where they don’t stress getting loose as much. In college that riding-time point can be important, and one point often wins matches. Eslinger made me believe that if I wanted to get off the bottom I will get out.”
The freshman credited Eslinger and assistant coaches Jeff Bedard, Niko Brown and former Moc Levi Campbell with his success to date. He also mentioned specifically teammate and workout partner Dominic Lampe, UTC’s starting 165-pounder.
“You’re only as good as the people around you. The coaches have pushed me. I’m wrestling better than I ever thought I could,” he said. “Dominic’s my drill partner. I wrestle him every day and he brings it every single time. He’s one of the reasons why I’ve enjoyed some success. My conditioning has spiked because the guy just doesn’t stop.”
The coaches also have earned his trust.
“That’s big. I have confidence in them. If Coach says I can get another takedown, I don’t think. I just go try to get another takedown,” he said.
“He’s still learning, but he’s that good,” Eslinger said. “You could throw a donkey out there for the Kentucky Derby, one with a huge heart, but you’re not going to win the Derby with a donkey. We have a thoroughbred.”
Contact Ward Gossett at wgossett@timesfreepress.com or 423-886-4765. Follow him at Twitter.com/wardgossett.
At the Big Apple
Mike Pongracz, 141 pounds, Jr.Record: 22-4Key matches: Lost to 15th-ranked Bryce Meredith (Wyoming), 6-5; won Wolfpack Open, where he beat Duke’s Zach Finesliver for the title; scored major decision over Arizona State’s Robert Mathers.Trips to NCAA: 2ndFirst match: 7th-seeded Solomon Chishko (Va. Tech, 26-4).Win or lose: He gets either 10th-seeded Todd Preston (Harvard, 29-4) or Logan Everett (Army, 18-13) with a win. A first-match loss will be against the winner of a consolation out-bracket match — either Duke’s Finesilver (25-12), Appalachian’s Mike Longo (19-9) or Preston or Everett.Eslinger’s thoughts: “He’s one of my all-time favorites; just a picture of consistency and toughness. He brings the same thing to the table every time, and he’s a tough matchup for a lot of guys. He’s a guy people don’t want to wrestle.”Kamaal Shakur, 157 pounds, Fr.Record: 24-6Key wins: Named Southern Conference Outstanding Wrestler after two major decisions and a decisive 11-6 victory over two-time defending champion Aaron Walker of The Citadel; won the Wolfpack Open; also has a win over 10th-seeded John Boyle of American University.Trips to NCAA: 1stFirst match: 3rd-seeded Jason Nolf (Penn State, 29-1), who pinned him at the Southern Scuffle.Win or lose: With a win he’ll face the winner between May Bethea (Penn, 22-13) and 14th-seeded Austin Matthews (Edinboro, 10-4). A loss pits him against the Bethea-Matthews loser.Eslinger’s thoughts: “He’s done well. He’s responded this year. He’s special. We just have to keep putting things together.”Sean Mappes, 174 pounds, Jr.Record: 18-10Key wins: Placed third in the Hokie and Wolfpack opens; edged Iowa State’s Lelund Witherspoon 4-3.Trips to NCAA: 2ndFirst match: 15th-seeded Brian Harvey (Army, 23-9), who nipped him 3-2 in the 2015 Southern Scuffle.Win or lose: He’ll face No. 2 seed Brian Realbutto (33-3) of Cornell or Iowa State’s Lelund Weatherspoon (24-10).Eslinger’s thoughts: “He’s proven. He has beaten some really good guys. We have to take it match by match, and when he has chances to score he has to take advantage. He’s fully capable, but he needs to be focused in on what he starts.”John Lampe, 184 pounds, Sr.Record: 21-5Key wins: Has two wins over Stanford’s Ryan Davis (major decision, pin); lost to 18th-ranked Nolan Boyd of Oklahoma State 5-2 in the Scuffle; won the Hokie Open and placed third in the Wolfpack Open.Trips to NCAA: 1stFirst match: 2nd-seeded Sammy Brooks (Iowa, 24-3).Win or lose: He’ll face No. 15 seed Nicholas Gravina (Rutgers, 21-9) or Jordan Ellingwood (28-12) of Central Michigan.Eslinger’s thoughts: “He’s our only senior; had his best season as a Moc. He’s been a model of consistency. He has a lot of determination, and you always know what you’re going to get when he’s on the mat.”Scottie Boykin, 197 pounds, Jr.Record: 23-6Key wins: Beat Ryder’s 20th-ranked Ryan Wolfe 4-3 and No. 11 Zachary Nye of Virginia 7-3; finished second at the Hokie Open and fourth at the Wolfpack Open.Trips to NCAA: 2ndFirst match: 15th-seeded Nate Rotert (South Dakota State, 26-9).Win or lose: He gets 2nd-seeded J’Den Cox (26-1) of Missouri or Rutgers’ Hayden Hrymack (17-14).Eslinger’s thoughts: “He’s hot right now. He’s on an 11-match win streak. I’ve said all year we just have to get him hot at the right time. He’s a former football player and one of those guys who love the Friday night lights. The lights are on and that’s an arena where he flourishes.”Jared Johnson, 285 pounds, Jr.Record: 23-5Key wins: He beat No. 12 Nathan Butler of Stanford 4-2 and No. 12 Riley Shaw of Cleveland State 5-2; three of his five losses have come to SoCon champ Denzel Dejournette of Appalachian State, who is ranked fifth nationally.Trips to NCAA: 2ndFirst match: William Miller (Edinboro, 28-9).Win or lose: He’ll see 4th-seeded Austin Marsden (27-1) of Oklahoma State or Riley Shaw (28-5) of Cleveland State.Eslinger’s thoughts: “Jared is proven, man. He’s had one of the most consistent years of any athlete since I’ve been here. He has lost some matches but he hasn’t given any away. They’ve had to earn them. Jared has tools. He’s hard to beat.”