UTC sophomore point guard Dontay Hampton, left, may see more action than usual tonight against The Citidel
with starter Keegan Bell suffering from a stomach virus.John Shulman peered into the training room and shook his head at a sight that made him nauseous.
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga point guard Keegan Bell laid on a table, asleep in the fetal position, with a third bag of IV fluids dripping into his arm, fighting a stomach virus that has him questionable for the Mocs game at The Citadel tonight.
That’s how the Mocs’ most integral player spent Wednesday morning’s practice.
“The season doesn’t wait on anybody,” Shulman said. “It doesn’t care if you’re sick or hurt or if you’re up or down. It just keeps on going.”
Reserve point guard Dontay Hampton operated one team during Wednesday’s 90-minute practice, and starting shooting guard Omar Wattad ran the point for the other team.
Shulman had no other option with Martynas Barieka – who is redshirting – wearing a boot to protect a broken bone in his ankle.
“It was interesting and I don’t think we had 28 assists on Omar’s team,” Shulman joked after practice. “After watching that, all I can say is that we’d better put another bag of fluid in Keegan.
“We were out of sorts with Omar at the point. But if we have to go that direction, we can.”
If Bell cannot play against the Bulldogs at 7 p.m., Hampton will likely earn his first career start and Wattad will play significant minutes at the point as well.
“You never should change your preparation or get too high or get too low and I always try to stay ready,” Hampton said. “It’s going to be fun. They have great guards, especially [Cameron] Wells, and they’re a tough team to play, especially with all the cadets there.
“I’m ready.”
Hampton, a redshirt sophomore who played his high school basketball at Arts & Sciences, has averaged 7.3 minutes per game with some of his minutes coming early to give Bell a breather, but a majority of his playing time has come at the end of blow-outs.
Yet he has made a few critical plays this season including a defensive stop in the last minute of UTC’s 73-69 win at Kennesaw State and a late 3-pointer in UTC’s 69-68 win at Marshall.
“I have great confidence in Dontay, but we have to have a backup and that would be Omar,” Shulman said. “That may give me a stomach virus.
“But he has to be ready because I don’t know if Keegan will be ready to go.”
Wattad played significant minutes at point guard during his days at Science Hill High School and he said Wednesday that he’ll handle the role if necessary on Thursday.
“I can play the point and I’ll be fine,” Wattad said. “Coach Shulman said he’ll keep it simple, but I know I can run all the plays from the wing or the point and even the 4. I know the offense.
“I can definitely run it.”