ASHEVILLE, N.C. – It’s time to batten down the hatches.
Rumors have swirled around the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men’s basketball program as of late, some of which have been proved wrong and others which have not been substantiated.
It comes as no surprise that some of the rumors started to gain traction as the Mocs started to struggle, losing four straight and seven of their last 11 games, some in close fashion and others that were ugly.
With the on- and off-court struggles down the stretch, UTC could use a fresh start.
A neutral site and a postseason tournament provide the chance for that.
The Mocs (19-11) will face Wofford (15-16) in a Southern Conference tournament quarterfinal at 2:30 p.m. today at the U.S. Cellular Center.
“We’ve got to block it all out and go play,” UTC coach Matt McCall said. “If we can do that, we’ll be good.
“We got into the Citadel, and there’s an enormous amount of distraction about everything. It’s hard – it weighs on you – but hopefully now that everything’s been out there and the truth is out there, we can move forward.”
There was a report Sunday night that senior Tre’ McLean “likely” had played his last game as a Moc last Saturday against Mercer, when he stormed to the locker room in the first minute of the second half of a 64-54 loss. He returned to the bench area with less than 10 minutes to play but did not play again in the game.
He served a one-game suspension Monday at The Citadel and fulfilled imposed requirements to be eligible to play, so he made the trip to Asheville and is expected to play today, although how much remains a question.
The report also indicated there was an altercation between McLean and Johnathan Burroughs-Cook in the locker room at halftime, with Greg Pryor stepping in to break it up. McCall said Wednesday that there was no fight, rather a disagreement between the two players about a shot Burroughs-Cook took right before the halftime buzzer.
“The frustrating part for me is that a lot’s been written, a lot’s been said, and these guys are 18-, 19-, 20-year-old kids,” McCall said. “They read that stuff; they see it, and it frustrates them.”
Pryor is expected to miss today game after a postgame hand injury from last Saturday, which has paved the way for the rapid development of freshman Rodney Chatman. McCall said normally little-used players who played some against The Citadel – guards Makale Foreman and Peyton Woods, possibly even walk-on Dylan Brewster – could “have to go” today.
Foreman and Woods combined for 24 points on 8-for-20 shooting from 3 against the Bulldogs.
Center Justin Tuoyo, the three-time SoCon defensive player of the year, said the Mocs have to lean on each other more than ever. They were in good spirits and had a lot of energy in a Friday morning shootaround at the U.S. Cellular Center
“We’ve been saying ’25’ all year. It’s really got to be 25 right now,” Tuoyo said, referring to the 25 players, coaches and managers. “That’s all we can worry about. We can’t worry about everything else; everything has already transpired.
“We can’t change nothing that happened; we just have to focus on the next step, and the game ahead of us is Wofford. We’ll just try to focus on them; after that we’ll move forward.”
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenleytfp.