Injuries were the story of Grant Ledford’s first couple of seasons at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
First, it was a kneecap that caused him to miss a month at the start of the 2019-20 season. The following year he broke the metatarsal in his foot and had a surgery that forced him to miss all but the Southern Conference tournament game against East Tennessee State.
“This time last year, I wasn’t even walking. I was on crutches,” said Ledford, who had foot surgery on Nov. 16, 2020. “So every day is a blessing to be grateful and take advantage of the opportunities.”
To date, he’s played in just 29 career games, but now that he’s healthy his role has grown exponentially for the Mocs, who improved to 6-1 with an 82-65 win over Tennessee Tech Tuesday night.
Malachi Smith led the way Tuesday with 28 points and six rebounds. David Jean-Baptiste added 20 to go along with five assists, while Silvio De Sousa chipped in 17 points and 11 rebounds as the Mocs shot 61% from the field in the second half and 55% for the game. The Golden Eagles (2-5) led by as many as 13 in the first half, but the Mocs used a 16-0 second-half run to assume control, limiting the home team to just 33% shooting in the final 20 minutes.