UTC forward Justin Tuoyo, right, and teammate Tre’ McLean, center, celebrate a point near ETSU guard Deuce Bello during the Mocs’ win Saturday at McKenzie Arena.Two seasons ago, Tre’ McLean and Justin Tuoyo could only dream of the contributions they’d be able to make for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men’s basketball team when given the opportunity.
They were both transfers in then-head coach Will Wade’s first season – Tuoyo from Virginia Commonwealth University, McLean from Division II Queens University.
So when the two redshirt juniors were being called upon time and time again Saturday at McKenzie Arena, they answered in a way they’d envisioned.
McLean and Tuoyo combined for 37 of the team’s 49 second-half points as the Mocs improved to 16-3 with a 94-84 win over East Tennessee State University. McLean scored a career-high 29 points on 10-of-15 shooting from the floor and 4-of-7 shooting from 3-point range, while Tuoyo had 20 points, six rebounds, six blocks and was 8-for-11 on free throws.
Remembering those early-morning individual workouts and practices with no chances of playing in the games during the 2013-14 season made games like Saturday’s that much more enjoyable.
“To see me and him together on the court every game makes me happy because we know where we were at,” Tuoyo said after the win. “We were going through that struggle for a while. Tonight in particular to see both of us do well with the team – also to see how that win feels – it’s so great right now.”
Their results were mixed last season. While Tuoyo was named the Southern Conference defensive player of the year after recording a school-record 104 blocked shots and also averaging 10.2 points and 6.4 rebounds, McLean was mired in a shooting slump.
The 6-foot-5 guard missed 19 consecutive 3-pointers at one point during the season and made only 12 of his 62 attempts. He was still a valuable player for the Mocs, who were 11-4 in games he started.
“As an athlete and as a competitor, it’s tough to put your sweats on and sit there and not be able to go out there and see the results of what you’ve been working on,” McLean said. “Tonight, now we see the results. It took two years to see it, but it’s good to see it.”
UTC first-year coach Matt McCall is pleased with McLean’s progress.
“He works extremely hard on his craft,” McCall said Saturday. “He’s a special player. You talk about a kid as a freshman who was playing Division II basketball. And now he’s here on one of the biggest stages of the Southern Conference and does what he did tonight.
“I’m just really, really proud of him and the rest of our team.”