Well traveled as he is, Jamal Johnson has had to adapt to a role before.
After all, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga senior guard is now on his fourth college basketball program, having spent time at Memphis, Auburn and the University of Alabama at Birmingham before joining the Mocs in 2021. At each stop, he learned: at Memphis, just what college was going to be about; at Auburn, how to mentally prepare for games; at UAB, how to play for a “player’s coach” in Andy Kennedy.
All of these traits have helped the 6-foot-4, 195-pounder find his way among a relatively mixed group of Mocs, who dropped a 75-74 heartbreaker in a Southern Conference battle with Samford on Saturday night. Johnson finished with 16 points, inching closer to 1,000 for his career; he now sits at 973.
Jake Stephens led the way for the Mocs (11-8, 3-3) with 19 points, adding seven rebounds, three assists, three blocks and two steals. Dalvin White had 13 points and five assists, while Khristion Courseault scored 12. A.J. Caldwell’s eight rebounds led UTC, which finished with a 40-35 advantage.
The Mocs held a one-point lead in the game’s final seconds before a foul on White led to a pair of free throws by Bubba Parham, who started his career under current UTC coach Dan Earl at Virginia Military Institute.