Gene Henley

Gene has covered sports in the Chattanooga area since 2008 and has ascended from covering preps to colleges in his time. He primarily covers UTC athletics, a job he's held from 2013-18 and again since 2020, having spent two seasons covering Tennessee pre-pandemic. Gene played four seasons of college basketball and has a 20-year son named Judah who plays at Central Missouri in Warrensburg, Missouri.

Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com.

Second-half rally leads UTC men past Mercer, into SoCon semis

by Gene Henley ·March 8, 2025

The upset bug was crawling all over the SoCon men's basketball tournament during Saturday's quarterfinals. UTC managed to avoid being bitten.

GoMocs.com photo by Ray Soldano / UTC's Honor Huff celebrates during the top-seeded Mocs' victory against eighth-seeded Mercer in a SoCon tournament quarterfinal Saturday in Asheville, N.C.

UTC women overcame adversity to advance to SoCon title game

by Gene Henley ·March 8, 2025

The coaches change. The players change. The standard for the UTC women's basketball team remains the same.

Staff photo by Matt Hamilton / UTC coach Deandra Schirmer encourages her players as they come back to the bench during a home game against Western Carolina on Feb. 8. In her first season with the Mocs, Schirmer has led the program to its third straight SoCon tournament final as UTC seeks to improve to 21-0 in the championship game.

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Three things to know about UTC entering the SoCon men’s basketball tournament

by Gene Henley ·March 7, 2025

UTC is the No. 1 seed for this year's SoCon men's basketball tournament, and coach Dan Earl's Mocs will try to continue a trend for the event.

Staff photo by Matt Hamilton / UTC junior guard Honor Huff, left, celebrates with senior forward Frank Champion after assisting him on a dunk during a SoCon regular-season game against Western Carolina on Feb. 19.

UTC women ride team effort into third straight SoCon title game

by Gene Henley ·March 7, 2025

UTC forward Frode Flos van der Schans has always seemed like the ultimate teammate.

GoMocs.com photo by Laura O'Dell / UTC redshirt sophomore Frode Flos van der Schans, left, provided a spark off the bench to help the Mocs beat Furman 63-55 in a SoCon tournament semifinal Friday in Asheville, N.C.

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Three things to know about UTC entering the SoCon women’s basketball tournament

by Gene Henley ·March 5, 2025

The Southern Conference women's basketball tournament dates to the 1983-84 season, and no program has won it more often than UTC.

Staff photo by Abby White / UTC freshman Gianna Corbitt drives into the paint during a SoCon regular-season game against Mercer on Jan. 18 at McKenzie Arena. UTC beat the Bears 60-37 that day, and the Mocs completed a sweep when they routed Mercer again by winning 69-39 on Feb. 13 in Macon, Ga. The same teams will face off in the first round of the SoCon tournament Thursday in Asheville, N.C.

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UTC senior Karsen Murphy reflects but says Mocs aren’t done yet

by Gene Henley ·February 28, 2025

Three words can pretty distinctly describe the five-year college career of UTC basketball player Karsen Murphy.

Staff photo by Robin Rudd / UTC senior Karsen Murphy takes aim for a 3-point shot during Thursday night's SoCon game against Furman at McKenzie Arena. Murphy will play the final home game of her five-year college career when the Mocs host Wofford on Saturday in a matchup important to seeding for next week's SoCon tournament.

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Three keys to victory as UTC men seek SoCon title at UNCG

by Gene Henley ·February 26, 2025

The UTC men's basketball team has won its past nine games, and pushing that number to 10 is about more than extending a streak.

Staff photo by Matt Hamilton / UTC men's basketball coach Dan Earl talks with freshman guard Parker Robison as he comes out of a home game against The Citadel last Saturday, when the Mocs held on for their ninth consecutive win in a streak that has pushed them to the brink of clinching the SoCon regular-season championship.

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Bash Wieland’s lone UTC season a perfect player-program pairing

by Gene Henley ·February 21, 2025

Graduate transfer has surprised as leading scorer for Mocs

Staff photo by Matt Hamilton / UTC's Bash Wieland celebrates after hitting a 3-pointer during a SoCon game against Western Carolina on Wednesday night at McKenzie Arena. Wieland is in his lone season with the Mocs but his sixth in college basketball, having started his career at Bellarmine University in Louisville, Ky.

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Red Bank grad glad to play any role on line for hometown Mocs

by Gene Henley ·February 19, 2025

B.J. Ragland is finishing his college football career at UTC after starting it elsewhere, one of multiple changes he has dealt with in recent years.

GoMocs.com photo by Ray Soldano / UTC offensive lineman B.J. Ragland is a former Red Bank High School standout who spent his first three seasons of college football at Charlotte before transferring home to play for the Mocs ahead of the 2024 season. He appeared in 10 games, starting half of those.

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Earl, Bonham and Huff: The foundation for UTC’s success

by Gene Henley ·February 18, 2025

UTC guard Honor Huff recently recalled coach Dan Earl sending him a handwritten letter.