Life went on at McKenzie Arena on Tuesday afternoon.
While Wes Moore was being introduced as the new women’s basketball coach at East Carolina, back at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, where he won 11 Southern Conference regular-season titles in his 12 seasons, there was work to be done.
That work mostly falls to Amanda Eaton-Burge, the only assistant coach who will remain at UTC.
“We’re going to continue with recruiting,” she said. “If we stop, we’re going to lose a bunch of kids. We’ll continue that as normal and basically maintain day-to-day operations.
“We have kids in summer school, and we need to make sure their academics are a priority and that they’re on track.”
Assistant Mike Murray also was in the women’s basketball office Tuesday, but he’ll soon be moving to Greenville, N.C., as will associate head coach Nikki Blassingame, who was at East Carolina for Moore’s news conference.
Tuesday was the last day of exams at UTC, so the Lady Mocs have gone home facing a few weeks, if not longer, of uncertainty. Athletic director Rick Hart said Monday the search for a new coach has begun, and UTC will “take however much time we have to to get the right person” for the job.
Guard Kayla Christopher, who started 27 games as a freshman last season, said the Lady Mocs have to approach this summer just like they would any other.
“I think that the most important thing is that we stay focused on the ultimate goal of winning the SoCon and going to the NCAA tournament,” said Christopher, one of two returning starters. “I think it’s important that we keep our focus and know that they’re going to get somebody in here who is going to be a good coach and good for the program.
“We’re going to work hard all summer like we planned on anyway.”
In guard Kori Penland’s two seasons at UTC, the Lady Mocs have kept the SoCon streak alive despite dealing with numerous injuries and other challenges. That, she said, should help them deal with this situation.
“I think the girls here, we’re pretty used to adversity,” Penland said, “and I don’t think (Moore leaving) is anything we can’t handle. Coach Moore has definitely prepared us in that way, for dealing with adversity. I think we’ll be fine.”
The status of the Lady Mocs’ summer camps, which are scheduled for June 6-10 (individual) and June 18-20 (team), is up in the air, Eaton-Burge said. Whether they’re held or not will likely depend on when a new coach is hired.
“Everything is in limbo right now, and that’s kind of something we are still discussing and dealing with,” she said. “We’re going to try to keep it going in some shape or fashion, but to what extent we don’t know.”
Moore is scheduled to return to Chattanooga today. He still will speak at the Orange Grove Center’s Breakfast for Champions on Friday morning.
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