The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga will be trying to do more than just extend its basketball season Thursday when it visits the University of Memphis in the first round of the Women’s NIT. The Lady Mocs also will be trying to protect some of their turf.
UTC coach Wes Moore and his staff have had success recruiting in Memphis in recent years, and they don’t want to cede that ground — especially to a Tigers program that has improved under fourth-year coach Melissa McFerrin and is working its way toward the top of Conference USA.
“You always want to do well [against in-state opponents], and Memphis is no different,” Moore said, adding that he hasn’t gone head to head with Tigers on too many players. One was junior forward Nicole Dickson, of Greeneville, Tenn., who averages 10.5 points a game for the Tigers.
The Lady Mocs (22-9) will have two point guards from Memphis on next season’s roster. Sophomore point guard Alex Black was an all-state player at Harding Academy and the Lady Mocs have signed point guard Alicia Payne of White Station High School. The Tigers (24-7), meanwhile, don’t have a player from Memphis or north Mississippi on their roster.
Two players the Tigers do have are Georgia transfers and seniors Jasmine Lee and Brittany Carter. Lee, a forward, was the C-USA player of the year and has 15 double-doubles this season, while Carter, a guard, was second-team All-C-USA along with Dickson. The Tigers also had the defensive player of the year in guard Ramses Lonlack.