Skip to main content
Wednesday, November 11, 2026Nov 11

Coach Will Wade: UTC Mocs almost out of tricks, must get tougher on defense

wade-says-mocs-almost-out-of-tricks-must-get
wade-says-mocs-almost-out-of-tricks-must-get wade-says-mocs-almost-out-of-tricks-must-get
photo UTC’s Ronrico White (11 in white) guards Wofford’s Indiana Faithfull during a game in January. The Mocs have used a wide variety of defenses, but lately they haven’t been working well.

In his office, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga basketball coach Will Wade has three-inch binders full of offensive plays and defensive sets.

He has gone through almost all of them with the Mocs, or at least what he thinks his surprising squad is capable of executing.

“The bag of tricks is about empty,” Wade said by phone as he began a recruiting trip after UTC lost 88-84 in a Southern Conference game Sunday afternoon at UNC Greensboro.

“We have to do what we do, and do it better,” he said. “We’re running out of stuff. We’ve played almost every defense known to man in college basketball this season. At some point we just have to sit down and guard in whatever defense we’re playing.”

The Mocs (16-13, 10-4) have allowed at least 74 points in each of the losses of their current 2-5 stretch. They held Furman to 52 in a UTC win and beat Western Carolina 83-73 in the same span.