After a week away from games against other schools, the No. 23 University of Tennessee at Chattanooga women’s basketball team returns to action at 6 tonight at home against Southern Conference foe Wofford.
But for two UTC players, time on the practice court is the only time they get to show what they can do, though they get front-row seats to watch the Mocs (20-3, 8-0 SoCon).
UTC player Ashlyn Wert shoots the ball during Lady Mocs’ basketball practice in this Oct. 22, 2014, file photo.Junior transfer guard Queen Alford and freshman post player Ashlyn Wert are sitting out this season as redshirt players, working on getting better for next season while helping their teammates improve and be prepared for game day.
“They’ve taken advantage of an opportunity,” UTC coach Jim Foster said of Alford and Wert. “Sometimes you don’t really get it, but they both have really maximized this situation.”
UTC forward Queen Alford lays the ball up during Lady Mocs’ basketball practice in this Oct. 22, 2014, file photo.Alford is sitting out because of NCAA transfer rules after playing her first two seasons at Jacksonville University where she was Atlantic Sun freshman of the year in 2013 and a second-team All-A-Sun selection both years. Despite her success in Florida, Alford wanted to be closer to her family in Decatur, Ga.
“I feel like I’m at home (at UTC),” she said Sunday before practice. “I’m only two hours away, and when I was in Jacksonville it was like six and a half hours, so I feel like this is home.
“As far as basketball, I thought it was going to be a really difficult journey, but I feel like Coach Foster is a really great coach and I’m glad I chose UTC to come to because he’s really helped a lot.”
Wert, a 6-foot-5 post player from Lancaster, Pa., was able to redshirt and improve her game because sophomore post Jasmine Joyner and senior forward Destiny Bramblett can handle the bulk of the play in the paint this season. In addition, Wert has dealt with a knee injury which, while not as serious as she initially feared, has sideline her in recent weeks.
“The transition to Chattanooga has been good,” she said. “At first (redshirting) was a new experience for me, but it’s good now and actually beneficial.
“I just get to sit back and learn a lot and get my body healthy and my knee healthy, and next year I’ll get to apply everything I’ve learned.”
Foster said both redshirt players have improved over the year, and he feels that this year will especially benefit Alford for her final two seasons of college basketball.
“I think this has been a good year for her,” he said. “I think she’s gotten better in the last month, starting to understand some things. She’s got some talent.
“She’s going to be more complete (next season). I think she’s a little bit better 3-point shooter than she was, and she can score off the bounce in the mid-range area. And she’s making better decisions on pick and rolls, etc.”
The two redshirt players get to spend a lot of time on the end of the bench during games learning Foster’s style of play and keeping each other company.
“We always try to encourage each other to keep our heads up and keep pushing through,” Wert said. “We have something nobody else on this team has, because we’ve gained an extra year and have this time to sit back and learn, and you have to use it to your advantage.”
Tonight, Alford and Wert will learn by watching their teammates take on the Terriers (7-16, 2-6) for the second time this season. The Mocs won the first meeting, 70-43, in the SoCon opener for both teams, but Wofford was without junior guard Jordan Frazier for that game. Frazier leads her team in scoring and is third in the conference with 15.8 points per game.
“They now have two real quick guards and they’ll try to force tempo,” Foster said “She makes them a better team and a harder team to guard with her quickness.
“It doesn’t matter who we play, we have to guard. The one consistent thing you’re in control of is your defense.”
Alford knows she has a responsibility to work hard in practice this season, but she’s still looking forward to getting her chance to show UTC fans what she can do.
“I know that my time isn’t now, but it’s coming, so I’m just being patient,” she said. “I knew that coming into this and being a redshirt I would have to sit out, but sometimes, like when we beat Tennessee and stuff, I really wanted to be out there.
“My game has changed tremendously, but you won’t really be able to tell until I’m out there playing. And I can’t wait to see that happen.”
Contact Jim Tanner at jtanner@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6478. Follow him at twitter.com/JFTanner.