Obviously, Matt McCall likes being on a winning team.
As leader of the Gray squad during the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men's basketball team's open scrimmage Sunday, the first-year Mocs coach led his group to an 86-61 win over the White squad at McKenzie Arena.
The scrimmage was controlled, and of the 15 players who dressed out, 13 played on both teams at some point. The teams went through situations and also put on a mini-showcase for the 2015-16 season.
Senior Casey Jones led the scoring with 27 points, with 21 of those coming while he was playing for the Gray. The 6-foot-5 senior connected on 4 of 6 attempts from behind the 3-point line, showing an added facet to his game as he prepares for his final college season.
"I'm not going to stray away from what got me where I'm at, but at this day and age of my game, I've developed more and I'm going to shoot it more, but not as much as E-Rob (Eric Robertson) or Tre' (McLean)," Jones said. "It's a different staff and scheme, and this year they want me to shoot it more.
"We wanted to get better today, have fun and give the fans a show. We wanted to show them we've still been working and will continue to work hard."
Jones thanked the fans in attendance, mentioning he expected "20, maybe 10" to show up. There were a lot more around to get their first look at the former University of Florida assistant and his system.
The Mocs hit 19 3-pointers. Jones' Gray team committed 16 turnovers, but they were also balanced in their scoring. Greg Pryor had 19 points and hit all seven of his shots inside 3-point range, Justin Tuoyo had 16 points and five rebounds and classmate McLean added 10 points and 11 rebounds. All three are juniors.
Chuck Ester finished with a double-double (11 points, game-high 12 rebounds) while playing on both teams.
"It was good to get out on the floor and play in a game-like setting," McCall said. "The one thing that's evident to me was our depth, and that must be our biggest weapon. We got our style of play into the game, which is pressing and running up and down the floor.
"I thought we were good. I'll have to watch the film, but overall I'm pretty pleased."
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him at Twitter.com/genehenleytfp.