UTC men’s basketball coach Matt McCall shouts to players during the Mocs’ final season home basketball game against Samford at McKenzie Arena on Saturday, Feb. 27, 2016, in Chattanooga, Tenn.Matt McCall spent far more time focusing on the positives than the negatives after Sunday’s 40-point loss to sixth-ranked North Carolina.
What else could he do?
The loss was what it was, but the second-year University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men’s basketball coach was able to get some key rotation players much-needed experience in big-game settings.
He threw true freshman point guard Rodney Chatman to the wolves – or in this case, the wolf, UNC junior guard Joel Berry II, considered one of the best on-ball defenders in the country. In 16 minutes, Chatman was 2-for-8 from the floor and had three assists but five turnovers while being harassed by Berry.
“Rodney is going to be a terrific player for us,” McCall said after the game in Chapel Hill, N.C. “It’s a great learning experience for him tonight as well as our whole team. I thought he played really well against a junior guard who played in the national championship game, and Rodney played in one collegiate game. I think our whole team can take a lot of experience from this.”