UTC’s Makale Foreman shoots for three in the game against VMI Wednesday, January 25, 2017 in UTC’s McKenzie Arena.Fast yet efficient.
That’s the style of play Lamont Paris hopes to bring to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men’s basketball team in his first head coaching gig.
Paris uttered the word “efficiency” on numerous occasions Tuesday, from his first news conference as Mocs coach to the radio rounds he made as part of his introduction to the city. It’s something his former employer, the University of Wisconsin, did well – on both ends of the court.
The Badgers ranked 33rd in the country in offensive efficiency this past season, according to statistical analyst Ken Pomeroy’s rankings. Their defense was even better, ranking ninth in the country and first in the Big Ten in conference games.
Three Wisconsin players shot at least 39 percent from 3-point range on at least 90 attempts, compared to two for the Mocs – and those players, Tre’ McLean and Greg Pryor, were seniors.
UTC athletic director David Blackburn raved upon his hiring of Paris about the former Wisconsin associate head coach’s ability to find and develop shooters, which is something the Mocs would have needed entering next season even if Matt McCall had remained as coach. The top returning 3-point shooter with a minimum of 50 attempts is Makale Foreman, who was 26-for-80 (33 percent) as a freshman in 2016-17.
Of course, making 3-pointers is secondary to getting the best shot, which is what Paris wants. He bragged about how the 2014-15 Badgers – the national runners-up – were the most efficient team since Pomeroy began his rankings in the 2001-02 season. That Wisconsin team finished with a rating of 127 in offensive efficiency, which considers points per 100 possessions.
“I want us to be a very efficient team,” Paris said Tuesday. “I want us to get to the first available shot, and sometimes that happens in six seconds, sometimes it happens in 29 seconds. I want to have a team that will be intelligent enough and make smart enough decisions to take that first shot. I want guys to be aggressive, not passive, but the better teams you play, that good shot is going to take more work to get to.
“In the postseason, you don’t get shots as easy, so why wait until the postseason before trying to get efficient with what you do offensively?”
The Badgers ranked first in the Big Ten in defensive efficiency last season and ninth in the country. Paris didn’t know the personnel of UTC’s 2017-18 roster well enough Tuesday to speculate what kind of defense the Mocs would primarily employ. He simply said discipline will be a key ingredient.
“You have to have the mindset of being a good defender individually, but you have to be disciplined to be a good unit defensively,” he said.
Recruiting updates
Paris met with 2017 signee Jalen Crutcher on Thursday in an attempt to sway the incoming point guard from wanting out of his national letter of intent. The 6-foot-3 Ridgeway High School senior said in an interview with the Memphis Commercial Appeal’s Mark Giannotto that he asked Paris for his release during that meeting “in case I don’t fit his style of play.”
Paris also is expected to meet with Terry Nolan, Jr., who’s from Baltimore, and his family on Sunday, Nolan’s father said. The younger Nolan, who averaged 17 points, six rebounds and five assists per game this season, was considered the steal of the class, with the former coaching staff believing he had the potential to be an Atlantic Coast Conference-caliber player.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenleytfp.