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Saturday, November 14, 2026Nov 14

Wiedmer: Dan Earl has coaching skills to win the Mocs both games and championships

Staff photo by Matt Hamilton / UTC men's basketball coach Dan Earl speaks with guests before the start of his introductory news conference Wednesday on campus.
Staff photo by Matt Hamilton / UTC men's basketball coach Dan Earl speaks with guests before the start of his introductory news conference Wednesday on campus.

My favorite University of Tennessee at Chattanooga basketball story involving the Virginia Military Institute goes something like this:

Back in the mid-1980s, when Mack McCarthy was roaming the Mocs’ sideline and Joe Cantafio was doing similar good coaching work for VMI’s Keydets with a couple of dynamic guards in twins Ramon and Damon Williams, a fellow member of the Scenic City media corps tapped me on the shoulder one night at the Roundhouse.

“This Williams guy is killing UTC,” he said. “He’s already got 38 points.”

I quickly replied, “Which one?”

He answered: “What do you mean, ‘Which one?'”