Lamont Paris hasn’t forgotten his first game as coach of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men’s basketball program, a 68-63 exhibition loss to NCAA Division II member Francis Marion on Nov. 4, 2017.
The Mocs committed 22 turnovers that day at McKenzie Arena. They had just five assists. It was a sign of things to come, as that UTC team would win just nine regular-season games with a roster made up of a handful of scholarship athletes and some walk-on players, including one – A.J. Bowers – who was a student-manager pressed into duty, appearing in 14 games.
That challenging start is also why Saturday evening was so special to Paris.
The Mocs had already achieved their first goal of the season Wednesday, winning at East Tennessee State University to clinch the Southern Conference’s regular-season title. There was going to be a postgame celebration after Saturday’s home game against Samford regardless of the result, but a win on senior day would be that much sweeter – and it would also build some momentum going into the conference tournament next weekend in Asheville, North Carolina.
Mission accomplished with a 70-57 victory against Samford at McKenzie, where the Mocs were in control to finish the regular season 24-7 overall and 14-4 in SoCon play. The culmination of a five-year build was complete, and it’s why Paris was in no rush to take the net off his neck that he’d just cut off the rim.
“It’s hard to say how rewarding this is,” Paris said. “I get so caught up in our guys’ experiences and just watching them do it and enjoy it, and (assistant coach) Tanner Bronson’s wife (Jennifer) reminded me of where we were and where we are now, and the role I had in that.
“It’s just been incredible growth, and it’s incredibly rewarding and fulfilling to see it wasn’t always easy. You couldn’t always see the light, and at some point you have a plan but then a couple of things happen and make you want to vary and you consider deviation from that plan, but you stick to it and you can continue to improve in recruiting every year. Guys are more familiar with the program as you have more guys in the program. Then all of a sudden you put a product together.
“So it’s been a long time in the making.”
The Mocs pulled away late against the Bulldogs (20-10, 10-8), aided by a solid defensive performance that limited Samford guard Ques Glover to 12 points on 4-for-15 shooting. Glover had 20 points in the season series’ first meeting as the Bulldogs shot 50% in an 80-72 win on Feb. 2 in Birmingham, Alabama. They shot 39% on Saturday, with Jermaine Marshall leading with 17 points and eight rebounds and Logan Dye adding 11 and seven.
UTC was balanced on offense. Darius Banks led with 16 points and seven rebounds, and Malachi Smith 12 and eight with three assists – as well as the highlight of a huge dunk over 6-foot-9 forward Logan Dye.
Silvio De Sousa played well in his second game back from injury, totaling nine points and seven rebounds for the Mocs, while KC Hankton and Grant Ledford each scored eight points and sixth-year senior David Jean-Baptiste had just seven points but grabbed five rebounds with three steals and a pair of assists.
The Mocs didn’t shoot the ball well, going just 9-for-28 from 3-point range and 9-for-16 on free throws, but they also didn’t turn it over and allow Samford, which had 22 points off 18 turnovers in the first meeting, to get out in transition.
Compiled by Gene Henley. Contact him at ghenley@timesfreepress.com.