University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men’s basketball coach Lamont Paris apparently favored a bold and direct approach when it came to recruiting Avery Diggs last year. Diggs said Paris told him at the time that if he used his final season of college eligibility at UTC, the Mocs would “win a championship.”
This past Monday night in Asheville, North Carolina, Diggs and his teammates celebrated on the Harrah’s Cherokee Center court, champions of the Southern Conference tournament after a dramatic 64-63 overtime victory against Furman.
Like so many others on this year’s UTC roster, Diggs’ journey didn’t start in Chattanooga – and basketball didn’t become something serious for the former Florida prep star until his junior year of high school.
At 6-foot-10, he was going to get a chance at the next level, especially as a raw prospect. That led to an opportunity at the University of South Carolina Upstate, which was followed by a season at Southwest Mississippi Community College, which paved the way for him to sign with the University of Central Florida, where he played two seasons and obtained a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies.
“I’ve got family all over the place, though,” Diggs said. “My family has supported me wherever I’ve been.”
At every stop, he had received a chance to start. After graduating, he was ready for the chance to win.
Which is why what Paris said to him about the Mocs becoming champions – at a program that hadn’t been the SoCon’s top team since 2016 – resonated so much.
“He told me that, so I believed it,” Diggs said. “Our goal has always been to go 1-0 every game this season.”
But for Diggs, finding the right fit when it came to basketball did mean bouncing around some. That’s not uncommon in today’s transfer-heavy era, but being a well-traveled player is still sometimes viewed in a negative light.
As for Diggs? He has been beloved in Chattanooga, especially after a 21-point explosion at Mercer on Feb. 7, when he made 10 of 11 shots and aided the Mocs’ 74-72 overtime victory. The 255-pounder’s soft touch around the rim, combined with his size, usually make him a difficult player to guard once he gets close.
Finding the right fit also meant a bit of sacrifice on his part, because the Mocs aren’t exactly thin in the paint. Diggs was going to have to share time with both Silvio De Sousa and Josh Ayeni, two other big men who transferred to UTC with experience as a college starter – just like Diggs.
He still found his niche, averaging 4.6 points and 2.3 rebounds in just less than 10 minutes a game this season. His 64% field-goal percentage led the team.
“It’s a tremendous asset to have one of those bodies that are capable, that you trust out there,” Paris said in February. “But we have multiple guys with distinctively different skill sets that are very comfortable with who they are as a player, and I think that’s the ultimate thing when it comes down to a player doing well: He has to be comfortable with who he is.”
That combination was enough to get the Mocs (27-7) to the NCAA tournament in their fifth season under Paris – their seed and opponent will finally be known when the 68-team bracket is unveiled Sunday – and in his lone season at UTC, Diggs has played a role in the team’s success.
And like Paris predicted in the recruiting process, the Mocs won a championship.
Photo by Angela Foster / UTC men’s basketball coach Lamont Paris, center, talks to guard Malachi Smith, right, while guard David Jean-Baptiste stands nearby as the Mocs are welcomed home by fans in front of McKenzie Arena on Tuesday, a day after winning the SoCon tournament title game in Asheville, N.C.Watch with the Mocs
While the Mocs have played their final home game of the season, UTC is inviting fans to join the team at McKenzie Arena one more time Sunday evening for a watch party of the NCAA tourney selection show.
CBS will televise the special at 6 p.m., and doors will open one hour prior at McKenzie. Gates 1 and 3 will be open, and fans may park in lots 20, 32 and 33 without passes.
There is no charge to attend, but concessions and merchandise will available on a cashless basis. Information on NCAA tournament and season tickets will also be available.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenley3.