For six years, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga vice chancellor and athletic director Mark Wharton has shown extreme loyalty to the coaches he has hired.
The greatest example of that was extending the contract of former men’s basketball coach Lamont Paris, who was 22-43 after two seasons with the Mocs. Paris rewarded Wharton and UTC with 65 wins in his final three seasons and the program’s first Southern Conference tournament championship since 2016 before taking the South Carolina job after the 2021-22 season.
Friday, the university rewarded Wharton’s loyalty, giving him an extension keeping him in his current position through the 2027-28 school year.
“Mark has shown exemplary leadership in guiding our athletics program,” UTC chancellor Steve Angle said in a news release announcing the extension. “He has built a culture that has positively influenced our student-athletes’ success in the classroom, in competition and in the community.
“He has assembled and developed an outstanding staff that includes a talented group of coaches and administrators. They have worked tirelessly to recruit, guide and mentor our outstanding student-athletes who are exemplary representatives of our university. I am excited about the direction of our athletics program and look forward to enjoying their continued success.”