In his first game in a University of Tennessee at Chattanooga uniform, KC Hankton knocked down a trio of 3-pointers and scored 16 points in a win over UNC Asheville on Dec. 16, 2020.
Since then, Hankton's UTC career has been up and down as he has battled injuries, including one in the 2022 NCAA tournament that potentially cost the Mocs in a one-point loss to Illinois.
The 6-foot-7 senior from Charlotte, North Carolina, started this season off hurt as well, but he appears to be getting back to his original self — and that's good for him and the Mocs.
Hankton finished with team highs of 13 points and eight rebounds while making three of the Mocs' 16 3-pointers in a 78-58 win at Virginia Military Institute on Wednesday night. Even the lopsided final score at Lexington's Cameron Hall wasn't indicative of the dominance shown by UTC, which built a 33-point halftime lead on the strength of 10 made 3s.
Once left for dead in the Southern Conference after the loss of star 7-footer Jake Stephens to a hand injury, the Mocs have won three straight games and four of their past six as they improved to 15-13 overall and 7-8 in the league. With three regular-season games to play, the Mocs are in the five spot in the 10-team league.
They host UNC Greensboro (18-10, 12-3) at noon Saturday before Samford (19-9, 13-2) comes to Chattanooga next Wednesday, then close at Wofford (14-14, 6-9) on Feb. 25.
"With the conference tournament coming up, this is when you want to get hot," Hankton said. "No matter what your record is beforehand, these last few games we've started to pick it up and we've been steamrolling teams, so it's been good."
To Hankton's point, the Mocs outscored Mercer 40-16 in the second half of Saturday's win in Chattanooga before the 47-14 first-half margin Wednesday against the Keydets (15-13, 7-8). VMI's Rickey Bradley scored a game-high 20 points and Taeshaud Jackson added 15 with 11 rebounds.
Besides Hankton, Brody Robinson was the only other Moc in double figures with 10 points. A.J. Caldwell finished with nine, all on 3s, and Jamal Johnson finished with just seven but had six of the Mocs' 24 assists, the team's season high against a Division I opponent. Johnson also had three steals.
"I'm hoping we can be really dangerous," said UTC coach Dan Earl, who was on the visitors' bench as he returned to the school he'd led the previous seven seasons. "I've been proud of the way I think we've taken steps defensively recently.
"We've always been an unselfish team on offense, and we're playing the right way. I think we can be pretty dangerous; hopefully we can continue to get better and be playing our best basketball heading into the tournament."
Compiled by Gene Henley. Contact him at ghenley@timesfreepress.com.