Through the first 20 games of this season, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men’s basketball team was trending toward having consecutive mid-major players of the year.
Despite guard Malachi Smith, the 2022 honoree, having moved on to Gonzaga in the offseason, the Mocs had a new star in 7-footer Jake Stephens. The graduate transfer from Virginia Military Institute followed up on being named the Southern Conference preseason player of the year by earning league player of the week recognition six times.
But in UTC’s home loss to Furman on Jan. 18, Stephens felt what he thought was just a jammed finger — obviously not an uncommon injury — early in the second half while going for a rebound. By the end of the game, his thumb was swollen.
In the 11 games since then, as the Mocs wrapped up the regular season with a record of 15-16 overall and 7-11 in the SoCon, Stephens has been only a cheerleader for his teammates. With nothing definitive on whether Stephens would be back on the court this season, first-year UTC coach Dan Earl and his staff had been hopeful about the big man’s outcome.
There really isn’t much Stephens could do to make it better, so much like his coaches, he sat and waited. And hoped.