INDIANAPOLIS, IND. — When Frank Champion went down with an injury, there was question as to which of the four remaining University of Tennessee at Chattanooga big men would step up in his place.
As it turns out, the answer was all of them.
While so much attention gets paid to the Mocs’ backcourt duo of Trey Bonham and Honor Huff — and deservedly so — there have been so many different role players that have made a difference for the Mocs on their run to Thursday’s National Invitation Tournament title game against UC Irvine at 9 at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
Basically, by definition on UTC’s team, the center position doesn’t get the headlines, but the creativity and unselfishness of the guards has provided opportunities for junior Makai Richards and freshmen Sean Cusano, Collin Mulholland and Latif Diouf, and each has shined in different moments since Champion’s injury the week of the Southern Conference tournament.
Theoretically, players will be simply cool with the chance to get on the court and help their team, and in a sense, that’s been the case with this group of guys who don’t know how much they are going to play or how many touches they are going to see on any given night. But it’s been that fusion into the culture that has been key when others thought the season was lost after the loss to Furman in the SoCon semifinals.
“I wish I had all the answers on how we’ve been able to do this, but credit to the guys because they’ve really stepped into roles and just embraced them,” UTC head coach Dan Earl said prior to Wednesday’s practice at Hinkle Fieldhouse. “Everybody wants to get theirs and they’ve done a wonderful job of just being ready and stepping up when they’re called on.”
Champion’s injury cost the Mocs 11.4 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.8 assists, the latter of which represented a team high per contest. His unique skill set was crucial during the team’s 11-game win streak entering the SoCon tournament, and the Mocs have had to do it with strength in numbers.
When it’s someone’s turn, the player has answered.
› Mulholland had the huge game against Middle Tennessee State in the first round of the NIT, with a trio of 3-pointers and 21 points in the triple-overtime win. He also had 11 a game later against Dayton.
› Richards has a unique skill set in the sense that the lefty has a soft touch around the basket and is a solid defender. Like Mulholland, his minutes have dipped at times, but he was really good in the semifinal win over Loyola-Chicago with 10 points on 5-for-5 shooting, his fourth double-digit game of the season.
› Cusano hasn’t always shown the same abilities offensively but thrived early on as a rebounder. It allowed him to settle into a role, and he also made plays against the Ramblers, with a seven-point, five-rebound performance highlighted by a big 3-point play in the second half.
› Diouf is a year behind Cusano and Mulholland from a development standpoint (the other two redshirted last season) but was thrown into the fire with some early injuries and looks more confident now as a result. He was huge in the Bradley game with seven rebounds and three assists, including a huge defensive rebound in the game’s final seconds that sealed the win.
“It’s tough because the minutes are kind of hit-or-miss, but you kind of get used to it,” Cusano said. “Getting into the flow and just knowing that you have to come in and to keep playing, you’ve got to make an impact.”
Minutes aren’t always consistent; but effort and energy has been. For every Bonham or Huff 3-pointer or spectacular play, Bash Wieland mid-range jumper or hustle play from a Garrison Keeslar or Jack Kostel, it’s been that fifth player on the court doing his role that’s contributed heavily to the team’s collective success.
And the best part is that the lack of egos has allowed the group to thrive together.
“We all push each other in practice and it’s a battle out there, but it’s not like we’re all trying to fight for our positions because we know what we expect out there,” Richards said. “We’ve just got to play as hard as we can and bring as much energy to help win, so that’s the best we can do.
“I feel like we’ve created great chemistry over the year and I can’t say much more about these guys — but they’re really good.”
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com.
