Frank Champion recalled a conversation with his father during the summer, after having spent a couple of months training as one of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga’s biggest basketball recruits in the previous cycle.
The two-time All-American at Division II North Georgia had just finished one of head coach Dan Earl’s patented shooting workouts — players are “supposed” to make 10,000 shots during the summer — and it had been quite the change from his UNG career, where the 6-foot-7 forward’s ability to essentially get to the basket whenever he wanted or needed to negated the need to really develop a 3-point shot.
“I told my dad, ‘Man, my arms are going to fall off I’ve been shooting so much,'” Champion said.
In four seasons at North Georgia, Champion attempted only 30 3-pointers out of nearly 1,200 shots and he didn’t need to score from deep. As one of the unique talents in the country, he averaged 17.6 points over that career and shot 57% from the field. But he also averaged 8.4 rebounds and 3.8 assists, blocked 99 shots and had 133 steals in 100 career games.
So, shooting from long range wasn’t really in the cards. Transitioning to Earl’s system — where you actually have to have the ability to hit those shots — was going to require building some confidence, which meant practicing. So Champion did, getting in the gym and getting those shots up.
But then he got hurt and was out the first part of the season. The ever-present smile never left, but it was easy to surmise that he wanted to be out there with his new UTC teammates.
Champion missed the first eight games and is still trying to work some kinks out in adjusting to the Division I game, but he’s still been a vital piece and is averaging 10.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.9 assists for the 13-8 Mocs, who are currently sitting in a three-way tie for third in the Southern Conference with Wofford and East Tennessee State with a 5-3 record.
“I still think I’ve got more of my game to show as the season goes on,” he said. “It was frustrating not to be able to showcase the things I’d worked on; when you get an injury, there is a setback and a process to getting back to where you want to be.”
He’s also made five 3-pointers — the same number he made in four seasons at UNG.
“He’s a mismatch for other teams with his ability to dribble, with his athleticism that’s coming back still now,” Earl said recently. “He has a great ability to pass, especially when we’re playing him at the center spot, but he can play the forward spot as well. Sometimes with his play making, he’s turned the ball over a little bit too much and that hurts us, but we have confidence in him and he’s a really cerebral player.”
Added senior forward Bash Wieland: “He’s a game-changer. He makes a lot of good plays, so I’m looking forward to building on that and continuing to play with him.”
Champion’s roommate Jack Kostel recently said the best part of the move from Division II to Division I was how “you can’t take yourself too seriously,” which has allowed him to have fun. Champion said that his years of playing at that level provided him a healthy perspective about things.
“You get the acceptance of, ‘Man, I get the opportunity to play basketball,'” Champion, who has professional basketball aspirations after this season, said. “You meet new friends, you meet new brothers, and I think at the D1 level, a lot of guys are so make-it-or-break-it and it kind of messes up your mentality of actually enjoying the situation you’re in.
“Playing D2 helps you stay down to earth for sure and realize, hey, this is basketball at the end of the day.”
But at the end of the day, he’s a competitor, a basketball player. And he wants to do whatever it takes to bring a SoCon championship back to Chattanooga.
“I like to hoop,” he said. “I feel like I should have been here (the Division I level) a while ago. I play against those guys all summer, all those people, so it’s really nothing to me.
“I think the biggest thing night in and night out is we’re still putting things together. We’re still figuring out pieces and what works together because of our setbacks that we may have had earlier, which we can kind of use to a positive aspect now for sure. This league reminds me of the Peach Belt (UNG’s conference). You might say Samford’s probably at the top of the pack, the reigning champs, but everybody’s beatable. There’s us, Furman, ETSU, UNCG — whoever comes to play their best ball is who will come out on top, so I think it’s been very fun for me because I love a good, competitive league.
“I know the fans are probably a little mad because they’ve got to have a heart attack every game, but I like being able to come in every night and compete.”
The Mocs travel to face Western Carolina Wednesday (6-13, 2-6) at 7 at the Ramsey Center.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com.