Justin Brown was in line to be a contributor for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men's basketball team last season until an injury forced a medical redshirt.
A year later, he's healthy and ready to impact the team.
The 6-foot-11 forward has gotten bigger and stronger and is expected to be ready for the Mocs' exhibition game Nov. 1 against Division II Lee University. He had played well in last season's closed scrimmage against Presbyterian but suffered an injury weightlifting and missed the season.
"I had bad posture," he said recently. "So it probably happened over time, but since I got here I was doing a lot of training my body wasn't used to. I thought it would go away, but it's all good now."
He potentially could have come back last season and helped the team in January, but as a developing player whose body probably wasn't ready for the Southern Conference rigors, he chose not to.
He said that as he's come on, the limitations are coming off. He was cleared to play and train with the Mocs in June, and he has started to focus on getting his stamina on par with his teammates.
"Once practice starts (today), it'll be more of a load to get adjusted to," he said. "I'm excited; it's been a long journey. I was in line to get a lot of minutes in the first game last season, and I realize how long it's taken to get back to where I am now."
As the season nears, the excitement has crept up. He said his newest crop of teammates - the Mocs have eight new players, including walk-on transfers who aren't expected to be eligible this season - already have developed a bond.
"I really liked last year's team. We had some really good guys and I got along with everybody," Brown said. "I think this year's roster is different in the sense that we seem a little bit more willing to buy into everything Coach (Lamont Paris) is saying. We're more of a unit on the court; as a team we get together more and we get along better than last year, both on and off the court.
"Chemistry-wise it will show and helps us improve as well. That got in our way of success last year, but we've already been able to jell a lot."
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenley3.