Ramon Vila's decision to skip his senior college season to pursue a professional career in his native Spain, a choice he made public last week, has created a huge void in the middle of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men's basketball team.
Vila, a 6-foot-8, 242-pound forward, was an All-Southern Conference honoree this past spring. So while his exit is obviously a setback for the roster ahead of UTC's fourth season with Lamont Paris as coach, it also opens a scholarship slot the Mocs may be able to fill via the NCAA transfer portal late in the offseason.
Still, with Vila on board, the Mocs were likely to be on the short list of teams that could compete for the SoCon championship in the upcoming season. Without him, there are a lot of questions.
UTC will enter the season with just two post players who have college experience: seniors Josh Ayeni (6-8, 212) and Stefan Kenic (6-9, 230) - and Ayeni wasn't on the 2019-20 roster. If the Mocs were counting on going into the season with three upperclassmen available in the post, they're going to have to find someone currently outside the program. If not, they will likely have to rely on sophomore Prosper Obidiebube (6-8, 205) and redshirt freshman Jaden Frazier (6-10, 210) to contribute.
The other possibility is that one of both of the forwards added to the roster in the offseason via transfers - KC Hankton (6-8, 215) from Saint Louis and Mark Tikhonenko (6-10, 240) from Sam Houston State - could receive a waiver from the NCAA granting immediate eligibility. Tikhonenko seems the more likely of the two to receive such clearance, but it's just as possible neither is available at all in 2020-21, or at least not for the entire schedule. Last season Kenic, who started his career at Cleveland State University in Ohio, didn't receive a waiver until Dec. 3, so it's not as though the situations are always quickly resolved.
So what's out there? Anything?
The Times Free Press looks at three potential candidates if Paris decides to use his final scholarship on a transfer:
AP photo by Jim Lytle / Mississippi State's E.J. Datcher moves in to defend as Alcorn State's Devon Brewer shoots on Nov. 26, 2018, in Starkville, Miss.E.J. Datcher, Mississippi State: Datcher (6-10, 240) has been in the transfer portal since late March. As a graduate, he would be eligible immediately and may welcome the opportunity to potentially contribute to a program on the rise. He played in 67 games during his career with the Bulldogs, which included three seasons of at least 20 wins, an NCAA tournament appearance and a semifinal run at the 2018 National Invitation Tournament. His main contributions to the Southeastern Conference program came in his first two seasons in Starkville; he played in only six games in 2018-19 before redshirting this past season and earning a degree in human development and family science.
Chandler Davis, Texas State: Like Datcher, Davis (6-8, 235) has graduated from college, completing a degree in criminal justice in May. He presents a similar build to Vila, and he has had some success in college, with a pair of double-digit scoring performances while with the Sun Belt's Bobcats, scoring 10 against both Drake and Portland. He's originally from Conyers, Georgia, and played at Snead State Community College in Boaz, Alabama, where he had 14 double-digit scoring performances. Maybe with one season remaining, he would welcome the opportunity to get closer to home.
Austin Trice, Portland State: The left-handed Trice (6-7, 235) never played for the Vikings, having transferred to the Big Sky program in Oregon from Kansas State after two seasons at Wabash Valley Community College. In his lone season with the Big 12's Wildcats, he averaged 1.9 points and 2.5 rebounds while shooting nearly 60% from the field. He made his living as a rebounding machine at Wabash Valley, recording 22 games with double-digit rebounds but reaching double figures in points just as many times, with 18 double-doubles. He graduated from Portland State and would be immediately eligible.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenley3.