The sudden loss of David Jean-Baptiste has left a void on the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga basketball roster, as the Mocs are down to just eight scholarship players.
The team was able to navigate its way to 6-0 with an 81-63 win over NCAA Division II North Georgia on Saturday, but going forward, the competition gets tougher starting with Wednesday's game against UNC Asheville. After that are road trips to Alabama-Birmingham and Tennessee State before conference play starts on Dec. 30 at home against Furman.
As depleted as the roster currently looks, there's likely help on the way.
According to multiple media outlets, including The Athletic, the NCAA is preparing to announce as early as Wednesday that all transfers have been granted immediate eligibility for the 2020-21 season, a move being made with the hopes that schools will be able to withstand issues pertaining to COVID-19.
It's a move that will immediately benefit the Mocs, who have two players currently sitting out: Guard/forward Darius Banks, who transferred with one season remaining from James Madison and junior forward K.C. Hankton, who has two years left. With the NCAA giving all players an extra year of eligibility, Banks and Hankton would not only be eligible to play the rest of this season, but will be able to compete all next season under the same classification - Banks as a senior and Hankton as a junior.
In addition to those two, the Mocs have been playing without junior forward Mark Tikhonenko - who has been out since the Tennessee Tech game because he has been out of the country dealing with some visa and passport issues - and sophomore guard/forward Grant Ledford, who suffered a lower body injury prior to the season opener and is still expected to be out a couple more weeks.
Jean-Baptiste's loss not only took just over 1,000 career points with him, but it also took four years and over 100 career games of experience away from the Mocs at a position of need. It cost the team a ball handler and a scorer - he was leading the team at 18.0 points per game - and that's something that will have to be accounted for going forward.
Neither Banks nor Hankton can immediately fill that role, but where can they help?
At 6-foot-5, Banks primarily played guard for the Dukes, scoring 1,069 points in his three-year career. His addition is an interesting one, because his size will allow him to play a number of positions for the Mocs. He averaged 11.5 points for his career, but more importantly for this roster, he averaged 4.7 rebounds per game in 93 career contests. What's intriguing is his ability to grab rebounds and be able to get downcourt and facilitate the offense from his position, which will allow players like Malachi Smith and A.J. Caldwell - now the team's primary ball-handlers - to play a little more off the ball.
But if Banks is played at forward, he is quick enough to take bigger defenders off the dribble, which could lead to layups and kickouts to open 3-point shooters. It will give the Mocs a chance to play with Stefan Kenic inside some, as head coach Lamont Paris mentioned the need for somebody to develop as an inside scorer.
Hankton provides an intriguing piece as well, because at 6-7 he doesn't necessarily have a specific position. It's probable that Paris will play him primarily as a stretch-4, but Hankton has a nice lefty touch and a nice stroke from long range and his size will allow the Mocs yet another option up front.
Imagine a lineup with Smith (6-4), Caldwell (6-5), Banks (6-5), Hankton (6-7) and Kenic (6-9). Or senior Josh Ayeni. Or redshirt freshman Jaden Frazier. Or Tikhonenko when he gets back. The Mocs have lost some experience and a scorer in Jean-Baptiste, but with Wednesday's announcement, they'll be adding some speed and size to the equation.
It may take a little while for the new pieces to gel with the rest of the lineup, but if they do they'll suddenly have a roster reminiscent of the 2015-16 team that won 29 games and advanced to the NCAA tournament. That team was led by its upperclassmen - three seniors and six juniors - and added a Division I transfer midyear (Dee Oldham).
This season? Three seniors. Five juniors. And a Division I transfer available midyear (two actually in Banks and Hankton).
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenley3.