The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga women's basketball team tipped off practice last week for the 2021-22 schedule, hoping to improve on last season's 14-10 record.
The Mocs will host a Nov. 5 exhibition game against NCAA Division II program Georgia College - the Bobcats are coached by Ross Jolly, a UTC graduate and brother of Tennessee Lady Volunteers coach Kellie Harper - before opening the regular season at home Nov. 9 against Belmont. UTC returns four starters and the players responsible for more than 70% of the team's scoring from last season, when the Mocs finished their Southern Conference schedule 9-5 before losing their opening game at the conference tournament.
Here are three storylines regarding the team heading into Katie Burrows' fourth season as head coach.
High risk, high reward: The Mocs were an extremely confusing team last season, leaving no clue what to make of them from start to finish. They had seven games of at least 20 turnovers, but they also had a winning record in those games; they had 19 games of at least 15 turnovers, but they went 12-7 in those. Taking care of the basketball wasn't as much of a premium for the Mocs as scoring. They finished in the top three in scoring and field-goal percentage within the SoCon, and they were 13-3 when they scored at least 60 points. Burrows' 2020-21 team was unselfish at times - perhaps too unselfish - but that was necessary because it could score. Still, it would be ideal if the Mocs took better care of the ball, because they have some talented players who can put it in the basket.
Staff photo / UTC guard Morgan Hill dribbles past UNC Greensboro's Amber Redmond during a SoCon game on Feb. 21 at McKenzie Arena. The Mocs are a little more than a month from tipping off their 2021-22 schedule by opening the regular season at home against Belmont on Nov. 9.Who will step up? Eboni Williams is a really good player. Abbey Cornelius is a really good player. Aside from that, UTC's roster is filled with players mostly unproven at the collegiate level. The Mocs' biggest challenge last season was inconsistency, and that was with a slightly more veteran squad. Can somebody fill the loss of the graduated Bria Dial? More than her scoring, it was her presence on the court that was vital throughout the season. There's a lot of hope that players will take on bigger roles this season, but there is no definitive answer as to who is most likely.
Restoring the standard: There's a lot of pride in Chattanooga for a program that has won 18 of the 38 SoCon women's basketball tournament championships, but that same program has been in a steady decline since the 2013-14 season. Yes, the Mocs won the league tournament the following three seasons, but the margins kept shrinking and shrinking until Mercer has now emerged as the new top dog in the SoCon. Although winning a share of the regular-season title in 2020 was nice for the Mocs, their season would have ended at the WNIT - not in the NCAA bracket - had the COVID-19 pandemic not led to the cancellation of the remainder of the season. The SoCon in women's basketball has not been a good league for a long time, and it's there for the taking. UTC should always be in that mix, and while it feels as though Burrows - who was 102-23 with four SoCon titles during her UTC playing career and worked as an assistant to both Wes Moore and Jim Foster - is on the cusp of getting there as a head coach, there is a small level of angst from fans wanting that process to speed up. Could this be the team to start another run?
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenley3.