The Chattanooga Mocs basketball team is off to a good start to the fall semester as August comes to a close.

Season tickets are now on sale to the public after the renewal deadline passed earlier this month. There are a school-record 18 home dates on the schedule. There are two home tournaments offering an additional five non-UTC games for 23 total hoops dates in the package.

Austin Peay, Eastern Kentucky, High Point, Louisiana Tech, Mercer, Southeast Missouri, Troy and Utah State are among the non-conference foes coming to McKenzie Arena. Along with Southern Conference North Division foes Appalachian State, Elon, UNCG, Samford and Western Carolina, the Mocs welcome Davidson, College of Charleston, The Citadel and Furman from the South Division.

Tickets can be purchased by visiting the McKenzie Arena ticket office, on GoMocs.com or by calling (423) 266-MOCS (6627).

Senior guard Dontay Hampton (Chattanooga, Tenn.) is recovering from ACL surgery performed in July. His prognosis is good.

“Tay would be out there right now if we let him,” John Shulman smiled. “We are talking about a very unique human. You never sell him short. We are hoping to get him back by Christmas and up to speed early in the SoCon schedule.”

Hampton was a team captain in 2011-12 and is likely to retain that role this season.

A lot has changed for junior post Sam Watson (Knoxville, Tenn.) in the past couple of weeks. Between a clean bill of health, jersey and a special surprise, it’s been a nice little August for the walk-on big man.

Well, that’s former walk-on big man. With an extra scholarship available, Watson has been awarded a full ride for 2012-13.

“It’s the right thing to do,” Shulman stated. “Sam has been very loyal to our program and a contributor on and off the court. We are excited to have him back.”

Watson sat out 2011-12 rehabbing after shoulder surgery. He recently got the green light for full participation in drills and workouts. He also changed his number from 44 to 4.

Watson started 11 games as a true freshman. His insertion in thstarting lineup began a season-best six-game winning streak in 2009-10. He has two years of eligibility remaining.

Farad Cobb (West Palm Beach, Fla.), Casey Jones (New Orleans, La.), Gee McGhee (Baton Rouge, La.) and Eric Robertson (Huntsville, Ala.) have made a very good first impression. Their work ethic over the summer has not gone unnoticed.

“I could not be happier at this point with the work attitude our freshman class has shown,” Shulman added. “We are talking about a special group of guys heart-wise. They are who we thought they’d be.

“That’s very good because there are three starting job open right now,” he continued. “We could start three freshmen which scares the living daylights out of me to tell you the truth, but it is exciting at the same time. This is a high-level group.”

The basketball program has a new way for you to follow its progress. It is @GoMocsMBB on twitter. Follow it for all the news, notes and insights into the men’s basketball team. This will include pictures from the road, motivational quotes and in-game updates as well as stories, notes and quotes from GoMocs.com.