Freshman forward Latif Diouf showed flashes of promise last week in his collegiate debut
photo by GoMocs.com
Last week’s season opening journey to California may not have produced any wins in contests at Southern Cal and St. Mary’s, but University of Tennessee at Chattanooga coach Dan Earl found some positives in the trip despite the losses.
With 10 newcomers on the roster that includes five players plucked from the transfer portal to go along with a pair of high school signees and three walk-ons, finding the right chemistry early in the season was already going to be a challenge for Earl and his staff.
But the Mocs entered play last week short-handed with three key players expected to garner plenty of minutes sidelined due to injury. Two-time Division II All-American forward Frank Champion – a transfer from the University of North Georgia – along with graduate transfer guard Bash Wieland from Bellarmine were unable to suit up for the opening games, in addition to 6-foot-10 redshirt freshman Collin Mulholland who sat out last year.
“With all these injuries, we're trying to figure out it, and it's going to take time,” Earl said. “Obviously USC was not our best showing, but against St. Mary’s we took a step in the right direction. They're a very good team. As guys roll in from injury, I think we could be really good this year if we can mesh everybody together.”
Champion averaged 17.6 points per game over his four seasons at UNG, scoring 1,763 points while converting 57 percent of his field goal attempts. The 6-foot-7 native of Lithonia, Ga. was one of Earl’s key transfer portal pickups.
Wieland provides the Mocs some needed size in the backcourt, with his 6-foot-6 frame creating favorable matchups. The Cincinnati native scored at a 14.2 per game clip for Bellarmine last year with a high of 25 points at Kennesaw State.
“I think Collin and Bash are will be back sooner rather than later. But Frank’s going to still be a little more time before he’s ready,” Earl said.
The trio’s absence created a shift in Earl’s expected personnel rotation, but also allowed an opportunity for other players to step forward. Makai Richards, a redshirt junior transfer at forward from Pacific, established a new career-high with 19 points in only 18 minutes of court action in the loss to St. Mary’s. Also, transfer Garrison Keeslar from Walsh University averaged 10 points over the opening two games.
“It was good playing against some other teams, figuring out a little bit of the pieces,” Earl said. “It was a long trip and we had a good time together bonding. I think Makai played well particularly in game two, and Garrison gave us some really good minutes.”
Keesler tallied a career high of 35 points at Walsh where he averaged 15.5 points and nearly seven rebounds per contest to go along with a 4-to-1 ratio of assists to turnovers last year. The 6-foot-7 forward accumulated 1,209 points over his four seasons with a career average of 12.9 points per outing.
The dynamic backcourt duo of Honor Huff and Trey Bonham provided their reliable production for the Mocs as the cornerstones of the six returning players. Huff tallied 17 in the opener against USC, then backed that up with 14 against the Gaels. Bonham overcame an off night against the Trojans to supply 13 points against St. Mary’s. Equally important, the pair combined for only five turnovers over the first two games.
The Mocs parlayed a 14-2 run to open the second half at St. Mary’s to overcome a ten-point halftime deficit. The two teams were deadlocked at 52-all with 10:59 remaining before the Gaels scored 13 of the next 15 points as UTC was unable to pull any closer than eight points down the stretch.
“We played much harder and grew up a little bit even from game to game,” Earl said. “We had a tough night against USC. Their defense bothered us and we didn’t play with tenacity. A large percentage of the game against St. Mary's, we played the right way and were more competitive.”
Others making their UTC debut in California were freshman Latif Diouf and senior transfer Jack Kostel. Diouf, a 6-foot-9 freshman from the Netherlands who competed in California during high school, showed early signs of his potential last week in his first collegiate experience. Kostel also had some impressive minutes after playing for former UTC coach John Shulman at University of Alabama-Huntsville where he averaged 13.3 points per contest including a high-water mark of 36 in one outing.
“I think Latif showed some flashes,” Earl said. “He's a kid who we think could be really good. You throw him out against USC in his first college game and he showed he’s not afraid. He can make some plays and has a good feel for the game.”
The Mocs will travel to Clarksville to take on in-state foe Austin Peay State University Monday at 8 p.m. EST at F&M Bank Arena. This will be the first meeting between the two schools since 2011, and UTC holds a 10-8 advantage all-time in the series.
The Governors are 2-0 thus far, including an impressive 68-66 road win last Friday at Big East member Butler University. The game can be viewed on ESPN+ and will be aired on WFLI 96.1 FM/100.3 FM/1070 AM with Jim Reynolds entering his 45th season as “The Voice of the Mocs”.
The Mocs will open their home schedule on Thursday as the nightcap on a double-header, hosting Morehead State at 8 p.m. following the UTC women’s contest versus Troy slated to tip-off at 6.
Paul Payne can be emailed at paulpayne6249@gmail.com