Mocs’ Bonham Proud To Finish His College Journey In Chattanooga

Trey Bonham was faced with a critical decision at the end of last season. He had ventured down this path before, but he now had the benefit of wisdom and prior experience to help guide him.

Coming off a year where he earned first team All-Southern Conference laurels in his first season at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Bonham found himself at a crossroads of uncertainty. So, he entered his name into the transfer portal, hoping to gauge his options and gain some clarity on where to spend his final season of eligibility.

 A change of scenery wasn’t a new endeavor for the native of Mobile, Ala. After starting his career at VMI under current Mocs coach Dan Earl, Bonham transferred after two years to Florida for the 2022-23 season, spending one year with the Gators before reuniting with Earl and former Keydets backcourt mate Honor Huff last season in Chattanooga.

The allure of finishing his collegiate career at a big-time program held a certain appeal. But Bonham had already experienced the bright lights of competing in the SEC, and this decision went deeper into his soul than purely finding the biggest stage on which to perform. This was as much about his presence making a difference, finding the proper culture that would create an optimal intersection of his talents and his conscience.

At the end of his discovery process, Bonham recognized that the best move for him was no move at all.  He felt a debt of loyalty to those who had first given him a chance to compete at the collegiate level that made his opportunity to seek greener pastures even possible. In his heart, Bonham knew that he and his running mate Huff still had some unfinished business at UTC.

“I knew I had a good thing here, and it wasn't worth walking away from,” Bonham said. “I had already been at the highest level, and I realized that if I'm not on the court, I'm not happy. I just want to play basketball. I’ve seen firsthand how things don’t always work out like you envisioned. So I decided to stay. I love Chattanooga - the city, its people, my teammates and the coaches. It just wasn't worth leaving what I have here.”

Bonham’s decision was gratifying for Earl on many levels. It not only solidified the Mocs roster with one of the game’s more dynamic players, but it provided validation of the relationship they had cultivated since first recruiting him out of Mobile from UMS-Wright Preparatory School.

“Obviously Trey is a wonderful young man with high character and we were thrilled he chose to stay,” Earl said. “I think it shows unique maturity for him to take all the information in and say, ‘Okay, I am intrigued with it, but thinking about everything and knowing that I have a really good situation in Chattanooga.’  Here again, I just think he is mature and smart, and you don't see it all the time in this day and age. I'm grateful to him, because he's a player and a great young man I enjoy coaching.”

The connection between the pair was first forged when Bonham was finishing his high school career in the throes of COVID. An offer from Tulane his junior year fell through when the Green Wave coach was dismissed. Alabama-Huntsville under former UTC coach John Shulman showed some interest along with Central Arkansas. After scoring 50 points at a high school tournament game in their gym, South Alabama pressed for a quick commitment during a time when Bonham’s father was deployed overseas.

“South Alabama told me I had a week to commit because they had another prospect they were recruiting,” Bonham said. “My dad was out to sea at the time and couldn’t be reached. I wasn’t about to commit without talking to him first, and so they just decided to move on. That one hurt because they didn’t understand my dilemma.”

Bonham’s father, Robert, reached out to VMI to gauge their interest in offering his son, and Earl was immediately intrigued.

“We would watch film on a million guys at VMI, and I usually gave my staff a hard time because I'd focus on all the reasons why we shouldn’t sign a particular player,” Earl said. “But when I watched film on Trey, I told them we had to get this guy. He was so dynamic with the ball and explosive and fast. And then I heard his backstory coming from a military family, so that obviously helped things as well.”

But Bonham was uncertain that matriculating to VMI was the right fit for him, particularly coming from a high school that had a historical military past.

“I was kind of hesitant with the military part,” Bonham said. “I was already tired of the military aspects at UMS where they wouldn’t let you grow your hair out. With my dad being in the military, I wanted to get as far away from it as possible at first. But Coach (Ander) Galfsky came to watch me play a couple of times, then I went up there on an unofficial visit, and they offered me there.”

The early days transitioning to VMI were rocky for Bonham, but his father was insistent that his son honor his commitment.

“Oftentimes kids at VMI have a tough time early in their time there,” Earl said. “I do remember Trey struggling maybe two or three days in and we had to go meet with him. It was nice for us because his father wasn't going to let him leave. You don't get that all the time. That's a little more of an old school thing. It helped that his father supported Trey and supported us, and I think Trey is now thankful for that experience.”

Bonham found early success on the hardwood at VMI, making the Southern Conference All-Freshman team while averaging 8.6 points per contest his first season. He backed that up the next year by scoring at 13.6 per game clip with a high of 31 at Samford. He also gave UTC fans a preview of coming attractions when he tallied 20 and Huff poured in 22 as the Keydets upset the Mocs at McKenzie Arena despite future Moc Jake Stephens sidelined for most of the game with an ankle injury.

Bonham had established himself as a marketable entity on the court and he had a free pass to escape the military structure of VMI. He opted to transfer his talents to Gainesville, Fla. to see how his game translated to the SEC level.

There were plenty of high points, particularly early in the year for the Gators. Bonham played his way into the starting lineup, scoring 23 points against Xavier and 19 versus Oregon State in the Phil Knight Legacy in Portland, Ore. He matched his season-high of 23 against Florida A&M, a game where he was a perfect 7-for-7 on 3-pointers. Through 14 games, Bonham was averaging 10.6 per game after racking up 21 at Texas A&M.

But things changed in the second half of the year. Part of it stemmed from an ankle injury which, combined with a loss of confidence, led to diminished playing time. Bonham finished the year averaging 5.6 points in 30 games played, although he totaled only 18 total points over his final 16 outings.

“The Florida experience was fun and I don’t regret it at all,” Bonham said. “I got to play at the highest level against multiple NBA prospects. It was definitely a dream come true. I did everything I went to accomplish, but it's still basketball at the end of the day. There may be more athleticism at that level, but it’s still the ball and the hoop.”

With a yearning for more playing time than what his future at Florida portended, Bonham once again entered his name into the transfer portal. It didn’t take long for him to hear from his former coach at VMI, who was now in charge of the program at UTC.

“Chattanooga was one of the first schools to reach out to me,” Bonham said. “Even though I was at Florida, they always supported me throughout the season with encouraging texts. Coming to UTC was an easy decision having had a previous good experience with the coaches and knowing that Honor was here.”

As a two-time transfer, Bonham was not ruled eligible until early December last season. But once given clearance to compete, he made a splash in his home debut with a game-winning half-court heave to defeat Gardner-Webb. The reunion with Huff created an electric pairing as he averaged 16 points per game while connecting on 41.3% of his 3-pointers.

Expectations were high entering his senior campaign as he and Huff serve as the cornerstones to a reconstructed roster that featured five incoming veteran transfers. But a bevy of injuries have forced Earl to constantly reshuffle the lineup, putting more pressure on Bonham to live up to his preseason conference player of the year selection.

“I think I've had flashes of what I expect from myself, but my production has been nowhere near my ceiling,” Bonham said. “Me and Honor haven't had a game yet that's been to our level of expectation. But I feel like the pieces are here on this team for a great season.”

Bonham has averaged 12.3 points per contest with a high of 28 against Tennessee State while shooting a disappointing 39.8% from the field and 26.9% from long range. Meanwhile, Huff is averaging 10.4 points per game while shooting 32.2% on field goals and 24.2% beyond the arc.

“Trey and Honor have not gotten off the best starts, but college basketball is about persevering through the ups and downs,” Earl said. “They are learning to rely upon other guys so they don’t have to put that pressure on themselves to be the leading scorers every time out. I have no doubt that they will both work through this and become better players for having gone through it. I totally trust them and know they will return to their potential.”

When asked if he enjoyed the pressure of living up to the lofty expectations, Bonham nodded his head and offered an endearing smile.

“Yeah, I do,” Bonham said. “It’s what I’ve worked for my whole career, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Bonham has proven to be a fighter, raised by a father who will never let him quit. Overlook him at your own peril, because he and his sidekick Huff will return to their dynamic form soon enough.

Paul Payne can be emailed at paulpayne6249@gmail.com