Honor Huff
photo by Ray Soldano/GoMocs.com
Honor Huff has become known for his trademark “call me” hand signal whenever he makes a 3-point shot. He should expect plenty of incoming calls these next few weeks.
Only two days removed from University of Tennessee at Chattanooga experiencing the elation of winning the National Invitation Tournament, the reality of the current environment of college basketball emerged Saturday morning as Huff announced his intentions to enter his name into the transfer portal.
Huff, a native of Brooklyn, N.Y. who led all of Division I this season with 131 made 3-pointers, will have one year of eligibility remaining.
One of the most engaging and dynamic players to ever wear a UTC uniform, Huff led Chattanooga to a 29-9 record while averaging 15.2 points per game. He was signed by current UTC head coach Dan Earl when he was at VMI, then followed Earl to Chattanooga after his freshman year when Earl accepted the helm of the Mocs program three years ago.
Huff made the following announcement via a post on his X social media account Saturday morning:
“Last night the entire Moc community became NIT champions! Words can’t describe how grateful and proud I am to have worn #3 for Chattanooga these past couple years. On and off the court the relationships and memories will forever be part of who I am. To Coach Earl, (Ander) Galfsky, and (Logan) Dahms, you saw talent in me when no one else did and provided opportunities for me to grow & display that talent. To the entire coaching staff, community, and my team – I am humbled by the support and love that I have received. I wouldn’t trade the time I have spent with y’all for anything.
This NIT championship represents what I love about the game and everything I have loved about being a Moc.
Decisions like this are difficult and emotional, but with that being said it is in my best interest to enter my name into the transfer portal.
Chattanooga will always hold a special place in my heart, it will forever be GO MOCS.”
The move comes as no surprise as it has been widely rumored that Huff would capitalize on his successful season given the current NIL landscape. The 5-foot-10 junior sharpshooter connected on 40% of his 3-point tries (240-of-602) during his two seasons at Chattanooga and made 82% of his free throws while averaging 16.2 points over 69 games.
Should Huff decide to relocate his services elsewhere for his senior year, it leaves the Mocs in need of replacing multiple roster spots. Sophomore guard Noah Melson also announced Friday his submission into the transfer portal. In addition, UTC lost Trey Bonham, Garrison Keeslar, Bash Wieland, Frank Champion and Jack Kostel as fifth-year seniors.
UTC did receive a pair of commitments in the past week from the portal. Jikari Johnson, a 6-foot-4 guard who averaged 20.7 points and 4.9 rebounds at Division II Trevecca Nazarene publicly announce his decision to come to Chattanooga on Friday. Earlier in the week, Brennan Watkins, a 6-foot guard who played for Earl at VMI and most recently competed for North Dakota State, announced his commitment to UTC via his social media account. Watkins averaged 6.3 points this past season.
Paul Payne can be emailed at paulpayne6249@gmail.com