Mocs Introduce New Head Basketball Coach Lamont Paris

Chattanooga-(WDEF) The Mocs introduced new head basketball coach Lamont Paris on Tuesday afternoon.
The former Wisconsin assistant has been apart of several successful teams, and Chattanooga hopes that success will continue in the Scenic City.
New Mocs coach Lamont Paris has a track record for longevity on the job.
Maybe that will bode well for UTC, since their last two coaches left after just two seasons.
Said athletic director David Blackburn:”His last two jobs he has been at for 13 years.”
Said Paris:”I’m not a fly-by night guy like Blackburn alluded to. I spent 13 years at the last two institutions. I could have stayed at Wisconsin for 40 years if I had really wanted to.”
David Blackburn says Paris personifies the athletic department’s M-O.
Said Blackburn:”He aligns with our mission in our athletic department. Our mission is very simple. It’s three words. Equip for success.”
Reporter:”What style or brand of basketball do you want to bring here.”
Said Paris:”I want to bring a winning brand of basketball.”(laughter)
Paris is used to winning. During his basketball coaching career he has been to a total of twelve NCAA tournaments both on the D-one and D-two level, including three final fours.
Said Paris:”If you’ve been around winning. If you have been around players who do things the right way. Players that have made sacrifices. Players that played for each other. And you have been so much entrenched in that, and that’s all that you know, there’s no way that doesn’t help you recognize certain things.”
Now Paris is ready for his first career head coaching job.
Paris:”When you first start out coaching, you want to be a head coach. There are so many steps in particularly on my path, there were so many steps to get here. But I think the key was that each step, I thought it was the best step.”