Mocs Enter SoCon Play With Historic 9-0 Record

Chattanooga-(WDEF-TV) Playing college basketball during a global pandemic is historic enough, then the Chattanooga Mocs took it to another historic level.
They got off to a 9-0 start, which is the best in school history.
UTC will try to keep the good times going Wednesday as they tip off their SoCon schedule.

Said head coach Lamont Paris:”It has been an interesting year. I’ll say that.”
Yeah playing in front of cardboard cut-outs qualifies for an interesting year.
And yet here’s UTC as one of only two teams in the country to achieve a 9-0 record.
Said Paris:”It’s just ironic or a little crazy that in that time that we would be playing or have played the best overall basketball in this year relative to other years when you feel like it’s a more normal year.”
What makes it even more amazing is the fact that the Mocs leading scorer David Jean Baptiste left the team after five games.
That meant more playing time for redshirt freshman and East Hamilton grad Jamaal Walker.
Said Paris:”You’ve got a guy like Jamaal Walker, who is thrust into a starting role. All he does is some really normal stuff that allows the game to continue to be played, and then every now and then, you’ll notice him because he does something really good.”
Hard not to notice Malachi Smith.
He has seven double-doubles in nine games, including a 29-point outburst his last time on the court.
Said Paris:”I’m a little surprised that he has been consistently able to rebound the way that he has.”
So Chattanooga is 9-0 overall, but they’re 0-0 in the SoCon.
They open league play Wednesday afternoon against the preseason favorite, Furman.
Said Paris:”Yeah. It’s time for phase two. We’re ready for that. We’ve done a good job in phase one, and we start off with a really tough opponent. It’ll be a good. It’ll be another great test to show exactly where you are.”

The Mocs and Furman tip at 1pm Wednesday at McKeinze Arena.