2008 Woodie Awards
Men's basketball team looks for first win
Dan Chismark
Issue date: 12/1/05 Section: Sports
- Page 1 of 1
An 0-3 record is probably not what UTC men's basketball coach John Shulman expected to start the season.
Although two of the losses came to major conference foes, Mississippi State and Minnesota, the home opener loss to Belmont came as a bit of a shock.
The 3-pointer reigned supreme for the Bruins, who shot 68 percent from beyond the arc to down the Mocs 93-79 Tuesday night.
A strong inside game by Charles Anderson, a Chattanooga senior, and Alfonso Pugh, a Cleveland, Tenn., senior, kept the game close until about midway through the second half.
Pugh had 16 points and seven boards and Anderson also put up 16 points.
Several other players stood out in the game. Redshirt freshman Jaycen Herring, a Memphis freshman, had 15 points in only his second collegiate start. Nicchaeus Doaks, a Trenton, Tenn., freshman, also started strong scoring seven points off the bench.
With about 16 minutes left in the game, Belmont only led by one but they immediately went on a 19-5 run to leave the Mocs behind.
The Bruins' outside shooting was just too much to keep up with. It was like watching Jimmy Chitwood in "Hoosiers;" he never seemed to miss a shot and neither did they. "I told them at halftime they can't keep shooting it like they did," Shulman said. "I was right; they shot it better."
Playing the role of Chitwood was Andy Wicke, who was 6-7 from 3-point land. He and Justin Ware both had 18 points to lead all scorers.
"We've got a lot of young guys and it's a learning experience," Ricky Hood said. "I'm glad it happened early so we can learn from it."
Big Ten conference powerhouse Minnesota hosted UTC on Saturday afternoon and put them down 67-46. The Mocs shot just 31 percent from the floor and committed 19 turnovers. The Gophers dominated the boards in the second half outrebounding UTC 25-12. They also turned their 17 offensive rebounds into 18 points. Casey Long, a Leesville, La., junior, had 13 points to lead the Mocs and Anderson added 10 points.
Only four current Mocs saw action last year and it is going to take a while for the newcomers to adjust. Also, seniors Jerrice Crouch and Steve Cherry are academically ineligible until Dec. 15.
"We're down people right now," Shulman said. "We're not going to be down people all year."
Coach Shulman is relying on the freshman to get him through this shorthanded patch.
"We got a lot of freshmen playing and we're just trying to survive," he said. "The best thing about freshmen is they become sophomores."
UTC heads to Murfreesboro Tuesday to try and reel in their first victory of the season against MTSU. The Blue Raiders are currently 1-1, and should provide a good test for the Mocs. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m.
Although two of the losses came to major conference foes, Mississippi State and Minnesota, the home opener loss to Belmont came as a bit of a shock.
The 3-pointer reigned supreme for the Bruins, who shot 68 percent from beyond the arc to down the Mocs 93-79 Tuesday night.
A strong inside game by Charles Anderson, a Chattanooga senior, and Alfonso Pugh, a Cleveland, Tenn., senior, kept the game close until about midway through the second half.
Pugh had 16 points and seven boards and Anderson also put up 16 points.
Several other players stood out in the game. Redshirt freshman Jaycen Herring, a Memphis freshman, had 15 points in only his second collegiate start. Nicchaeus Doaks, a Trenton, Tenn., freshman, also started strong scoring seven points off the bench.
With about 16 minutes left in the game, Belmont only led by one but they immediately went on a 19-5 run to leave the Mocs behind.
The Bruins' outside shooting was just too much to keep up with. It was like watching Jimmy Chitwood in "Hoosiers;" he never seemed to miss a shot and neither did they. "I told them at halftime they can't keep shooting it like they did," Shulman said. "I was right; they shot it better."
Playing the role of Chitwood was Andy Wicke, who was 6-7 from 3-point land. He and Justin Ware both had 18 points to lead all scorers.
"We've got a lot of young guys and it's a learning experience," Ricky Hood said. "I'm glad it happened early so we can learn from it."
Big Ten conference powerhouse Minnesota hosted UTC on Saturday afternoon and put them down 67-46. The Mocs shot just 31 percent from the floor and committed 19 turnovers. The Gophers dominated the boards in the second half outrebounding UTC 25-12. They also turned their 17 offensive rebounds into 18 points. Casey Long, a Leesville, La., junior, had 13 points to lead the Mocs and Anderson added 10 points.
Only four current Mocs saw action last year and it is going to take a while for the newcomers to adjust. Also, seniors Jerrice Crouch and Steve Cherry are academically ineligible until Dec. 15.
"We're down people right now," Shulman said. "We're not going to be down people all year."
Coach Shulman is relying on the freshman to get him through this shorthanded patch.
"We got a lot of freshmen playing and we're just trying to survive," he said. "The best thing about freshmen is they become sophomores."
UTC heads to Murfreesboro Tuesday to try and reel in their first victory of the season against MTSU. The Blue Raiders are currently 1-1, and should provide a good test for the Mocs. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m.
