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LOCATION: Chattanooga, TN
CONFERENCE: Southern (South Division)
LAST SEASON: 16-12 (.571)
CONFERENCE RECORD: 9-7 (2nd)
STARTERS LOST/RETURNING: 1/4
NICKNAME: Mocs
COLORS: Navy Blue & Old Gold
HOMECOURT: UTC Arena (11,218)
COACH: Henry Dickerson (Morris Harvey '73)
record at school 29-27 (2 years)
career record 29-27 (2 years)
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ASSISTANTS: John Gibson (Chattanooga '88)
Jon Goddard (Chattanooga '90)
L.J. Kilby (Lincoln Memorial '75)
TEAM WINS: (last 5 years) 19-15-24-13-16
RPI (last 5 years) 147-210-111-205-146
1998-99 FINISH: Lost in conference semifinal.
ESPN.com Clubhouse
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One of the last remaining links to Chattanooga's finest hour in basketball is gone. Point guard Wes Moore (8.1 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 96 assists, 49 steals), a valuable starter on the team that made an improbable run to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 in 1997, has graduated, leaving a huge void. Moore was recognized as the steadiest floor leader in the Southern Conference over the last few seasons. He led the conference in assist-turnover ratio (3.3-1.0) last season, as he did the season before and the season before that. Replacing such a sure-handed point guard will be the biggest key to Chattanooga's success this season. So far, third-year coach Henry Dickerson is putting a positive spin on Moore's departure. And why not? He has most of his key performers returning from a team that went 15-7 last year after a 1-5 start. "We will be better than last year," said Dickerson. "At the end of the year, we had become a better team. We can expect a more athletic team than the last two years. We will be able to press and run more and play more man-to-man defense with this team because of our overall athleticism. "When you have good athletes, you have a tendency to let the guys push, press and run more. The last two years we were more of a halfcourt team. Wes Moore was more of a halfcourt player. Some of our other kids were better at the halfcourt game. That should change this year." Dickerson is also hoping to avoid the injury bug that plagued his team throughout last season. Key performers such as 6-5 forward David Phillips (10.3 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 32 assists), 6-5 swingman Rashun Coleman (7.3 ppg, 4.9 rpg, .524 FG, .432 3 PT) and 6-10 center Oliver Morton (8.7 ppg, 3.5 rpg) missed multiple games last season.
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Blue Ribbon Analysis |
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BACKCOURT B BENCH/DEPTH B
FRONTCOURT A INTANGIBLES C
Henry Dickerson's renewed emphasis on an up-tempo style looks like a good idea on paper. The Mocs have lost most of their perimeter firepower from last season, so a few easy baskets in transition should offset that deficiency. Defensively, Chattanooga was one of the better units in the league last season. That shouldn't change this year, even if the defense is stretched the length of the floor. Otis Donald has the ability to erase a lot of mistakes with his shot blocking ability, and Mark Smith and Rashun Coleman are excellent defenders. A healthy David Phillips will also be an added luxury. He should vie for all-conference honors this season. The only question mark is at the point. But Dickerson has plenty of candidates to try out at the position. Top to bottom, Chattanooga may have the best talent in the league. And, in a year when powerhouse division member College of Charleston will be fielding almost an entirely new team, that should make the Mocs the favorite in the South. |
Those three players all return and are all healthy. Phillips, Coleman and 6-4 guard Mark Smith (9.4 ppg, 5.0 ppg, 49 assists, 29 steals, 13 blocks) are the only seniors on this year's team. Smith was perhaps the Mocs' best player over the second half of last season. He averaged 10.6 points and 5.5 rebounds and shot .535 from the field against league competition. Smith is an athletic player who is more of an inside player and a slasher than a pure shooter. He attempted just 10 three-pointers last season, making two. Smith is probably Chattanooga's top man-to-man defender. "Mark was more of an inside player in high school and junior college," said Dickerson. "He had to adjust because we used him more on the outside. Now, he has to be more consistent." Phillips has been a consistent player for the Mocs for three seasons. He is now the only player left from the 1997 team. Last year, Phillips suffered a foot injury midway through the season that sidelined him for four games. His game seemed to be more erratic after that point but he still ended up being the team's leading scorer for the second straight year. "David had a good sophomore year and was up and down as a junior," said Dickerson. "He got hurt and never really got back in the groove. That's what happens. We expect leadership and big things from him. We didn't have that from anyone last year. We had seniors but no one wanted to step up and be a leader." Phillips has a good first step that allows him get to the basket off the dribble and also frees him up for mid-range jumpers. He is a quick leaper inside and also possesses three-point range. Coleman missed eight games last season because of a leg injury. Of the games he did play, he made 14 starts. Coleman is a good shooter from all distances and a nice all-around player. He has the ability to post big numbers on any given night. Coleman had 21 points and 11 rebounds in a win over Rider last season, and ended his year by scoring a team-high 24 points and grabbing 11 rebounds in a double-overtime loss to Appalachian State in the semifinals of the league tournament. "Rashun surprised everyone last year," said Dickerson. "He got hurt and that set us back. I would have liked to have seen him for a full season. He is a hard-nosed kid. He kept getting better, but he is going to have to work harder this year because he won't be a surprise to anyone." Morton transferred to Chattanooga from Mississippi and was greeted on campus by some lofty expectations. A legitimate big man, especially one who originally signed with an SEC school, is a rare commodity in the Southern Conference. Those expectations grew larger after Morton began last season by scoring 30 points against Tennessee Wesleyan and 23 against Austin Peay. But Morton never led the Mocs' in scoring after that point. He was slowed somewhat by injuries and illnesses, and wound up the year as a part-time starter. Big and strong but a bit too ponderous for his own good, Morton worked furiously in the summer, dropping 40 pounds and spending most of his free time in the weight room. "Oliver can be an awfully good player, especially on the offensive end," said Dickerson. "He is not a shot blocker, so he can't truly dominate a game. His weight loss should make him a better defensive player. He needs to learn to rebound better and defend people in the paint. We expect better things from him this year." Morton's lack of quickness and leaping ability inside can be overcome by the presence of 6-8 junior power forward Otis Donald (5.1 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 66 blocked shots, .569 FG), who is extremely athletic and active. He led the conference in blocked shots and scores his share of points simply by playing around the rim. Donald started 19 games last season but was rarely around at the finish. Despite drawing his share of contact inside, he made only .328 (21 of 64) of his free-throws. Donald also committed 81 fouls and fouled out of two games. "Until he becomes a better free-throw shooter, he will not be able to raise the level of his game," said Dickerson. "It is hard for him to dominate a game when he is sitting on the bench because he can't make a free throw. "He is a smart kid. He always gets so ready to play, maybe too hyped up. He commits silly fouls. The free-throw thing is all psychological. He makes them in practice. He gets out there in games and the fans expect him to miss them." Point guard is the big area of concern. Dickerson has several options, one of which is to use Smith at that spot and field a big lineup that no team in the league can match. More than likely, however, either Smith or Coleman will start at off guard with the other becoming the team's sixth man. Idris Harper (4.6 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 46 assists, 20 steals), a 6-3 junior, played in 27 games last season and made 13 starts. He has the quickness to handle the point but is hindered by a scoring guard's mentality. A streaky shooter, Harper is capable of games such as his 21-point effort against Tennessee last season. "Idris doesn't know how good he can be athletically," said Dickerson. "He has to learn that he doesn't have to shoot the ball to help us win. I have asked him to work on his ball handling this summer and to use his athletic ability to go the basket more." Newcomers Rongie Cowser (Chattanooga State CC/Gadsden, Ala.), a 6-1 sophomore, and 5-11 freshmen J.B. Watkins (Ooltewah HS/Ooltewah, Tenn.) and Brian Dickerson (Tyner HS/Chattanooga, Tenn.) should also be in the picture at the point. Cowser has the most impressive credentials of the bunch. He originally signed at Alabama before going the junior-college route. He scored 20 points per game last season. "There will be a lot of pressure on Rongie," said Dickerson. "He is not a true point guard, but he played the point at Chattanooga State. He needs to work on his ballhandling." Watkins is a freshman who redshirted a year ago, while Brian Dickerson (the eldest son of Henry Dickerson) is a freshman. Watkins averaged 21.4 points, 3.1 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 3.6 steals as a high school senior. Other than Cowser, the newcomer expected to make the largest impact is 6-8 sophomore forward Greg Clark (Indian Hills (Iowa) CC & Fairburn, Ga.). Clark has a nice combination of height, strength and athletic ability. "Greg Clark can definitely get in there and play for us," said Dickerson. "Greg is a big guy. He is athletic and can help around the basket." Clark Costa (Navarro (Texas) CC & Birmingham, Ala.), a 6-8 sophomore, will spell Morton in the post. Costa was redshirted last season and only saw limited action in his one season in the junior college ranks because of injuries. However, as a senior in high school, Costa led the nation in rebounds per game at 20.3. He also scored 21.4 points per game. Also bidding for time in the frontcourt will be 6-8 redshirt freshman John Cape (Greater Atlanta Christian School/Atlanta), who averaged 18.0 points and 10.0 rebounds two seasons ago. He will need to get stronger and put on weight to be an effective player at the Division I level. Redshirt freshman Tim Parker (Baylor School/Chattanooga, Tenn. & Tuscaloosa, Ala.) could see significant minutes in the backcourt. He is a good three-point shooter who should come in handy. Chattanooga's returnees combined to make just 42 threes last season. The 6-4 Parker averaged 20.9 points and 10.3 during his last year of high school.
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