It's never easy to replace starters from a team. It's never easy to replace a team's heart and soul.
But this Chattanooga Mocs 2009-2010 basketball team has been gutted. Like a fish. Five starters are gone, and one other senior has left as well.
And let's not overlook the injury bug that has bitten this team in the preseason. Troy Cage, Chris Early, Keegan Bell, and Dante Harvey all have been battling injuries, though three of these may be back by the first game (only Harvey is guaranteed to be out). Also, Ty Patterson has academic issues that should be cleared up by the end of the first semester.
So, this team may not resemble the team that they will be March until at least mid-December, when all these injuries and academic issues are finally cleared up.
One of the best players on this team should be Keegan Bell at point guard. Bell transferred from Vanderbilt and sat out last year. He was rated a Top 25 guard nationally coming out of high school, and now will be expected to jump right in and lead the Mocs offense. He is 6-1, which is about the right size for a point guard.
Another new face that will play a key role on this team is Ridge McKeither. Last year in junior college, he was named to the 1st team NJCAA team. This is a very high honor. He is 6-5, and is expected to play the 4 (or power forward) spot. He is a good rebounder, and can score from anywhere. He is a little bit on the short side for a 4, but he will be a major contributor.
DeAntre Jefferson could also play a major role for the Mocs this year. He will likely mostly play at the 5 (or center) spot. He is 6-8, and will be relied on to hit the glass hard. He is also a junior college transfer.
Those three appear to be pretty solid in their starting spots early in the year. Ty Patterson, the most well-known returnee, should be a starter once he returns as well. Patterson will play the 2 (shooting guard) or 3 (small forward). He is a shooter. When he is shooting well, he can be lights out. Patterson is the team's lone senior, so he will be relied on once he returns to be a team leader as well. At 6-6, he's reasonably tall for the two positions he will be playing.
Ricky Taylor is a sophomore and 6-5. He's got good size for the 2 guard. He also has the ability to fill up the basket from long range. Taylor needs to be able to make the long range shot to help open up the inside game for McKeither and Jefferson, and the rest of the players playing inside.
Chris Early is 6-7, and plays the 3 or 4 position. He is big and getting stronger. He originally signed with Oklahoma, and transferred out before he ever played a game there. He certainly has potential to be a real breakout player for the Mocs, and could become a critical piece to the puzzle.
Troy Cage is 6-5 and very athletic. Many are expecting him to replace Kevin Goffney at the 3 spot. Goffney's athleticism was an important part of last year's team, and to compare Cage to him is high praise. Cage originally signed with UNLV.
These are the players that most think the starters will be chosen from this pool. There are five other players that should play very valuable minutes at some point this year.
The first of those is Jasper Williams. The 6-2 guard (mostly 1, but could play the 2) has gotten stronger in the offseason. Williams was a solid recruit coming out of high school, and as a sophomore, it is not hard to envision him taking a big leap forward this year. He could jump into playing time early at the 2.
Dante Harvey is likely to play the 4 spot. He is 6-6, and can be a powerful player when he is fully healthy and gets a chance to show his stuff. He will get the opportunity when he comes back from the MCL tear in mid-December to be an impact player. As a sophomore, like Williams, it is not hard to see a big leap forward this year.
Josh Odem was the hot recruit as a freshman. He is 6-5, and could play the 1, 2, or 3. According to early reports, he is a scorer and an excellent player. There are rumors that he may redshirt. However, with how well he has shown himself in early scrimmages, it is going to be very difficult to redshirt him.
Jeff Smith is 6-5 and a junior. Shulman has complimented him several times in the preseason. I did not expect him to get much playing time this year until Shulman started talking him up. He has good size for a 2 or a 3, and has a decent shooting touch. I am very interested to see how Smith plays in the coming season to see what Shulman is talking about.
Jeremy Saffore will also play a key role. He is 7-1, and a junior. He is a little bit on the small size (weight-wise), especially for playing the 5 spot. He has a lot of potential, particularly if he can get stronger with the ball.
Dontay Hampton, Drew Baker, and Sam Watson are all walk-ons for the Mocs basketball team. They provide depth to the roster, and could contribute at times, though they are not expected to be major contributors.
SO WHAT DO WE MAKE OUT OF IT??
Basically, this team will be more athletic than last year's team, apparently. There may even be more talent on this year's team. Will that translate into more wins? Will that translate into a SoCon title? That's tough to know one way or the other.
People who think that the Mocs are going to fall to last place in the division (AHEM, certain preseason magazines) are basing that on what they lost. Based on who the Mocs have coming in, the Mocs should be right in contention in the Southern Conference.
With only Patterson leaving this year's team, the Mocs should be even better in 2010-2011. So, the moral is, get the Mocs this year before next year's team comes around.
However, this year's team should not be overlooked. The Mocs lack size down low, but they have a lot of size on the perimeter. They will be athletic. There are a ton of questions that need to be answered. I guess some questions that will be answered on Saturday night in the exhibition against Tennessee Wesleyan, but more will be answered against Virginia Intermont on November 13. Even more will be answered against ETSU on November 17. That has to be the game the Mocs are gearing up for at this point. That's the first big one, and the one that will tell a lot about where this team will be early in the season.
GO MOCS!
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