Each day from October 23-November 3, there will be a blogger/fan previewing their team in this space. For previous previews and the future schedule, click here.
Coming off one of the worst season in program history, the Mocs are looking to start over. They were 11-21 last year with four senior starters and one other senior on the roster. It all started falling apart early in the year, though. The team played fairly well at Indiana and at Butler, before the horrendous collapse at home against Kennesaw State told us that these Mocs may not live up to expectations.
Chris Early was suspended permanently, and the Mocs went on a run. They won seven out of nine games to get to 9-9 overall. Things were starting to look up. Then, the injury bug hit, with plenty of people being injured. They lost twelve of their last fourteen games- including a remarkable 0-7 in games decided by less than six points during that stretch.
The first returnee to focus on for the Mocs is Coach John Shulman. There was a lot of pressure to make a change at the end of last season, but the athletic department chose to stick with Shulman for his ninth season. His tenure has been often plagued by fans calling for his head following a disappointing season, and successful seasons when the expectations are down.
Drazen Zlovaric is the lone returning starter. He can be a dominant player in the middle of the court. He averaged 10.3 points and 5.9 rebounds per game while shooting nearly 55% from the floor a year ago. There have been comparisons to Mindaugus Katelynas, a star for the Mocs back in 2004-05 who lead the Mocs to the NCAA Tournament and won the Slam Dunk Contest at the Final Four. He made huge strides his senior year. Zlovaric stayed in Chattanooga over the summer to work on his game. There are high hopes for him.
Z Mason is the second half of the Z Men down low. He averaged 7.8 points and 7.8 rebounds per game a year ago. Mason suffered from a dislocated knee cap late in the year, and he was really coming around when the injury happened. Mason is a former football player, and I have said from the first time I laid eyes on him that he had potential to be a star in the SoCon. He is little on the short side for a power forward, but he is physical and knows how to bang.
Rico White shot over 40% from three point range last year as a freshman. Jared Bryant showed a lot of heart and hustle last year down low. He is very nice addition down low. Dontay Hampton is injured, but should be back by early January. Martynas Bareika showed a lot of toughness. Lance Stokes showed a lot of athleticism, and is one of the teams best defenders.
The young freshman provide a lot of hope. Farad Cobb is one of the most anticipated freshman to come in in a very long time. There is almost no one that does not think that Cobb will be a star before he leaves Chattanooga. He will need to be a star right away. Cobb is the starting point guard- from Day One. This is an exciting time for the Mocs young point guard. Moc fans are very excited about him.
Casey Jones, Eric Robertson, and Gee McGhee are the other three freshman coming in. All are expected to see playing time at the two wing positions. All are expected to be more athletic and talented than players that have been on the court in the past for the Mocs. This was a fine recruiting haul for the Mocs. Can they actually live up to the hype?
THE SCHEDULE
The early schedule could be the key for these Mocs. They have four games during Thanksgiving week (Southeast Missouri, Troy, Louisiana Tech, and Kennesaw State) that will tell Moc fans a lot about where their level of enthusiasm should be for this team. High Point, Austin Peay, and Utah Valley State are playing in the Dr Pepper Classic this year, which is an OK field. Eastern Kentucky and Mercer also come to Chattanooga this year. It is really a nice out of conference home schedule. They will play at Kansas, LSU, and Georgia Tech. The Mocs could have real trouble in all those places.
The Mocs play The Citadel and College of Charleston twice from the South Division. They get Davidson at home, but in the early SoCon game (December 1). That's probably too early in the year for the young Mocs to be contending with a team as good as Davidson, even in McKenzie Arena. They play three road games to start off the January slate of games (Samford, The Citadel, and College of Charleston) while playing two road games to end the year (Western Carolina, and Applachian State). From February 7-23, they play a remarkable six of seven games at home. If the Mocs have developed and come together by that point, they have a chance to go on a run during that home stretch- a run that may give them confidence to do some things in the SoCon Tournament.
THREE QUESTIONS
Can the freshman live up to the hype? It's a huge question. If the freshman live up to the hype, this has a chance to be a good year. If they play like freshman often do when they aren't a starter at Kentucky, then this could be an awkward season. Regardless, there is likely to be some uneven performances. But let's face it- the Mocs were uneven last year. So it probably won't be too different.
What do the Mocs do in their first six games? There is a huge set of games early in the year for the Mocs. Sure, the first two against Kansas and Tennessee Temple are likely to see the Mocs go 1-1, but the stretch of home games against Southeast Missouri, Troy, and Louisiana Tech in three days, followed by a road game against Kennesaw State just four days later will define the early season. If the Mocs come out of that stretch 5-1, then there will be a lot of hope for this team. If they are 1-5, then there will be a lot of doubt about this club.
Will the Z Men step up? Can Drazen Zlovaric and Z Mason continue their development? If they do, both have potential to be All SoCon performers. If they do not, this team could easily fall by the wayside. These two will need to develop their games further this year and stay healthy for the Mocs to be successful.
FINAL ANALYSIS
The Mocs were bad last year. No doubt about that. There was a sense of doom surrounding the team with each loss. The dread grew. It lingered through the fan base, and the team's psyche was damaged. It was actually able to be felt physically by every fan.
This year, the prognosis is better. Why? The record may or may not be better, but the team is young, so there is hope for improvement in the years to come. So there is actually a feeling of youthful excitement about this team. This team's early success will depend on the performance during Thanksgiving Week. Come out of that with the team mentally in check (3-3 or better), and the Mocs could come together by January and make some noise in the North, possibly getting into contention for a bye. Anything is possible with this team. A lot of it will depend on Cobb's development as the starting point guard, and the Z Men down low. Look for a non-bye in the SoCon Tournament, but a better performance in the SoCon Tournament.
GO MOCS!
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