From the Russ Bus to the Wade Wave

The Russ Bus. In 2009, Russ Huesman was hired to be the head football coach at Chattanooga. He instantly began a campaign to "Restore the Glory."

Immediately, the Mocs program went from years of winning one and two games to winning six games in his first season. The fan base all jumped onboad the "Russ Bus." It referred to people who were true believers in what Huesman was doing to tun around Chattanooga football and make it respectable again.

Of course, then the Mocs proceeded to never be able to get over the six win plateau over the next three years, and some people were beginning to grumble a bit. This year, though, the Mocs sit at 7-2 and first place in the SoCon. There is a wave of school spirit going around, and an energy that has not existed in a while.

On top of that, the Mocs have hired Jim Foster, a Hall of Fame coach, to be their women's basketball coach. The women's program is experiencing a bump in interest, even being ranked #16 by one preseason magazine. 

I think it's safe to say that the Mocs are experiencing a wave of enthusiasm in their athletic department that is at one of its highest points in recent memory.

It is with that as the backdrop that Will Wade begins his coaching career for the Mocs. That is part of the excitement that has been built up around the program.

I do believe that most people believe that it is going to take at least one year for Wade to coach the team to SoCon title contention. I basically believe that as well. I believe something more in line with 15-17 wins is most likely for this club. But I don't think that really matters for many people. What they want is to have some reason to believe that good things are coming for the Mocs. That's where Wade comes in.

Right now, we are all believers. We all believe that Wade's strategey will work. We all are ready to jump on the Wade Wave and ride it all the way- as far as we can possibly go. We all believe that Wade can "Restore the Glory" to Chattanooga Mocs basketball. We're all believers.

That's why what everyone says is mostly true. It doesn't matter how many wins the Mocs get this year. I'm not sure if I have any real expectations. I have more excitement about this season and the coming seasons than I have in a while because of the excitement of starting on a new journey and on a new ride.

We all want wins. I want wins for a very selfish reason- it's more fun to write about wins than losses on this blog. But the fact is, we need to take a longer view here. I think next year the team can easily contend for a SoCon title.

We're all riding the Wade Wave right now. Chaos is coming. It may not show up this year, but there is little doubt in my mind that by the end of his second and third year we will all be rewarded for being Moc fans. So don't jump off the Wade Wave this year- no matter if this season produces four wins or 28 wins.

We're all on this wave together.

GO MOCS!