FEATURE: MCLEAN, PRYOR EXCEL WITH HIGH-MAJOR WORK ETHIC | SCHEDULE | TICKETS | ROSTER | PRESEASON PROSPECTUS
 
CHATTANOOGA---The Chattanooga Mocs men's basketball program is coming off a historic season. The squad won a school-record 29 games, including victories at Dayton, Georgia and Illinois, while capturing regular season and tournament championships in the Southern Conference.
 
In the second of a three-part series previewing the 2016-17 campaign, GoMocs.com takes a look at the wings. Last week's point guard preview is here. The wings combine a tremendous combination of experience and youth, talent and athleticism as we set sights on the coming season.
 
The Mocs return two starters on the wing with one departure. Odd sentence structure with the squad losing graduated senior starter Eric Robertson, one of the top 3pt shooters in school history, to the British Basketball League. But there are two returning starters there in graduate students Tre' McLean and Casey Jones.
 
McLean started all 35 games in last year's epic run, while Jones returns from a medical redshirt and a season-ending ankle injury after eight contests.
 
"Obviously E-Rob added many different dimensions to our team," coach Matt McCall said. "He was known for his shooting, but he was also one of our most reliable defenders and was our most energetic leader and positive voice. But to have (Tre') McLean and Casey Jones, two of the most dynamic players in our league, on the same team, virtually at the same spot. I'm not sure anybody in the country has that.
 
"Their experience...their leadership...their talent...those two guys especially, playing the game and being on the floor together for a majority of the game is terrific for our team. The 3pt shooting of Eric was a game changer, but we have some guys that are fully capable of making shots."
 
Jones was leading the Mocs in points (12.6/game), rebounds (6.5) and assists (3.9) prior to his injury. McLean picked up where he left off ending the campaign as the team's leader in scoring (12.1), rebounding (6.3) and steals (1.6). Both are All-Southern Conference performers and are in the conversation for league player of the year.
 
Sophomore Peyton Woods is also back in the mix after a good debut. The sharpshooter shot 46.7 percent (14-30) from 3pt range in 19 games played and never looked out of place generally playing his best on the biggest stages. He and freshman Makale Foreman are early favorites to fill the 3pt void.
 
"Peyton Woods had a tremendous summer," McCall continued. "Our team really believes in his talent and ability. Makale Foreman has an opportunity to turn some heads. Not only with his ability to shoot, which he can really do, but he makes winning plays. He puts his body in play, moves his feet laterally and has the ability to defend the point. He's not afraid, which I like."
 
Foreman and David Jean-Baptiste are the freshman additions to the wing. Sophomore Nat Dixon comes in from East Mississippi Community College. Jean-Baptiste won three state titles at the Miami Norland High School, while Dixon initially played college football at Boston College before returning to the hardcourt last year.
 
"Nat Dixon may be the best athlete on the team," McCall added. "He missed a year of basketball playing wide receiver at Boston College. That development piece, from a skill standpoint, means he has to make up for lost time. From intangibles and athleticism, he can impact our team, especially defensively.
 
"David is just a winner. Another guy who plays extremely hard and comes from a championship pedigree at Norland High School in Miami. He impacts the game in a lot of different ways. Each and every one of these guys have a role and impacts our team. Are they going to go out and average 14 or 15 points a night this year? Probably not.
 
"Can they impact winning in a bunch of different ways? Yes. They're physically ready to play."
 
Robertson is not the only departure via graduation. Dee Oldham (7.3, 4.8) is also gone after spending his final year of eligibility as arguably the top sixth man in the SoCon. Alex Bran (48.3% 3pt) hit more than his share of key shots over his four years with the program.
 
McCall is obviously excited by this mix of student-athletes and their ability to fill the shoes emptied by graduation.
 
"Our wings give us a lot of options," he concluded. "There is a tremendous amount of versatility. I don't see a weak spot on our roster which is a good thing, but also a very challenging thing for a coach. Some guys are not going to play as much as maybe they want to because of our depth. There'll be different nights where they'll play more than others.
 
"Obviously the seniors are going to be on the floor for a lot minutes. There just so much depth on this team with no weak link. It's a good thing, but to have good players sometimes sitting on the bench isn't easy for those guys. They need to understand the process and know their time is coming, that will benefit our program."
 
Click the "Feature: McLean, Pryor Excel with High-Major Work Ethic" link for the GoMocs.com feature story on the journey of McLean and senior point Greg Pryor from unheralded recruits to important cogs in a championship program.
 
Links for this year's schedule, roster and preseason prospectus are available as well leading into the exhibition contest with Covenant on Friday, Nov. 4. Follow @GoMocsMBB on Twitter for "countdown to gameday" heading into the season opener Nov. 11 at Tennessee.
 
Season tickets are available on GoMocs.com at the link above or by calling (423) 266-MOCS (6627).
 
GoMocs.com is the official website of the Chattanooga Mocs. The Mocs can also be followed on their official Facebook page or on Twitter. Find out how to join the UTC Mocs Club and support more than 300 student-athletes by clicking here.
 
ABOUT CHATTANOOGA BASKETBALL
- The Mocs are by far the most successful program in the Southern Conference since joining the league in 1977-78. The team has won 30 titles with 11 regular season, 11 tournament and eight division.
- 16 NCAA Tournament Appearances (11 DI): 1961 (DII), 1973 (DII), 1975 (DII), 1976 (DII Runner-up), 1977 (DII National Champs), 1981, 1982, 1983, 1988, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997 (Sweet 16), 2005, 2009, 2016
- 11 SoCon Tournament Crowns: 1981, 1982, 1983, 1988, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2005, 2009, 2016
- 11 SoCon Regular Season Championships: 1981, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 2016
- 8 Division Titles: 1995, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2011
- The 1997 team went to the NCAA Sweet 16 with wins over Georgia and Illinois.
- 5 SoCon Players of the Year: Willie White (1981-82), Keith Nelson (1991-92), Tim Brooks (1992-93), Chad Copeland (1993-94) and Johnny Taylor (1996-97).
- 3 SoCon Defensive Players of the Year: Z. Mason (2014), Justin Tuoyo (2015, 2016).
- 4 SoCon Coaches of the Year: Murray Arnold (1982, '83), Mack McCarthy (1986, '92, '93), Will Wade (2014) and Matt McCall (2016).
- 9 NBA Draft Picks: Walter "Moose" McGary (1973 & '74), William Gordon (1977), Wayne Golden (1977), Russ Schoene (1982), Nick Morken (1982), Willie White (1984), Gerald Wilkins (1985, 13 seasons) and Johnny Taylor (1997 1st Round).