Photo by: Dale Rutemeyer
Mocs Special Season Does Not Go Unnoticed
3/21/2016 2:45:00 PM | Men's Basketball
The Chattanooga Mocs men's basketball team finished the season 29-6 after a first-round loss to No. 14 Indiana in the NCAA Tournament.
Where to begin? The 2015-16 Chattanooga Mocs men's basketball season was as special as any in school history. Bold statement for a program with its pedigree.
UTC won its 11th Southern Conference Regular Season Championship, eighth outright, and 11th SoCon Tournament Trophy. Including eight division crowns, the program has 30 total titles in 39 years in the league.
What made this team so special?
"I think all of the credit goes to these players," coach Matt McCall explained. "When you have a group of individuals that are completely selfless and want to put the team first, as talented as they were, that gives you a chance to do something special.
"And they did."
The Mocs won a school-record 29 games. Over the previous two seasons, the squad did things the Scenic City had not seen since the special run of the 90s. This model harkened back to the championship teams of the 80s that got the DI era rolling.
When pressed for a word to sort of sum up the 2015-16 Mocs, McCall used "unselfish", "remarkable" and "fun" before settling on a term that likely epitomizes what made this group go: TOUGHNESS.
"They never flinched," McCall added. "Even when Casey (Jones) went down. He was leading us in so many statistical categories, and they never once flinched. They continued to stay focused on the team. It's a tribute to their perseverance. When adversity hit, they stayed resilient, kept working and played for each other.
"That's where that toughness came from."
In the true spirit of this group, we'll stick with the team spirit and not focus on any individuals. That will come soon enough as GoMocs.com's chronicling of this campaign is not over. Over the coming weeks, look for season photo galleries, feature stories, video highlights and news of what's to come.
But for now, take a moment to reflect on this 29-win season. Triumphs at Dayton, Georgia and Illinois with season sweeps over ETSU, Wofford, Mercer, Samford, VMI and The Citadel led to a top 50 NCAA RPI with a 5-2 mark against the top 100.
Nothing can be taken from this group. It set a new standard. It broke a school record (27 wins) that was 34 years old.
UTC won its 11th Southern Conference Regular Season Championship, eighth outright, and 11th SoCon Tournament Trophy. Including eight division crowns, the program has 30 total titles in 39 years in the league.
What made this team so special?
"I think all of the credit goes to these players," coach Matt McCall explained. "When you have a group of individuals that are completely selfless and want to put the team first, as talented as they were, that gives you a chance to do something special.
"And they did."
The Mocs won a school-record 29 games. Over the previous two seasons, the squad did things the Scenic City had not seen since the special run of the 90s. This model harkened back to the championship teams of the 80s that got the DI era rolling.
When pressed for a word to sort of sum up the 2015-16 Mocs, McCall used "unselfish", "remarkable" and "fun" before settling on a term that likely epitomizes what made this group go: TOUGHNESS.
"They never flinched," McCall added. "Even when Casey (Jones) went down. He was leading us in so many statistical categories, and they never once flinched. They continued to stay focused on the team. It's a tribute to their perseverance. When adversity hit, they stayed resilient, kept working and played for each other.
"That's where that toughness came from."
In the true spirit of this group, we'll stick with the team spirit and not focus on any individuals. That will come soon enough as GoMocs.com's chronicling of this campaign is not over. Over the coming weeks, look for season photo galleries, feature stories, video highlights and news of what's to come.
But for now, take a moment to reflect on this 29-win season. Triumphs at Dayton, Georgia and Illinois with season sweeps over ETSU, Wofford, Mercer, Samford, VMI and The Citadel led to a top 50 NCAA RPI with a 5-2 mark against the top 100.
Nothing can be taken from this group. It set a new standard. It broke a school record (27 wins) that was 34 years old.
Tuesday, September 15
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Friday, March 06
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