Chattanooga vs. Lander
Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2020
Chattanooga, Tenn. - McKenzie Arena
Postgame Quotes

Lamont Paris, Head Coach
Overall statement after today's 99-63 win over Lander to begin the 2020-21 season.
"I thought the guys played really hard. It was a great relief to see those guys be able to get out there on the floor and play basketball again. Part of that process is trying to make it as normal as you can under the circumstances, coaching them as normal as you can. We got off to a good start and played pretty well, but we were still coaching them hard and trying to get after them and challenge them on some things. I thought they did a really good job of handling the circumstances of cheering for each other, being happy for each other."
 
On sporting a white towel over the shoulder in honor of the late John Thompson.
"That was a thing we, as a group, decided. There's a group of Black head coaches in honor of coach John Thompson, the former coach at Georgetown, wearing a white towel for our opening game and potentially this week. Just a way to honor him. It's funny, because I never grew up thinking that coaching was what I was going to do. Even as a college age guy. But I do remember, and I loved basketball, when I thought of coaching, and Georgetown was my favorite team, I always thought of John Thompson. You can look at that and see the success he was having. The demeanor he had and the impact he had on guys lives. It meant a lot to me when we decided to do this because it literally impacted me as a young person who was enamored with the game of basketball. He was a big part in what I saw when I looked at college basketball and what that meant for me."
 
On the feel of playing a basketball game today.
"There were a lot of emotions. A ton of emotions. Above all, I was relieved. There was relief when that ball went up in the air. You're preparing, but not believing necessarily. When we received all our negative COVID tests last night, that was the first time I really thought about playing a basketball game. I just didn't want to do that to myself or the guys and get crazy with anticipation and not do it. I was just relieved to play a basketball game."
 
On the program's progression.
"As a program, I think we have come a long way in a lot of facets. Our overall emphasis, demeanor, and as a culture, I think we have grown tremendously. It'd be hard to try and put a quantity on that regard. I think our culture is much more to my liking. Our improvements academically have been monumental. I think we're ready to start our base line higher. It's a much higher base line than what we ever started with, including last year where it was an improvement from the year before. We have guys hungry, we have some guys who sat out last year. We have guys who are ready for a bigger role. We've grown tremendously over the last three years and I'm proud of what they've done and where we've come. It hasn't been an easy road and we've only played one game. But the things I evaluate when I talk about growth have less to do with basketball and more with every other aspect of life."

Malachi Smith, RS-So., G
On playing in today's opener after sitting out last season.
"At first, I was a little anxious but once that first shot went in, I was back in my element. I put in so much work and I was confident in my abilities. I was just happy to get the team win."
 
On the feeling of playing a game today.
"It felt great. With the pandemic, and me sitting out last year, it just makes you appreciate the game so much more. I just wanted to go out there and have my teammates back. I was just glad to be out there and go to war with them."
 
On where the team stands after game one.
"It's a good confidence boost. We can't get complacent. We know we have more work to do, I think we have three games in five days so we can't dwell on it too much. We'll look at film and see where we had mistakes, but it was a good starting point. It built some confidence, got some guys feet wet, it was a good start."

David Jean-Baptiste, RS-Sr., G
On today's level of play and what it means moving forward.
"It starts a great focal point for the rest of the season. We can say if we come and play like we can play, we can win a good amount of games. It was a great lesson for the first game. It showed us a strong start and strong victory."
 
On playing inside an empty McKenzie Arena.
"I try to get used to it in practice. I always try to be in game mode and in a game sense. It was definitely weird at first, but once the game and the flow started carrying on, it felt good."