2023-24 Chattanooga Mocs Men's Basketball
Game 28 – Wofford
February 21 – McKenzie Arena – Chattanooga, Tenn.
Postgame Quotes
 
Dan Earl, Head Coach
Overall thoughts following UTC's 81-65 win over Wofford.
"I was proud of the guys for continuing to fight. First half, I thought Wofford was moving faster than us. We had a spirited conversation in the locker room and came out with that 10-0 run in the second half. That really made a difference in the game. We only gave them three offensive rebounds in the second half so we really picked up our energy. A lot of different guys positively impacted the game and I thought Honor Huff was outstanding. He obviously was making shots and finished with 29, but he also played under control and didn't try to hit a home run or do too much. He let the game come to him and it resulted in a really good game for him. Overall, without Trey (Bonham) in particular, I was proud of our team. Credit to Wofford, they are hard to guard,\. They move fast, they're physical so you gotta be on your toes. We didn't do a great job with some of their three-point shooters but aside from that I thought we competed particularly in the second half."

On what he told the team at halftime.
"We actually got a couple transition buckets in the first, which was really what we were wanting to do. We wanted to play fast. They were, I thought, more physical and moving faster than us. Right before the half there was a free throw line blockout where we were a little lackadaisical and they weren't messing around. We got on th guys a little bit and told them that if you want to win this game, you're going to have to work harder on both sides of the ball. I was really pleased with our effort coming out of the half with that 10-0 run that gave us a little breathing room."

On how he got Honor Huff ready for having an even larger role with Trey Bonham being out tonight.
"We didn't talk to him much. That's a thing that's difficult because truth be told, we probably need him to score the ball more, but you don't want him thinking alright, I gotta shoot all the time and he feels like he needs to take over. We just wanted him to play within himself and the flow of the game, so I thought about talking to him but didn't say much and he ended up playing an outstanding game. He made shots, but was really under control for just about all of the game. He drove the ball to the basket a couple times as well and just played the game the right way. That's what we want from our guys regardless of who's out or what's going on or what the score is. Just play the game the right way."
 
Jan Zidek, Gr., F
On if he can dunk.
"What do you think? I'm 6-9. I know I might not look like the most athletic guy out there but, come on man. I'm 6-9, I can dunk. Plus I like the finger roll anyways."

On how he's had to reinvent himself due to his minutes fluctuating this year.
"The coaches make the decisions and I just try to embrace my role. Now, coming off the bench, I just try to give a boost to the second unit. Sometimes teams have their second unit come into the game, and they might have some drops in their performance. I try to be one of those guys who gives a boost to the second lineup. I just embrace my role and do what I do."

On how much this team needs to have adversity in these kinds of games as they get ready for the postseason.
"We need them, definitely. In those types of games, we're challenged and see adversity and we just need to be ready to deal with that. When March comes and it's tournament time, it's only one game and you either move forward or you're done. Right now, if we lose we still keep going but in March it could be the end of your season. I think it's great that we face those adversities now."