UTC men’s basketball team for 2022 season.
It was chilly outside, but warm hearts and high spirits prevailed Friday afternoon among the crowd gathered on Chamberlain Field at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga to celebrate the men’s basketball team and its phenomenal season.
Earlier this month, the team won the Southern Conference (SoCon) Men’s Basketball Championship, earning a spot in the NCAA Tournament earlier this month. Although they didn’t make it far into the tournament, there’s still plenty of pep on campus.
The team, the Pep Band, the Ladies of G.O.L.D. and Sugar Mocs dance teams and the cheerleading squad filled Chamberlain Pavilion.
Emceed by the “Voice of the Mocs” Jim Reynolds, the event included remarks from UTC Chancellor Steven Angle, Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Mark Wharton, Assistant Coach Tanner Bronson and sophomore guard Malachi Smith, named 2022 SoCon Player of the Year.
“I’m so proud of these guys and it has absolutely nothing to do with how many wins or how many losses. It’s been a pleasure to follow these guys on and off the court,” said Reynolds, who’s covered men’s basketball and football at the University for more than 40 years.
Angle thanked the team, the athletic department staff and the student organizations that supported the team throughout the stellar season, which put UTC and the basketball program in the national spotlight.
“We appreciate you and what you’ve done. What a great year,” Angle said. “Now you’ve given us all even more pride in being a Moc, being part of this University and being a part of this city.
“I think the memories that we have, we will treasure forever,” Angle said. “It’s energized our campus, strengthened our connections with our alumni and with our community.”
Wharton likened the athletics department to the “front porch” of UTC, a common turn of phrase in college sports but true nonetheless, he said.
“We can open eyes through playing on a national stage to what an amazing university we have here. We did that in Asheville. We did that in Pittsburgh. We brought attention that you can’t put a price tag on,” Wharton said.
Bronson said the support of the University, the student body, alumni and hometown fans meant the most to him.
“This has been extremely rewarding this past year for a variety of reasons. But the No. 1 reason is the community has really rallied behind this group,” said Bronson, who came to UTC five years ago and helped recruit and build the team.
“The Round House was bumping,” he said, referring to McKenzie Arena. “As you go out and you talk to people, now they talk about Chattanooga basketball.”
He said camaraderie held the team together and was critical to its success.
“They like being around each other,” Bronson said. “They came from a lot of different places, but Chattanooga has been their home, and it’s a special place to them.
“And I just can’t be more proud of what they were able to accomplish because of who they are as people.”
Speaking on behalf of the team, Smith said players felt supported and anchored, “even through COVID.”
“We just want to say we are grateful and we’re appreciative … You guys all played a part in our success this season, whether it’s from cheering for us on the road or at home,” Smith said.
“We shocked a lot of people. And, like Coach Bronson said, a lot of people know who we are now. And I feel like the respect for Chattanooga as a school and as a basketball, as an athletic team, has grown.”
UTC alum Charles Pierce, who graduated in 1962 and was a former cheerleader, has supported the Mocs for decades. Still, this year has been pretty sweet, said Pierce, who remembers cheering for the football team when it actually played on Chamberlain Field.
“I’ve been a fan here through thick and thin.”
