Capturing history: UTC communication students take on NIT 

On Thursday, April 3, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men’s basketball team won the first National Invitation Tournament in University history. 

When the 85-84 overtime victory occurred, handfuls of reporters, sports writers, photographers and videographers were in attendance to capture the moment.  

Among them were five UTC communication students—Mallori Crocker, Sydney Banks, Zoie Denton, Emma Sutherland and Trevor Jolley—who traveled to the Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis to capture content and represent their student media groups. 

A look at the work the students produced and what they had to say about it: 

Mallori Crocker, Mocs News anchor 

Crocker covered the tournament for Mocs News—the University’s student broadcast channel—capturing game footage, crowd reactions and the final moments on video. 

“Experiencing the winning moment was genuinely unparalleled,” said Crocker, a sophomore from Bowling Green, Kentucky. “The energy in the arena was electrifying … Being at a game when your team nails victory is always a blast, but this particular game was nothing short of magical.” 

In addition to her work for Mocs News, Crocker took over UTC’s main Instagram account, @utchattanooga, posting daily stories and behind-the-scenes updates.  

Her access to players, fans and high-profile attendees gave her the opportunity to create content from multiple perspectives. 

“I conducted some fantastic interviews with passionate fans, Interim Chancellor Robert Dooley and the illustrious Terrell Owens, a former UTC student and Hall of Fame football player,” she said. 

Crocker also made professional connections with media members covering the game.  

“I met amazing journalists from the Chattanooga Times Free Press, Local 3 and even ESPN,” she said. “They let me watch how they communicate and produce live content.” 

Between games, she and the other students explored Indianapolis. One outing to a duckpin bowling alley turned into an unexpected three-hour stay when the power went out during tornado warnings.  

“All we could do was hang around and play some basketball,” she said. 

She called the experience a standout moment in her college career.  

“I had the unique opportunity to work closely with several of my professors … reminding me that we are all united by our passion for journalism,” she said. “I would be neglectful not to extend a heartfelt shoutout to Professor Jim Tanner and Professor Mike Andrews. Their unwavering support and guidance were key in making this trip not just possible, but truly transformative.” 

Click here to watch Crocker report from NIT.

Sydney Banks, assistant sports editor for The Echo 

Banks attended the tournament as a writer for UTC’s student news publication, The Echo, balancing reporting and editing responsibilities. 

“My role was to serve as a credentialed writer while fulfilling my editing duties,” she said. “Throughout the week, I prepared my game notes and stats in the media workroom and sat in the media section to watch the game, taking notes for game recaps and features to be posted on The Echo website. I also edited the stories written by Zoie Denton, the staff writer who was in attendance.” 

Banks wrote recaps and feature stories using box scores, interviews and observations.  

“I took notes on significant moments, key plays, player emotions, the crowd atmosphere and impactful moments to add depth to my content,” she said. 

She interviewed several players during open practices and attended postgame press conferences. She also wrote a student and fan experience story and had the chance to speak with Owens.  

“A fun highlight was asking Terrell Owens a couple of questions about his attendance at the game,” Banks said. “This opportunity came about thanks to our @utchattanooga page Instagram takeover.” 

When the buzzer sounded, Banks said staying objective was tough. 

“Although I was there working for The Echo, it was a little hard to maintain my professional front as a journalist during the winning moment,” she said. “I felt a deep sense of pride for our school and basketball program.” 

Outside of coverage, Banks said the trip strengthened friendships among her Echo colleagues.  

“We typically only work together, but this trip gave us the chance to sightsee, enjoy quality downtime in between games and work, and share meals,” she said. 

“It felt really special to be part of such a significant trip—not only covering history for our athletic department but also making history for our communication department and student media.” 

Click here and here to read Banks’ stories.

Emma Sutherland, photographer for The Echo 

Sutherland spent the tournament behind the camera, capturing action and celebration from every angle. 

“I was able to capture many different plays during each game, such as layups at the goal, a player driving through defense and even the dunk at the end of the semifinals,” she said. 

Being on the floor for the final buzzer was a moment she won’t forget. 

“To be there for the winning moment was definitely something I had to pause and take in for a minute,” she said. “It was a moment where I did not think I would really ever get to experience something like that. Not only was it cool to just be there—but to be able to capture some amazing celebration photos was fantastic.” 

Sutherland said exploring the city between games was a highlight as well. 

“I got to see many different parts of Indianapolis that were so interesting, like the NCAA Hall of Champions and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway,” she said. “I come from a very small town in Alabama with not much of anything, so just to travel and see things like that is always so fun to me.” 

She said the group’s shared experience made the trip especially meaningful. 

“I just really appreciate the people I traveled with,” she said. “We are all such good friends now and we all worked as a team while we were there. We were just able to bounce ideas off of each other and get so many things done for the school to be able to see how big this moment was in UTC history.” 

Click here to see a photo gallery with photos courtesy of Emma Sutherland.

Trevor Jolley, sports editor for The Echo 

As sports editor for The Echo, Jolley organized the coverage of the tournament and served as both a photographer and reporter on site. 

“My first duty involved gathering a staff to cover the tournament,” said Jolley, a senior and Chattanooga native. “Once we got to the tournament, I served as a photographer for The Echo and the Chattanooga Times Free Press.” 

He shot in-game action, postgame celebrations and feature moments from around the arena. After the buzzer sounded, he joined the celebration on the court. 

“When the clock hit zero, it was a feeling like no other,” he said. “Running out on the court and capturing the moments that those guys, as well as myself, will never forget—it was something words cannot do justice.” 

Jolley followed the team closely throughout the season and said the championship moment felt like a culmination. 

“Even on the final shot of the season, time stood still watching the ball roll around the rim—but just like with so many other moments in the season, the chips fell Chattanooga’s way and the stars aligned in perfect unison.” 

Among the most memorable moments was getting to hold the championship trophy and clipping a piece of the net to take home.  

“With my pockets full of confetti, braided net in hand and a phone with a moment I’ll never forget, those few moments feel like eternity in my head and I know I’ll never forget it,” he said. 

Jolley’s photos appeared in the Times Free Press.  

“Growing up in Chattanooga, I remember running out in my driveway on Sunday mornings to pick up that week’s edition of the paper,” he said. “I would have never imagined that in 10-15 years, my work would be in that same paper I used to get delivered to my house.” 

He said the experience taught him the value of saying yes to significant opportunities. 

“I know there are assignments to be completed, bills to be paid, plans to be completed and any other excuse under the sun. I’ve dealt with them all,” Jolley said. “But none of them compare to the experience I had during this week covering the NIT. Moments like these have the power to change your life.” 

Jolley also credited the team effort behind the scenes.  

“I could not have done this without the excellent work of my team,” he said. “Between the excellent writing and engaging features from Sydney Banks and Zoie Denton to the life-like moments captured in photos by Emma Sutherland, and with the guidance and chauffeuring of Professor Jim Tanner, the work we captured was a team effort.” 

Click here to see a photo gallery with photos courtesy of Trevor Jolley.

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Jim Tanner, who the students credited for making their trip possible, is a lecturer in the UTC Department of Communication. 

“I need to take a moment of personal privilege to brag about this group of University of Tennessee at Chattanooga student journalists and communication majors,” Tanner wrote in a LinkedIn post. 

“I had a vision for how this could help our students and started working to put a plan together within hours of the Mocs’ win over Bradley in the NIT quarterfinals. With help from my bosses, funding became available. Then I needed students willing to take on this challenge.” 

He expressed his pride in the students, saying they dug deep for stories, videos and photos. 

“These guys have bright futures,” he said. “Plus, they were a lot of fun to be around and put up with me for a week. I am so happy they got this experience (and that I got to experience it with them) and am very proud of all their hard work.” 

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