UTC women likely to pick up the pace

Entering her fourth season as head coach of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga women’s basketball program, Katie Burrows felt a need for more quickness and more energy this fall.

There were times during the 2020-21 schedule — one filled with headaches all around as coaches tried to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic — when the Mocs appeared to be listless. Burrows’ alma mater remained a program filled with a ton of pride from decades of success, but it needed a jolt.

Some of that prestige has been knocked off in the eyes of outside observers, demonstrated by the fact the Mocs were selected to finish fifth in the Southern Conference this season in the coaches’ poll and third in the media poll. It was just two seasons ago that UTC was picked in the bottom half of the league, and that team earned a share of the regular-season championship and was in line for a Women’s National Invitation Tournament appearance before the pandemic shut down sports.

So Burrows needed an infusion of energy and talent. She got that at guard with the addition of freshmen Destiny McClendon and Addie Porter. She found some size with the addition of Memphis product Leah Jones and Lara Habling from Hungary. And just to sprinkle in a little bit of experience, she added Montana transfer Karsen Murphy, who comes to UTC with all four years of eligibility remaining.

The Mocs do return four starters from last season, including junior forwards Abbey Cornelius and Eboni Williams, both of them All-SoCon honorees last season. UTC has experience all over, with seven of the nine players who averaged at least 10 minutes a game in 2020-21 returning.

A look at the roster suggests the Mocs are going to play a faster pace and style. The days of the post player seem to be a thing of the past at UTC, as only Cornelius — a preseason All-SoCon pick — stands over 6-foot-2. Burrows confirmed earlier this week that 6-3 junior forward Ruona Uwusiaba will not be medically cleared to play again.

“We are going to get the ball out and spread the floor a lot more than before,” Burrows said. “We’re definitely putting a focus on getting some easy buckets in transition, but the paint touches are what’s going to be critical. Can we attack the gaps and get in there and break down the defense?

We’ve found in practices that we have some success playing inside-out and our percentages go way up, so that’s going to be a huge focus for us, no matter what we’re doing — trying to break down defenses.”

UTC’s season opener is Tuesday against Belmont at McKenzie Arena, but first the Mocs will host an exhibition at 7 p.m. Friday against Division II program Georgia College. The Bobcats, coached by UTC graduate Ross Jolly, lost 108-44 to Tennessee — coached by Ross’s sister Kellie Harper — in another exhibition Wednesday night in Knoxville.