Foster expects flexibility with his Mocs’ experience,
Jim Foster doesn’t understand the word “system” when it comes to how sports teams play. With one exception. “Unless you’re Bill Belichick and you have Tom Brady, then you can play around,” he said of the New England Patriots’ longtime coach and quarterback.
Foster’s University of Tennessee at Chattanooga women’s basketball team could have a different style of play, adjusted for a veteran group of players who can handle changes on the fly. They’ll get their first chance to showcase that flexibility this afternoon when they face Rutgers in Piscataway, N.J.
Foster has nine players listed as seniors or juniors, and with that experience he feels good about the changes on the team.
“The way I think we’re going to play hopefully will be more akin to playing a Rutgers, a Florida or an Auburn — who we scrimmaged — in terms of style of play,” he said. “It’s not like we’re going to play one way and then for two, three days have to prepare to play against another style. Within the framework of what we are doing this year, there’s a lot of all those opponents. … Our frame of reference is a little wider than it has been.”
Foster spoke of mixing and matching lineups more than normal, mentioning the possibility of five guards on the court at times, as well as having 6-foot-5 Ashlyn Wert on the floor along with 6-2 Jasmine Joyner.
“This year we have more offensive players instead of being a strictly defensive team,” junior guard Keiana Gilbert said. “We have a lot of players that can score and shoot the ball better than we’ve had in previous years, and that makes us a better all-around team because we are good on defense and our offense has gotten better.”
The Mocs have added Chelsey Shumpert, who averaged 10.7 points in three games before a knee injury caused her to redshirt last season, and sophomore Clemson transfer Shelbie Davenport, a shooter. They add options to a team that averaged 57.7 points per game last season and topped 70 points on only five occasions.
“I would like to think you get some kids that are willing to try to grow their games to fit in a way that their skill allows them to fit within how we would like to play and figure that out,” Foster said. “If they go out there with their own mindset and their own agenda, we’ll look like a lot of teams, and we don’t want to look like a lot of teams.
“We’d rather look like a few teams.”
Mocs sign five
Two area players were in a five-member signing class UTC announced Thursday.
Baylor guard Mya Long and McMinn Central guard Jacobi Lynn joined center Rochelle Lee from Germantown Houston, guard Brooke Burns from Gadsden (Ala.) City High and Brentwood Academy guard-forward Bria Dial.
The five’s commitments had been reported by the Times Free Press. They will join Winthrop center transfer Arianne Whitaker, who is on the roster but has to sit out this season.
“This is a talented, well-rounded class that fits a lot of our needs relative to our graduates,” Foster said in a release. “They are some very good basketball players who have a passion for the game and want to be coached.
“I think that’s a great package.”