Chattanooga Mocs Reload for 2025 SoCon Title Run
After an NIT title, Chattanooga reloads with key transfers and returning talent for another SoCon championship push.
It was an incredible season for the Chattanooga Mocs last year. They finished 29-9, and won the NIT in a thrilling overtime win over UC Irvine in the championship game. After taking VMI from just 9-21 to a 16-16 record, Dan Earl headed to Chattanooga where he has improved the team every season. In year one he finished 18-17, then 21-12, and now after having won the NIT last season, they will have their eyes set on reaching the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2022.
With a number of their top players no longer on the roster, Earl has had to dip into the transfer portal while pulling out a couple of strong players from the non-division one ranks to assemble what looks like a team that should be competing for the top of the Southern Conference once again. Let’s take a look at who will be on the Chattanooga Mocs’ roster next season.
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Roster Turnover
The Mocs have lost the following players during the offseason:
Jack Kostel (Ineligible)
5 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.2 assists
Bash Wieland (Ineligible)
13.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.7 assists
Garrison Keeslar (Ineligible)
6.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.2 steals
Frank Champion (Ineligible)
11.4 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.2 steals, 1.2 blocks
Trey Bonham (Ineligible)
14.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.4 steals
Honor Huff (Senior) - West Virginia
15.2 points, 1.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists
Noah Melson (Junior) - FDU
2.9 points, 0.9 rebounds
Isaiah Otyaluk (Sophomore) - Drury (D-II)
DNP
Well, it’s not fun when you lose your top five scorers. You knew that this was the last season for Champion, Keeslar, Bonham, and Wieland, so in the grand scheme only loosing Huff was the heartbreaker. After the season that Huff had, Mocs fans should have known that it’d be difficult to retain him in this era of NIL. While I don’t have details on what he received at West Virginia, I’m sure that it was quite a large sum.
Returning Players
Dan Earl and his staff retained the following players for next season:
Makai Richards (Senior)
3.8 points, 1.8 rebounds
Ryan Lopez (Junior)
0.5 points (6 games/0.5 minutes)
Sean Cusano (Junior)
4.5 points, 3.7 rebounds
Houston Holland (Sophomore)
1 point, 0.4 rebounds (7 games/1.6 minutes)
Liam Vitters (Sophomore)
0.6 points, 0.3 rebounds (9 games/1.2 minutes)
Collin Mulholland (Sophomore)
6 points, 2.1 rebounds, 1.4 assists
Latif Diouf (Sophomore)
3.1 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1 assist
Parker Robison (Sophomore)
0.7 points, 0.4 rebounds (24 games/3.8 minutes)
Forwards
Latif Diouf (6’9)
The 6’9 forward out of the Netherlands had a solid freshman season for the Mocs. He appeared in 31 games while seeing 9.9 minutes of action on average. He shot 44.4% overall from the floor, but just 8.3% from beyond the arc on just 12 attempts. While there is plenty of room for him to grow offensively, his rebounding is his best skillset currently. He finished the season with a 19.6% defensive rebounding percentage and a 12.1% offensive rebounding percentage. During the NIT run to the title game, he finished with seven rebounds in 12 minutes against Bradley and five rebounds in 13 minutes against Loyola Chicago. I’m looking forward to seeing how he can develop more offensively in an expanded role.
Sean Cusano (6’9)
Cusano has spent his first couple of seasons with the Mocs. After appearing in just three games his freshman season, he went down with a season-ending injury. Last year, he came out strong while appearing in 35 games. He shot 45% overall and 29.9% from three-point on 1.9 attempts per game. His playing time diminished in conference play, but he should have a chance to earn a more solid role in this year’s offense.
Centers
Makai Richards (6’10)
Richards transferred into Chattanooga last season after spending his first two seasons with the Pacific Tigers. He appeared in 37 games last season while shooting 63.8% overall. His production was all over the place. He had a very limited role, however, there were three games where he came up huge. Against Saint Mary’s he finished with 19 points, two rebounds, and two assists in just 18 minutes. Against Bryant, he finished with 17 points and five rebounds in 17 minutes. In the Mocs’ NIT Semifinals victory over Loyola Chicago, he finished with ten points and two rebounds in 11 minutes. When he got an opportunity to play, he usually showed signs of his potential. We should see him play some more this season, so look for him to take advantage of this opportunity.
Collin Mulholland (6’10)
Mulholland is a huge returning piece for the Mocs coming off a strong freshman season. He averaged 48.1% overall and 35.2% from beyond the arc while appearing in 36 games throughout the season. During the NIT run, he averaged 12.6 points, three rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game while knocking down 11 three point shots. In the thrilling overtime win against UC Irvine, he finished with 19 points and four rebounds while taking a remarkable 17 three pointers. For a 6’10 player, you’d like to see him rebound more yet he still finished the season with a 15.2% defensive rebounding percentage. He is a unique forward/center and he should be on a breakout watch this season for Chattanooga.
Walk-ons
Ryan Lopez, Parker Robison, Houston Holland, and Liam Vitters are all walk-ons for the Mocs so you should assume a similar level of contributions this season.
Roster Additions
The Mocs have brought in the following new players:
Teddy Washington Jr. (Senior) - SEMO
13.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2 steals
Billy Smith (Senior) - Bellarmine
14 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.4 steals
Brennan Watkins (Senior) - North Dakota State
6.3 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.9 assists
Jikari Johnson (Senior) - Trevecca Nazarena (D-II)
23.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.2 assists
Sebastian Hartmann (Junior) - Eastern Washington
9.3 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists
Jordan Frison (Junior) - Pittsburg State (D-II)
18.4 points, 3.7 rebounds, 6.1 assists
Zach Bleshoy (Freshman)
Tate Darner (Freshman)
Josh Bowman (Freshman)
Guards
Teddy Washington, Jr. (6’2)
After two seasons in the JUCO ranks, Teddy Washington Jr. spent a season at Texas A&M - Corpus Christi and another at SEMO last year. During his time at SEMO, he took off. He shot 38.6% overall on 13 attempts per game and 28.9% on shots beyond the arc on 6.3 attempts per game. Notably, he also racked up a strong two steals per game. His 3.5% steal percentage was 92nd in the country last year. SEMO finished the season 21-12 and 202nd in KenPom, so it’s not like Washington was the star player on a bad OVC team. His shooting volume should drop a bit at Chattanooga, but the Mocs are getting a fully capable offensive combo-guard to help fill their scoring void.
Brennan Watkins (6’0)
Watkins spent his first two seasons with VMI, which included a star sophomore campaign where he averaged 15.1 points with three assists and 2.1 rebounds per game. The 6’0 point guard transferred to North Dakota State last season where his metrics dropped due to the pieces around him, however he still appeared in 29 games and started 27. He finished the season with a 17.7 assist rate and a 20.8 turnover rate, which I’d like to see drop a big. Even with his offensive production dropping, he still finished with a better offensive rating of 107.8 than he did in his strong campaign at VMI where he finished with a 98.7 rating. He shot 35.9% overall and 35.8% from three-point. Nearly 70% of his shots where from beyond the arc, so he’s not much of a slash and drive candidate. However, I believe he’ll have the opportunity to help drive this offense as an additional point guard on the roster.
Jordan Frison (6’0)
Coming out of Pittsburg State, Jordan Frison was nothing short of incredible last season. He averaged 18.4 points, 6.1 assists, and 3.7 rebounds while shooting 49.8% overall and 30.3% from three point. He averaged nearly a 2:1 assist to turnover ratio, so I fully expect him to be a strong candidate for the leading point guard position this season. In just two seasons at Pittsburg State, he won the MIAA Freshman of the Year award and the MIAA Player of the Year Award in back-to-back seasons.
Sebastian Hartmann (6’6)
Hartmann is a 6’6 wing out of Germany that spent his first two seasons with Eastern Washington. Last year, he moved into a starting role where he finished the season shooting 51% overall and 35.8% from three-point on 3.2 attempts per game. Per KenPom, he had a 117 offensive rating which was 377th in the country. His 60.8% true shooting percentage was 160th and his 62.4% shooting percentage from inside the arc was 137th in the nation. He also developed into a strong shot blocker as the year went on. In conference, he finished with a 2% blocking percentage. He finished with 16 points against both Utah and Washington State in their non-conference schedule. I think he has a huge opportunity to really takeoff for the Mocs this season.
Jikari Johnson (6’4)
Johnson has bounced around between the University of Mount Olive, Ferrum, and last season with Trevecca. Through 17 games, he absolutely dominated the competition. Johnson averaged 23.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game while shooting 49.8% overall and 44% from beyond the arc. During his recruitment, he had heard from Indiana State, Samford, Belmont, Elon, Furman, and many other strong non-power conference programs. The Mocs are getting a lights out shooter that isn’t afraid to crash the boards. He’ll play a crucial role this season in his final year of college basketball.
Billy Smith (6’7)
While the Bellarmine Knights struggled last season, Billy Smith did not. He finished the season shooting 44.5% overall and 38.7% from three-point on 6.6 attempts per game. His 57.1% true shooting percentage was 440th in the country. He also emerged as a strong on-ball defender as he racked up 1.4 steals per game and finished with a 2.7% steal percentage. Often times, if a team wins less than ten games they'll have one player that takes all the shots, but isn’t quite that effective. Smith was effective while still being the go-to guy on offense. He’s going to be a huge contributor in year one for the Mocs and should be locked in as a starter for the first game of the season.
Tate Darner (6’2)
Coming out of Santa Fe Catholic, the son of the Tampa University’s head coach is an absolute bucket-maker. He averaged 15.6 points over the course of his career and shot 45% overall and 35% from beyond the arc. During his senior season, he averaged 23.5 points per game, 5.3 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.8 steals while shooting 51% overall. The Mocs are getting an electric shooter that should be able to provide them a spark for the seasons to come.
Darner held offers from Dartmouth, Jacksonville, North Florida, Le Moyne, and others.
Zach Bleshoy (6’4)
A three-star recruit, Bleshoy ranked 409th in this year’s class according to 247 Sports. This kid can fly up-and-down the court. He has some decent verticality as well, allowing him to finished strong around the rim. He seems to have good court awareness both on the offensive and defensive ends. His senior season was cut short due to an injury, however, he was dominating early in the year. With a number of guards with experience on the roster, I don’t believe he’ll carve out a ton of minutes. However, giving him 10-12 minutes per game in the rotation will help his long-term development. Bleshoy could be a crucial piece for the Mocs in the coming seasons.
Bleshoy held offers from Tulane, Towson, Murray State, Youngstown State, Kennesaw State, and many other strong non-power conference programs.
Forwards
Josh Bowman (6’9)
Coming out of Huntsville, Bowman was yet another division one commit from the program. His teammate JD Gossett was also recruited by Lennie Acuff at Lipscomb and ultimately followed him to Samford. Bowman has great size, which allows him to finish tough shots around the rim and disrupt his opponents on defense. He seems to have a strong basketball IQ as well. He can dish it off to teammates and help in ball movement. I don’t forsee him cracking the rotation with a ton of minutes as freshman, but he should be able to be a long-term development prospect for the Mocs.
Bowman held offers from UIC, Kennesaw State, Lipscomb, Murray State, and others.
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Expectations
Last season, the Mocs finished with the 44th best offensive efficiency, 48th best three point percentage, 10th best two point percentage, and 37th best free throw percentage. Earl prioritized a high octane offense that scored below 75 points just five times. With star players like Frank Champion, Honor Huff, Trey Bonham, and Bash Wieland gone, he has done a great job replacing those holes in the offense. Here’s what a potential starting lineup could look like:
Jordan Frison
Teddy Washington Jr./Billy Smith
Billy Smith/Sebastian Hartmann
Sean Cusano
Collin Mulholland
Dan Earl has a lot of options that he can swap in and out of the starting lineup, so I wouldn’t be shocked if we saw a lot of movement early on in the season. At point guard, even though he doesn’t have division one experience I think that you have to give the nod to Jordan Frison. He posted elite metrics at Pittsburg State, and I believe that Teddy Washington Jr. fits in more as a combo guard. You can then have Brennan Watkins come off the bench for 20-25 minutes a game in relief of either starter.
At SG/SF, you have a ton of options. I think it’s a no brainer to start Billy Smith, however you can swap around a combination of Washington Jr., Sebastian Hartmann, and Jikari Johnson. Honestly, my guess is each of those three players see some starts this season. I’d lean on bringing Johnson off the bench because he’s a lights out shooter. You could bring in Watkins to backup at point guard, then have Johnson who helps apply consistent offensive pressure in the secondary unit. Then, you still have Sebastian Hartmann who should be seeing 20+ minutes per game if he isn’t starting already. That’s a deep roster at all guard positions.
For the four and five spots, it gets a bit clearer. You have to start Collin Mulholland even if he isn’t a traditional center. He’s too good offensively to keep him out of the starting lineup and he’s my breakout candidate to watch on the roster this season. Then, I would put Sean Cusano in the four sport as he is 6’8. He’s strong on offense and he showed signs of playing solid defense as well, so coupling both Mulholland and Cusano in the starting five with the others and you have a top 75 offense once again. Coming off the bench, you can have Richards and Diouf who both play more traditional roles. As mentioned with the guards, I think that plays well because you’d still have offensive options with Hartmann and Johnson while Richard and Diouf lock down the paint. Don’t be shocked if we see some playing time from Josh Bowman as well.
My largest concern is the lack of experience among the players with height. I have a lot of faith that Collin Mulholland is going to be a huge piece, however, he’s not your traditional 6’10 center. If he can step it up on his defensive pressure inside the paint, I’ll feel a lot better. However, outside of Mulholland, neither Latif Diouf nor Makai Richards have played large roles. You have Sean Cusano who did have the second best block percentage behind Richards, but he’s more of an offensive threat. It’s worth noting that this was a similar issue to last season. While the Mocs finished with the 44th best offensive efficiency, they also finished with just the 227th best defensive efficiency. Despite this they still finished 29-9 and won the NIT, so I could foresee a similar gap in the offensive and defensive metrics this season.
Overall, I like the makeup of this team. Loosing Huff, Bonham, Wieland, and Champion and then trying to replace those players is a tough ask. However, I believe that Earl has done a solid job. I foresee the Mocs competing with the top of the SoCon and a chance to finish in the top three and return to a postseason berth once again.