The team has been doing workouts and conditioning since July, but today was the first two-hour session with everyone on the court at the same time.
One positive head coach Katie Burrows as well as the team saw on the court was "the overall energy they brought today. They've been competing every single day and every single drill that they've been doing, it carried over into today's practice as well. We've still got a lot of things to clean up."
The Mocs finished third in a season shortened by the pandemic last year and placed three on the all-conference teams. Abbey Cornelius returns to anchor the post position. She, along with guard Sigrun Olafsdottir, have flourished in practice.
"Abbey is showing her senior leadership," Burrows said. "She's directing, basically coaching her teammates. And then you've got Sigrun. It's been really cool to see her come back. She's just a totally different person. She's comfortable, you can see it in her demeanor. She's asserting herself and she's being more vocal."
The guard play overall has seen an improvement according to Burrows.
"With Brooke [Hampel], Mari [Amaria Pugh], Dena [Jarrells] and Audrey Canter, I've noticed a big difference in a guard play overall. It's kind of like they never left off, but have improved and are also more confident in their game as well."
It's the veterans who help the newcomers along and Pare Pene has stepped into that leadership and mentoring role.
"I would say Pare has probably been a really big part of that too. Welcoming them and taking them under her wing.
"I've just been so thankful for the whole dynamic shift this year. The chemistry is there. It's better."
The Mocs signed five newcomers last year that include Lebanon's Addie Grace Porter, Montana transfer Karsen Murphy, Destiny McClendon from Lake Oconee Academy, Leah Jones from Northpoint Christian School and Lara Habling from Hungary.
The Mocs newcomers in the back court, Porter and McClendon, bring another dimension to the court. Porter's got fire and spirit at the point while McClendon has the makings of a scoring machine."
"Addie Grace gets after it and competes every second she's on the court," Burrows said. "She's got a little bit of swag to her and doesn't really get fazed. That's what you love at the point guard position.
"Destiny is a walking bucket. I'm not going to tell her not to shoot because she just finds a way to score. It's been really impressive. I just tell her that she's got to stop thinking so much. She wants to do it just right so she tends to overthink it."
Three post players have joined the Mocs in Murphy, Jones and Habling.
"Karsen has some experience and a good base," Burrows said of the transfer. "She's got a very high IQ. As a former dancer and volleyball player, she's got good footwork and we've seen her volleyball spike the ball a few times!
"Leah's IQ is off the charts. She's a super smart player and always seems to be in the right place. She's gotten better around the basket in the last few weeks so I'm looking for her to be strong and finish."
Getting a late start is Hungarian signee Lara Habling.
"International players have a learning curve with footwork," Burrows said. "The rules are different like you can't play defense with your hands over here. They're just given so much more flexibility overseas. She seems to be coming along and is another with a very high basketball IQ."
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September 30, 2021 at 01:59AM
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Women's Basketball Holds First Practice - University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Athletics - GoMocs.com
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