University of Tennessee at Chattanooga basketball coach John Shulman may try to get his fullback as many touches as possible Saturday.
DeAntre Jefferson, the Mocs' most physical player, could play a critical role when the Mocs face Murray State at 3 p.m. in McKenzie Arena.
"They're going to come in here and try to play football," Shulman said of the Racers. "Man, they are good. They are physical."
Jefferson, at 6-foot-8 and 230 pounds, is the Mocs' best man to handle that style of basketball. He's averaging 8.8 points and 6.8 rebounds per game this season. He leads UTC in free-throw attempts with 40 but has made only 42.4 percent of them.
"He's got to rebound the ball; he's got to be an inside presence for us," Shulman said. "We started the season thinking that we were going to shoot a bunch of 3s and be a guard-orientated team. It wasn't as much fun as I thought it would be.
"We're going to feed Big D and Jeremy [Saffore] down there, and that mean expectations go up."
Jefferson didn't always have such an approach last year as a junior college transfer from Vincennes (Ind.) Junior College. He averaged 6.7 points and 4.6 rebounds per game last year.
"I'm more coachable. I trust what Coach Shulman is saying and teaching, and with that, I'm more relaxed," Jefferson said. "Last year, I'd seen things work my way for so long and wanted to do that, but Coach knows what he's talking about and it's working.
"The game is easier for me. I feel more at ease and more comfortable."
Junior college transfers usually need a full season to comprehend and execute Shulman's offensive and defensive systems. They've had bright moments as juniors, followed a year later with consistent success. Jefferson fits that mold as well.
"Go back and look at [Kevin] Bridgewaters, Marcus Watts, Kevin Goffney. In their second year they all had really good years," Shulman said. "That first year is a hard one.
"Big D is thinking less and playing more."
Jefferson and junior guard Ricky Taylor were roommates during the offseason. Taylor said they swiped key-cards into the practice facility and played pickup games at least five days a week.
"I can honestly say he's gotten a lot better," Taylor said. "He cooked for me, I cooked for him - like pork chops, mac-'n'-cheese and everything else - and then we'd go work it off.
"He got his game ready for this year, and he's a lot more aggressive."
Contact David Uchiyama at duchiyama@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6484. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com UchiyamaCTFP