SEASON TICKET DEPOSIT
 
CHATTANOOGA---Chattanooga Mocs men's basketball coach Lamont Paris announced the first members of his staff Monday. Tanner Bronson and Walter Offutt join the first-year head coach in Gig City.
 
"I'm really excited about both of these guys," Paris shared. "It's great to get two good coaches ready to hit the ground running and be able to sprint. It's been a one-man band for a long time, so to get some accompaniment is much welcome."
 
Bronson is a Wisconsin alum playing from 2005-08 prior to Paris' arrival in Madison. He moved from the playing floor to the bench first in the NBA D-League as an assistant with the Sioux Falls Skyforce for two-plus seasons. He returned to the college game in 2011 as graduate manager for Rick Majerus at St. Louis.
 
That began a five-year stretch which coincided with the best run in Billiken history. The last four of those years (July 2012-2016) was as an assistant coach. SLU went 103-64 over the five seasons with two Atlantic 10 titles and three NCAA Tournament trips along the way. Bronson joined Marvin Menzies at UNLV as program assistant in 2016-17.
 
Offutt spent last season as director of basketball operations at Ball State. He was an All-Mid-American Conference performer at Ohio earning third team honors as well Academic All-MAC in 2013.
 
His 2012 Bobcat squad reached the NCAA Sweet 16 winning 29 games playing for John Groce. Offutt earned NCAA Midwest Region All-Tournament including a career-best 26-point performance against North Carolina in the Sweet 16 matchup.
 
Following graduation, he spent a year as a varsity assistant at Indianapolis Cathedral High School before rejoining Groce as a graduate manager at Illinois. He spent the 2015 and 2016 seasons in Champaign before moving to Muncie joining James Whitford in June 2016.
 
Deposits on 2017-18 season tickets are available here on GoMocs.com. Fans can also make deposits at the box office or by calling (423) 266-MOCS (6627).
 
Paris on Bronson:
"Tanner is an up-and-comer who has been around some really good coaches. At the foundation of it, he has a lot of Wisconsin connections. He played there, so he has a familiarity with some of the things I want to do.  He's been around really good coaches and in the D-League. He's really good with the guys. It's going to be good to have the familiarity of what I'm used to and what he knows [from Wisconsin], but he's been with some other good guys providing a different perspective."
 
Paris on Offutt:
"I've really gotten to know Walter the past couple of years. Another up-and-comer…super high-energy who has played at a high level. He was an unbelievable competitor looking for an opportunity. I really believe in him and wanted to give him a chance to show what he can do. He's really good with the guys. Walter is someone who will work and grind."
 
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ABOUT CHATTANOOGA BASKETBALL
- The Mocs are by far the most successful program in the Southern Conference since joining the league in 1977-78. The team has won 30 titles with 11 regular season, 11 tournament and eight division.
- 16 NCAA Tournament Appearances (11 DI): 1961 (DII), 1973 (DII), 1975 (DII), 1976 (DII Runner-up), 1977 (DII National Champs), 1981, 1982, 1983, 1988, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997 (Sweet 16), 2005, 2009, 2016
- 11 SoCon Tournament Crowns: 1981, 1982, 1983, 1988, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2005, 2009, 2016
- 11 SoCon Regular Season Championships: 1981, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 2016
- 8 Division Titles: 1995, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2011
- The 1997 team went to the NCAA Sweet 16 with wins over Georgia and Illinois.
- 5 SoCon Players of the Year: Willie White (1981-82), Keith Nelson (1991-92), Tim Brooks (1992-93), Chad Copeland (1993-94) and Johnny Taylor (1996-97).
- 4 SoCon Defensive Players of the Year: Z. Mason (2014), Justin Tuoyo (2015, 2016, 2017).
- 4 SoCon Coaches of the Year: Murray Arnold (1982, '83), Mack McCarthy (1986, '92, '93), Will Wade (2014) and Matt McCall (2016).
- 9 NBA Draft Picks: Walter "Moose" McGary (1973 & '74), William Gordon (1977), Wayne Golden (1977), Russ Schoene (1982), Nick Morken (1982), Willie White (1984), Gerald Wilkins (1985, 13 seasons) and Johnny Taylor (1997 1st Round).