Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

Tennessee Senate Bill SJR0446 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

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2	2	<BillNo> <Sponsor>
3	3
4	4	SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION 446
5	5	By Watson
6	6
7	7
8	8	SJR0446
9	9	007646
10	10	- 1 -
11	11
12	12	A RESOLUTION to honor the Chattanooga Mocs men's basketball
13	13	team on winning the 2025 National Invitation
14	14	Tournament.
15	15
16	16	WHEREAS, it is fitting that this General Assembly should salute those student athletes
17	17	who, through their extraordinary efforts, have distinguished themselves as true champions of
18	18	whom we can all be proud; and
19	19	WHEREAS, one such exemplary group of young men is the Mocs basketball team of the
20	20	University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC or Chattanooga), whose members have proven
21	21	themselves to be the fiercest of competitors and truly worthy of admiration by winning the 2025
22	22	National Invitation Tournament (NIT), a victory that made history; and
23	23	WHEREAS, the 2025 NIT crown is UTC's first NCAA-sanctioned tournament title in its
24	24	Division I history, as well as the first such title won by any Southern Conference (SoCon)
25	25	program in the conference's 105-year history; and
26	26	WHEREAS, Chattanooga also matched a school record for total wins, finishing with a
27	27	29-9 overall record; the Mocs closed out the 2024-2025 season on a tremendous hot streak,
28	28	winning seventeen of their final eighteen games; and
29	29	WHEREAS, after winning the SoCon regular season championship with a 15-3 record,
30	30	Chattanooga fell in the semifinals of the SoCon tournament for their final loss of the season; and
31	31	WHEREAS, determined to get revenge for that loss, UTC entered the NIT with a
32	32	determined outlook and a chip on their shoulders and proceeded to win five straight games; and
33	33	WHEREAS, the Mocs defeated Middle Tennessee State 109-103 in a triple overtime
34	34	thriller and then knocked off Dayton 87-72 in the second round; and
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39	39	WHEREAS, Chattanooga bested Bradley 67-65 in the quarterfinal round and defeated
40	40	Loyola-Chicago 80-73 in their semifinal match-up to advance to the title game; and
41	41	WHEREAS, the championship tilt between Chattanooga and UC Irvine was one of the
42	42	best postseason basketball games of the year, featuring fourteen lead changes and nine ties,
43	43	and neither team led by more than eight points during the contest; and
44	44	WHEREAS, Chattanooga scored with eleven seconds remaining in overtime to take a
45	45	one-point lead; the Mocs then survived a last-second attempt to claim the 2025 NIT title with a
46	46	thrilling 85-84 victory at the historic Hinkle Fieldhouse; and
47	47	WHEREAS, the Mocs were led to the promised land by NIT Most Valuable Player Trey
48	48	Bonham, who scored 19 points and pulled 10 rebounds; Collin Mulholland, who also put up 19
49	49	points; All-Tournament selection Honor Huff, who scored 14 points; Garrison Keeslar, who
50	50	made the game-winning bucket and finished with 14 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists; and
51	51	Bash Wieland, who performed yeoman's duty in posting nine points, seven rebounds, and four
52	52	assists; and
53	53	WHEREAS, the UTC squad also included contributing players, Jack Kostel, Sean
54	54	Cusano, Latif Diouf, Makai Richards, Parker Robison, Noah Melson, Ryan Lopez, Frank
55	55	Champion, Houston Holland, Liam Vitters, and Isaiah Otyaluk; and
56	56	WHEREAS, Chattanooga's NIT title would not have been possible without the expert
57	57	guidance of Head Coach Dan Earl; his assistant coaches, Ander Galfsky, Scott Greenman, and
58	58	Ricardo Rush, Jr.; and Director of Basketball Operations Alan Treakle; and
59	59	WHEREAS, the 2025 NIT title stands alongside the Mocs' league-best thirteen regular-
60	60	season SoCon titles and league-best twelve SoCon Tournament titles, UTC's 1997 run to the
61	61	Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA Tournament, and Chattanooga's 1977 NCAA Division II National
62	62	Title as one of the program's crowning achievements; and
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67	67	WHEREAS, we find it appropriate to acknowledge and applaud the UTC Mocs for their
68	68	historic season on the hardwood; now, therefore,
69	69	BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FOURTEENTH
70	70	GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE, THE HOUSE OF
71	71	REPRESENTATIVES CONCU RRING, that we honor and congratulate the members and
72	72	coaches of the Chattanooga Mocs men's basketball team on winning the 2025 National
73	73	Invitation Tournament, the historic first Division I tournament title in UTC and Southern
74	74	Conference history, and extend to them our best wishes for every continued success in all their
75	75	future endeavors.
76	76	BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that an appropriate copy of this resolution be prepared
77	77	for presentation with this final clause omitted from such copy and upon proper request made to
78	78	the appropriate clerk, the language appearing immediately following the State seal appear
79	79	without House or Senate designation.