Three in a Row for Tony Mitchell

Hes a bad man...

I got a bad feeling he may be one and done if this keeps up though...

Yep, with the void left by Jones and Williams, he's bound to pick up extra slack and Scouts will notice. We've just gotta maximize him being here... Here's to a conference championship and some noise in the tourney.

I wonder what the record is for Sun Belt cumulative/consecutive MVP's? Would be pretty cool if Tony blew through that!

I wonder what the record is for Sun Belt cumulative/consecutive MVP's? Would be pretty cool if Tony blew through that!

Mitchell becomes just the second player in league history to receive three consecutive Player of the Week awards and the first since the 2008-09 season when Brandon Hazzard of Troy received three consecutive honors.

I think three is the answer.

Hes a bad man...

I got a bad feeling he may be one and done if this keeps up though...

Look at the rookie salary pay scale. Unless he cracks the top 15 or so, he could essentially stay another year and make an extra $4 million for himself over two years. He is good, but I'm not sure why people truly expect him to jump ship. He seems to be having fun here, and waiting to not only raise his stock, but enter a less talented draft could make him a lot of extra money.

EDIT: If he does leave, Chris and Jordans absense will have a lot to do with it...which is painful on so many levels.

Edited January 23, 2012 by Mean Green Matt

I am disappointed in Tony Mitchell to date. With all of the hoopla surrounding him it is a disappointment that it's not the "Tony Mitchell Player of the Week Award" yet.

That message was brought to you by the Department of Redundency Department.

On a more serious note, after watching him on TV I just had to see him in person. I loaded up the kids Saturday night and we all came away very impressed. If you have not seen him live - do it. You will be glad you did. Tony Mitchell is the most athletic human being I have ever seen.

I wonder what the record is for Sun Belt cumulative/consecutive MVP's? Would be pretty cool if Tony blew through that!

Only 3 players in the history of the belt have won back-to-back league Player of the Year awards.

Terry Catledge 83-84, 84-85

Chris Gatling 89-90, 90-91

Chico Fletcher 97-98, 98-99

I think there's a very strong chance TM wins the POY this year, sticks around for one more year with CJ and JW, and wins it again next year.

No one else has even won the Player of the Week award twice this year.

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Edited January 23, 2012 by FloMoGrad

But I think we all agree this means nothing if it doesn't get us past Hot Springs.

Nothing in what way? I'm gonna enjoy Mitchell whether we go 12-18 or win the National Title.

But I think we all agree this means nothing if it doesn't get us past Hot Springs.

At the very least it helps the perception of the program to have a 5* athlete. We are going after another 5* at Kimball right now...he won't be able to look at NT and say that no 5* athlete would ever think about playing for them. Plus, Tony will have North Texas by his name for his entire NBA career.

But I think we all agree this means nothing if it doesn't get us past Hot Springs.

Well you have just dissed every NT player that hasn't played in the NCAA tournament which includes almost all of them including some of the best that have ever played for NT. Kenneth Lyons, Joe Hamilton, Jessie Ratliff, Chris Davis, and the vast majority of NT players have wasted their careers at NT, I guess.

But I think we all agree this means nothing if it doesn't get us past Hot Springs.

False! This is a big deal! Check his #'s, he's like a created player on a video game! At UNT?!? Big Deal, Real Deal,,,, he's that! Hope he gives us 1 more!

Edited January 23, 2012 by Guaranteed22

Like I've been saying, just enjoy him while he's here. I'd be pretty surprised if he hung around. He's a first rounder no matter when he leaves, and his stock can only go so high, so he really has no incentive to stay. Either way, his impact on the program will be felt, whether he's playing for us or an NBA team.

At the very least it helps the perception of the program to have a 5* athlete. We are going after another 5* at Kimball right now...he won't be able to look at NT and say that no 5* athlete would ever think about playing for them. Plus, Tony will have North Texas by his name for his entire NBA career.

My thoughts exactly!

I hope he rips up the record books this season, and gets drafted high. That shows all the 5* recruits in the nation that you can come to North Texas, destroy the competition, own the spotlight and rape the NBA draft! That is the only asset we have in the belt, and him doing this proves that to all the prospects across the nation.

Sure, having him back next season and possibly winning a tournament game would be nice, in the short run. In the long run, a top NBA draft pick from NT visiting the pit every now and again (ala Durant at UT) encouraging others to do what he did would do more for the programs longevity than anything else IMO.

Doesn't Duke have All Americans coming off the bench, getting zero pt?? Come to North Texas, dominate, and go to the league instead...

Big Tony Mitchell fan! Don't care, however, how many POW honors he achieves.

He is not NBA ready and would be a HUGE mistake.

Sure, having him back next season and possibly winning a tournament game would be nice, in the short run. In the long run, a top NBA draft pick from NT visiting the pit every now and again (ala Durant at UT) encouraging others to do what he did would do more for the programs longevity than anything else IMO.

What? You're kidding right?

1. Winning an NCAA tournament game (or two) would be huge for the program in the long run.

2. You act as if he wouldn't be a top NBA pick if he stuck around another year...He could stay one more year, get better, raise his draft stock (in addition to entering a less talented draft), and possibly double the money he gets from the first two years of his contract.

I spent most of Saturday night just shaking my head in disbelief, glad that I never studied physics, because I'm transfere certain Tony Mitchell just disproved all three of Newton's Laws of Motion.

What? You're kidding right?

1. Winning an NCAA tournament game (or two) would be huge for the program in the long run.

2. You act as if he wouldn't be a top NBA pick if he stuck around another year...He could stay one more year, get better, raise his draft stock (in addition to entering a less talented draft), and possibly double the money he gets from the first two years of his contract.

I am dead serious. BUT. On second thought, this draft is going to be stacked, so it would benefit him to stay another season.

With CJ and Jordan back on the team next season his numbers are going to drop. If he maintained the numbers he is putting up now throughout the rest of the season and killed the record books, his draft stock would be insane. Are you really going to argue that 1 tournament win would be more profound to an incoming 5* recruit then a top NBA draft pick? I'm not talking your solid 3 to 4 star recruits, I'm talking 5* guys that are being watched by NBA scouts in 8th grade.

I'm just putting myself in their shoes. If I'm a top notch recruit choosing between a school that had a solid run and snagged a tournament game, and a school that just produced a top draft pick out of a guy much like myself; I'm going to the school that has proved they can get me where I need to go.

A tournament win would be great for the fan base, but would soon fade (much like those NO bowls years back). A top draft pick from UNT reveals a backdoor formula to the league. Why go to a huge school and compete for pt when I can do what Tony did, go to UNT, demolish the competition and draft high. I'm pretty sure Tony has proven one or two players of his caliber would go a looong way. All we need is a couple and the tournament wins will follow.

Sorry Cooley, but you are dead wrong about him not being NBA-ready. He's around 6'9, can play inside and out, and is a terrific defender. As long as he stays here, his draft stock can only improve so much, because he's playing a completely different position than he will play in the NBA, and as long as he's here, he won't see a minute at SF.

I am dead serious. BUT. On second thought, this draft is going to be stacked, so it would benefit him to stay another season.

With CJ and Jordan back on the team next season his numbers are going to drop. If he maintained the numbers he is putting up now throughout the rest of the season and killed the record books, his draft stock would be insane. Are you really going to argue that 1 tournament win would be more profound to an incoming 5* recruit then a top NBA draft pick? I'm not talking your solid 3 to 4 star recruits, I'm talking 5* guys that are being watched by NBA scouts in 8th grade.

I'm just putting myself in their shoes. If I'm a top notch recruit choosing between a school that had a solid run and snagged a tournament game, and a school that just produced a top draft pick out of a guy much like myself; I'm going to the school that has proved they can get me where I need to go.

A tournament win would be great for the fan base, but would soon fade (much like those NO bowls years back). A top draft pick from UNT reveals a backdoor formula to the league. Why go to a huge school and compete for pt when I can do what Tony did, go to UNT, demolish the competition and draft high. I'm pretty sure Tony has proven one or two players of his caliber would go a looong way. All we need is a couple and the tournament wins will follow.

I'm saying he is going to be a top draft pick whenever he goes, so when that actually happens is irrelevant, and secondly, that winning an NCAA tournament game for the first time in school history, preferably with a 5* recruit and NBA lottery pick on the team would be invaluable for the program.

An NCAA win would not fade a damn bit if it was a dramatic upset in the first round. Those are what make the tournament legendary and get busted out every March.

Let me clarify, there is nothing I would like to see more then UNT win a tournament game.

My point is the vast majority of top notch 5* recruits are not going to college for an education, their going because they have to in order to enter the league. The NBA is the end game. period.

If Tony keeps putting up these numbers and gets drafted high, he becomes a model. His success becomes a blueprint for others like him. "Why risk riding pine at Kansas, when you can be a leader here and get drafted high like Tony at UNT". I will be super excited if he stays next season, but I'll be even more excited when he enters the draft at the apex of his buzz. WHENEVER that may be(which is probably after next season due to the stacked class).

Tony is great, but we need a strategy to get more Tonys. Top draft picks from UNT are what grabs a recruits attention. A tournament win would too, but you dont get paid for that. Draft picks get paid, and its all about the money to the top guys..

Let me clarify, there is nothing I would like to see more then UNT win a tournament game.

My point is the vast majority of top notch 5* recruits are not going to college for an education, their going because they have to in order to enter the league. The NBA is the end game. period.

If Tony keeps putting up these numbers and gets drafted high, he becomes a model. His success becomes a blueprint for others like him. "Why risk riding pine at Kansas, when you can be a leader here and get drafted high like Tony at UNT". I will be super excited if he stays next season, but I'll be even more excited when he enters the draft at the apex of his buzz. WHENEVER that may be(which is probably after next season due to the stacked class).

Tony is great, but we need a strategy to get more Tonys. Top draft picks from UNT are what grabs a recruits attention. A tournament win would too, but you dont get paid for that. Draft picks get paid, and its all about the money to the top guys..

Your rebuttal makes complete sense and calms my nerves. Kudos