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The MWC is hardly the same as CUSA. They didn't go desperate and invite FCS teams to join their conference. They waited and got Boise St. back. They are 4 times the basketball conference than the new CUSA. They are 3 times the football conference. MWC enabled TCU to make the move to the club. CUSA has done that for no one. They are hardly the same.

Benford Inception Benford just Benford'ed Benford Everyone will be back but were adding? This will be fun

If the MWC approached UNT, we would/should be gone in a heartbeat. "We've already gone West before and blah, blah, blah". This MWC is not the same as the Big West. Simple facts: The BCS busters consistently come out of the MWC The MWC network payout is larger The MWC is viewed by just about everyone as the best conference not in the "gang of 5". The MWC is stable. But, that invite has not come, and we are in C-USA. I'm very excited about that.

Right, because why would we ever want to actually move up the college football food chain? We should just be happy being the 11 or 12th best program in Texas. We should just thank our lucky stars that CUSA was charitable enough to include us with UTSA. It amazes me how fans of this program are consistently satisfied with so little.

If I look at this recruiting class from a non-hater point of view, I am impressed! Guards upgraded with the new guys and TJ in the picture, Center upgraded (TM was not a center) with Gaines ( stay healthy my friend) and maybe an improved Coleman( just set pics and rebound)..Post and swing play alot of good players with different techniques that will create good match ups! For UNT this looks like a very good class!

For those who care nothing about design & marketing..please turn away now. While recently shopping for a gift at Rally House in Fort Worth...I made a disturbing observation. UTA had at least twice as much spirit gear as North Texas. UTA had apx 8 shirt selections, cups & license plate frames...NT only had 4 poorly designed t-shirts....not even a koozie or key chain. Anyone who shops these stores, know the big public colleges are very well represented...Texas, A&M, Oklahoma, OSU, Tech, Arkansas....then the regional privates...TCU, Baylor and SMU. Understandably lots of TCU in cowtown...it's the home team. I was really amazed at the amount of well designed Baylor gear...40 shirts, 20 hats & so on...wow what a difference RGIII and a couple winning seasons in football does to increase sales....also see A&M. The (4) North Texas shirts looked pretty crappy...crazy striped fonts...and extra large logos...looked more appropriate for an Arena Football League team than any college team. Give me a simple collegiate font with MEAN GREEN across the chest in white on plain green t -shirt...that would work. "Good Design is Good Business" & "winning is good for business" Long story short...we have to start winning in "football"...punch somebody in the gut and upset them...we need some swagger again...it's been too long...it's time! GMG! 3XL

If Benford becomes successful won't it be so easy for him to want to leave Denton? Can we count (maybe) on one hand any of our past UNT HFC's or HBC's who want to come back to our campus because they had such a wonderful experience while here? I hope Benford succeeds for himself and for us. GMG!

Not that there is anything wrong with that.

Maybe some players will become GA's ?

Classic shortsightedness of people who think like fans and not like businessmen.. Anyone want to tell me how you convince the front range schools to vote for two Texas teams when it will substantially boost their travel away from their historical fan-bases, interfere with their start times and take Boise, and their Boise tv revenue clause, out of their side of the conference. The MWC is staying where they are until they find a way to significantly increase their TV revenue and adding UTSA and TSU (or even UNT) will not be enough now to make it worthwhile for all parties involved.

I don't understand why anyone is impressed with this class, other than you may have expected worse. I hope for the best, but really how many of these recruits was actually highly sought. Answer, in the late period; none. Other than early signee Wesley, this is a totally underwhelming group. Flanagan and Gaines are impressive physical athletes but have done little on the court at this point. Nunn and Frior have big bodies but showed nothing their senior high school year. Vaughs an one year recruit who was a solid backup and will be valuable but I doubt a game changer. Voss will likely be productive at NT, but was not heavily sought. Jones many times got players with little fanfare, that turned into good players. I don't have the same confidence in Benford. Jones had got the program to a point that NT could compete at least for the second level for good local and Texas players. Benford has had to beat the bushes to get players from everywhere and has lost any regional recruiting advantage that NT had under Jones. I really don't understand how so many on here think that Benford is a good recruiter. I am afraid he will continue a revolving door approach with a huge turnover that in the long run seldom works unless you have a premier program that good players are willing to risk losing a ship to play for a renown team.

Right, because actual, tangible evidence isn't what you want to hear.

New player sign up...none other than Wiill "the thrill" Atterberry will be playing in this first ever GMG.Com World Series of Softball! Welcome aboard Will...glad to have you with us!

Glad to have you in and playing Harry...got you down....

Back to the topic before I digress. I would've been ok with one away game at Iowa but anymore than that should be home-and-home. Given that McCarney played and coached there and Fry earned Hall of Fame credentials coaching there I would yield to one five game schedule but not two. Now, to digress. I was around for all of these scenarios and some were enjoyable and others horrible. I grew up during the depression and there were few good memories so I will not talk about it unless asked. The only good memories of World War II were how we pulled together as a nation. North Texas football under Odus Mitchell had more good memories than bad as did early Rod Rust. We then fell into a chasm and were it not for Hayden Fry and Jitter Nolan we'd be playing Division II football, if at all. Corky Nelson certainly gave us some memorable moments with his giant-killing and they should be treasured. Except for 3-1/2 of the Dickey years our return to 1-A has been disastrous. But, we still need to talk about the good and the bad; just don't overdo either.

Translated... "I won't run nobody off over the Summer! I'll wait till everyone shows back up in the Fall!!"

Rogers points per minute and rebounds per minute both improved last year as did his shooting. J Williams points per minute also improved as did his shooting. CJ's assist/TO ratio improved almost 40%, he did shoot much worse. A Williams slight decrease and decrease in shooting. Others injured and/or Niko. There are some positive signs in this dumpster.

Look at points per minutes played per game, not points per game. Also, look at rebounds per minutes played per game. not rebounds per game. Just as an example, if you play 10 minute per game one year and average 6 points, but then play 30 minutes the next and average 8 points, you haven't improved. Look deeper at the numbers.

Roger scored 3.5 more points per game while shooting the ball over 7% better from the field and grabbing 1.3 more rebounds per game. He did not take a step back. Williams increased his scoring 3.3 points, and if he improves that much this year, he will average 17.5 points per game. Looking back at Alzee, his numbers were close to the year before, but he did shoot worse. Mitchell shot almost 13% worse than the previous year. Every other returning player besides Niko missed either the entire season or at least half of the season due to injury.

Benford also told Vito at end of season that no one would be leaving..

If every bb player in the world has overstated height which according to most of your observations they do, then he will playing against listed 6'10 opponents that are usually only 6'8 1/4.

Sorta the opposite of "every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings."

Here's another big guy. Not sure about his basketball skills however.

So some people are tired of positive stories about a previous coach and a previous era. Imagine that. North Texas alums not comfortable with other people's fond memories. Sorry some of us have them.

I see no benefit whatsoever to Texas State and I think UTSA's attendance will fall as the team struggles. Maybe UTSA will show the world and come in firing, but I don't see it. I'm not suggesting we're any great pick up either, though. All about UTEP.

Not that I am close to being a fan of Benford, but if he pulls another Norris move; and gets rid of a current player last minute to make way for another, than I question his character even more than his coaching. I wonder why our AD allows this stuff, and yes I know it is common practice; but it is not right. I think some time in July is the latest date that a school can notify a player that his scholarship is not being renewed. Of course that didn't stop Benford from chasing Norris off much later. It is one thing to notify a player that he doesn't fit your program ala Overlander and allow him ample time to go elsewhere. It is much worse IMO to have every player subject to being moved out if and when a better perceived player is available. It is not like Benford has shown any ability to judge talent anyway. Funny, that coach's contracts have to be honored or bought out, but in NT men basketball the players apparently have no protection at all.

Harry - Great observation. I was actually going to start a new thread on this, but you beat me to it. Everyone has been so focused on their dislike of Benford, I think its been missed that UNT has been quietly put together a very big recruiting class. They will be a difficult matchup for many teams in CUSA. Even TJ at 6" 3', one of our shortest players now, is 220 LB - A Big 12 type guard who can muscle his way around even if not that tall. Jordan is still listed at 6' 6" but everyone noticed last season he was likely an inch taller. Now with two players at 6' 10" plus a plethora of guards/forwards at 6" 7' and taller, we can really go "big" on the floor when we want too. My guess is that Benford wanted this all along with his "paint first" scoring approach. That can finally open up our guards for some decent 3 point shot looks which we didn't have all season last year. I think the return players will come back with a chip on their shoulder with something to prove, and with good play from the new recruits, it could be a much more interesting season that many think around here.

No one mentioned UNT ... not even in a negative light. I'm fine with that. We're currently in no position to be a draw for any other conference. Even if we become a yearly top 20 team I don't see us changing conferences unless there's more massive upheaval in the future.

I'd go with Alzee. Normally you don't think a coach would be sorry enough to run off a senior... But I could see it.

Who leaves to make room for the extra wing? Alzee? Tj? Keith?

Well, you can't sugar coat it...it was an awful season.

I hope it's Gaines. Vaughns is probably the most polished player Voss might be the most athletic & I hope we see him on the football field next season. I can see him as our leading rebounder Not listed , but Taylor will probably have most impact out of all the new faces

The football forum is becoming a joke. When did we become so involved with UH? They have beat us down the past two times (and probably more than the past two times) we have played them. Is this a new bit that I have missed being away from the forums? Someone please explain to me why we are devoting threads to talk crap to UH like we are superior to them? Frankly, it makes the board look like a joke.

Great work! Idaho wont be ready. GMG

So...you decided to try and attack our deepest and most well regarded position? You DO realize we have two five star receivers (Greenberry and USC transfer Ambles who started for the Trojans as a true freshman) and a bunch of other speedsters right? You're slipping Emmitt, you can do better than this. Step your game up next time. I'll be back tomorrow. Edit: Well if it's not him, then there's no point of me using that.

That's funny. Your inferiority complex is the best. On the upside, you aren't located in Denton. Much better town because of that.

Now we have two true centers on our roster in Gaines and Coleman. It'll be interesting to see if either starts.

And yet conservatives insist on blaming President Obama for the deficit.

I thought this was a UNT sports board. My bad for the mistake. I guess?

I am more excited about this years team then last years team at this point. I will Miss the dunk show from Mitchell, but this roster seems pretty legit from top to bottom (assuming friar and Nunn can just rebound at least...). I would take an over on at least 15 wins.

Odds are that NT has to hit on a few of these recruits. It will be an interesting beginning of the season if nothing else.

Graduated in 3 years. Red-shirted so he has 2 years left.

Can someone - maybe Vito will - explain how he will have 2 years of eligibility remaining? I read that he has already used his redshirt, and am under the impression that he will have to sit out a year in Denton?

That's what she said...

Nothing anti-AD about it. It's just a fact. I think my feelings about our whole AD would shock you, but if something isn't right, pretending it is won't make it come true.

I'm positive when there is something to be positive about. Go read my posts pre-November 2012 about the basketball program. I refuse to be positive about a situation where there is absolutely nothing to be positive about. If people out there want to be delusional about the state of the Men's BB program, more power to them. It will only lead to a huge disappointment come November. Being delusional also does not affect change (yes, I'm talking to you, big donors). But being delusional is kinda what being a UNT fan is all about, especially in recent times. I guess?

I love AA but Hardman recorded 38 sacks his senior year and was a first round draft pick (9th overall pick). There is nobody even close. If you include unofficial sacks (those before 1982), he is SF all-time sack leader.

I think Cedric Hardman would have an issue with best UNT defensive end.

I guess my definition of "soon" is different than his