Harry

Here's some of my game impressions: - Man, we finally have a point guard. Hines is not your flashy type (ie shake and bake Kyle Crawford - thought to be the point guard cornerstone of Vic Trilli's recruiting classes) but he gets the job done and makes VERY few mistakes. His is a force rebounding the ball, in fact he has instincts comparable to former UNT player SEMO Washington. He knows where the ball is going to be. I mean 9-boards that is unheard of for a point guard. He is also terrific on defense when he has a player in his size range. He can break the press like nobody's bidness. - Mike Jones looks like a different player. He has a smooth jumper and is not forcing up threes like he did at times last year. He is also very tenacious defensively. He has taken on the role of a leader on the floor - Sturns...man what can you say about this kid. Very athletic. He is tall but has somewhat short arms for a guy of his height. He seems to handle the ball pretty well and it's odd seeing a guy that tall bring the ball up the floor. He is a fantastic passer. There was one playe when he drove down the lane did a 360 and dished the ball to Barnett for the dunk. Barnett had no idea that the ball was coming. I agree that Sturns is so explosive that he sometimes plays out of control - Johnny could reel him in some at times. Very emotional firey player. Great addition! - Leonard Hopkins looks healthy and focused. He is the "THE" guy this year and he plays with an air of confidence. Let's hope he can stay healthy as he is the best outside shooter we have and can create shots with the best of em. Leonard looks lighter and quicker on his feet than in past seasons. - Calvin Watson had a tough night as he got in early foul trouble. Still he is tall and has a nice shooting touch. Also - like the entire team - he looks to pass first. - Most had written both Ty Thomas and Ron Harris off - both showed me something last night. Thomas made some huge shots especially one where he put the trajectory 4 feet higher than the basket to get up and over their big guy. Harris lost the handle on a ball down low and fought to steal it back and battled their big guy for a tip in redemption bucket. If we can get prodcution out of these two guys - watchout! - Barnett has put on a lot of weight - he's takes up a lot more space than in years past. Still not an offensive threat but he plays tough on defense and alters some shots. We need him to stay healthy...his size makes a difference. He had a nice swat by the baseline. He took a brutal charge and jumped right back up...frankly with his health issues I would rather that he didn't do that but I was proud of his heart and toughness. - The most impressive raw talent out there right now may be Quincy Williams. He's the strongest guy on the floor and he showed a sweet hook shot on one play. If he can continue to progress and build his body he could be a monster before all is said and done. - Incomplete grade on Jeff Simpson. He never really got on track. He missed one dunk. I will say that the kid can jump out of the gym. You can tell that the coaches are trying to encourage Jeff and get his confidence level up. He has some athletic ability no doubt. - This team is well coached...I can't recall seeing us take more charges in one game and it really turned the game around for us. When playes screw up Johnny takes them out to the side and coaches them - he doesn't do the Gary Patterson and grab their fase mask cursing etc he is calm and collected. Great discipline on this team and a refreshing change from the Trilli era... The team seems more focused and energetic than I can recall. Very unselfish. We will struggle against teams with a legitimate big man. We need one more pure shooter. I kept dreaming last night at how unbelievable this team would be if we had Shawnson or something similar out there. Watching Hines play reminded me of how piss poor Jerome Rogers was at point...he was just not a point guard. Also, Johnny is rotating players in like every 3 minutes...I can't recall him ever doing that which means we finally have some quality depth. There is still a lot of season left to play but I am cautiously optimistic (sorry guys I've had my hopes crushed too many times with UNT bball)... This has the makings of a terrific season. PS - BTW, The Pit Crew Rocks! I especially like the "Niiiice Shoooot" they yell out after an opposing player misses a free throw. Their antics with Tubbs and the wooden Vodoo doll were hilarious and Tubb's as stated before handled it with class. Part of the reason he handled it with such class is that the barbs were clever and not dirty or off color. Great job guys!

Should be an interesting game for Issac Hines. Hines signed with Lamar out of Molina High School, injured his wrist and then ended up transferring to Collin County CC. Not sure if Billy Tubbs ran him off or if it was Hines's decision.

http://dept.lamar.edu/athletics/MBB/2004-0...eleases/UNT.pdf

Many thanks Adrian. A lot of players read this board so hopefully they will get your message to Calvin. He's a heckufa player and we are proud to have him with the Mean Green.

Good win for Johnny and company. The matchup against Tubbs will be interesting to say the least.

http://www.meangreensports.com/ViewArticle...00&ATCLID=88721 Men's Basketball Wins Season Opener, 100-66 DENTON (11/19/04) - The North Texas men’s basketball team broke out with a 35-9 run midway through the second half to cruise to a 100-66 win against Angelo State on Friday night in the Super Pit. The Mean Green (1-0) is now 4-0 in season openers under head coach Johnny Jones. The last time North Texas scored 100 points or more was last year in a 109-49 victory against Hardin-Simmons. "I thought our guys played a very competitive basketball team in Angelo State," said head coach Johnny Jones. "They (ASU) did some things in the first half that disrupted what we wanted to do. They capitalized on our mistakes and made it very tough on us. "Our press was the turning point in the game. We did a much better job in the second half when we started to press. The press allowed us to get energy from all five players on the floor." Five players led North Texas in double figures. Senior Michael Jones posted a career-high 16 points and tied a personal best with nine rebounds. Jones led North Texas at half with 12 points. Senior Leonard Hopkins recorded 16 points and Ty Thomas added 11. After leading by nine points at half, the Mean Green increased its lead to as much as 17 midway through the second half. Nine players then contributed to a 35-9 run, giving North Texas a 100-58 lead with under a minute to play. Freshman Quincy Williams scored seven of his 10 points in the run. The Mean Green forced 27 turnovers in the game and scored 22 points off fast-break opportunities. The NT players kept the crowd energized with an assortment of dunks. North Texas led in small spurts in the first half, going ahead and then having Angelo State come back to tie the game. The Mean Green went on an 11-2 run capped by a Jones dunk to go ahead, 30-21 with six minutes left in the first half. ASU came back to the tie the game for the third time at 30-30 before the Mean Green went on another run to take a nine-point halftime lead. "I think we proved a lot tonight," said junior Michael Sturns, who led the team with seven assists. "This shows how hard we’ve been practicing. We knew what we were capable of and knew if we executed, good things would happen. We knew if we put pressure on them, if everybody stepped it up, some good things would happen. I think we got in their minds and hearts, and when that happened we knew we had them." As a team, North Texas shot 46.4 percent from the field, compared to ASU’s 38.7 percent. The Mean Green also held the edge on the boards, 59 to 35. North Texas returns to action on Sunday, Nov. 21 when it faces No. 18 Alabama at 3:30 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

Mean Green Chat Link http://client1.sigmachat.com/sc.pl?id=73780 Mean Green Audio The Word FM: http://www.thewordfm.com KNTU: http://www.kntu.fm

Washington Generals....LOL! Great one Texas Stranger! Gave me a much needed laugh!

This thread has gotten old and somewhat tiresome. Take care.

http://www.meangreensports.com/ViewArticle...00&ATCLID=87207 DENTON (11/6/04) – Freshman Michael Sturns scored a game-high 24 points to lead the North Texas men's basketball team to a 91-67 exhibition win against Cameron on Saturday night in the Super Pit. The Mean Green is now 7-0 in exhibition games under head coach Johnny Jones. Senior Leonard Hopkins and sophomore Calvin Watson joined Sturns in double figures with 16 and 10 points, respectively. Senior Michael Jones recorded a team-high 10 rebounds. Sturns scored 16-of-his-24 points in the first half, including eight points in the Mean Green’s first run of the game. After Cameron tied the game at 18-18, Sturns engineered NT’s 10-3 run with two free throws and two three-pointers to give the Mean Green a 28-21 advantage with five minutes to go in the half. One minute later, the Mean Green went on a 16-6 run to enter halftime ahead, 46-32. Sturns made four free throws and a layup in the NT scoring streak. The freshman was a perfect 6-for-6 from the line and went 8-for-15 from the field. The Mean Green extended its lead by as much as 27 in the second half and never relinquished a double-digit lead. As a team, North Texas shot 42 percent from the field, compared to Cameron’s 32 percent. The Mean Green scored 33 points off 32 Cameron turnovers, mostly due to the North Texas full-court press. The Mean Green plays its second and final exhibition game on Friday, Nov. 12, against Southeastern Oklahoma State at 7 p.m. in the Super Pit. Box Score

http://www.gomeangreen.com/mgr

http://www.gomeangreen.com/mgr/

I deleted it. In my opinion it's counter productive and I don't want this board to have anything to do with it.

This is really cool, Gaz you outdid yourself on this. Thanks for your dedication.

Congrats to Katy!

the mean green report link

Link to Official EOS Website and Pictures of Jeffery Simpson Dunking the Basketball

Huge commit for Johnny. Really good news. This recruiting period has solidfied my belief that Johnny can recruit. Now with Hines in the mix they can focus on the beef. GMG!

I'm hearing that the Hines commit isn't done yet. Keep your fingers crossed. This one could go down to the wire.

This is a big win for UNT. Hines is one of the better JUCO point guards in teh country. He fills a need position, and has the ability and experience to help UNT right away. kudos to johnny and staff! This kid had some serious offers. Look for UNT to look for athletic size with the remaining 2 spots. I wouldn't rule out another JUCO or possibly 2 with the last two spots. Another scenario is that they bring in Marvin Beatty as a true frosh point that Hines can develop. I can't emphasize enough how big the signing of hines is for the future of the program. He brings instant athleticism and ability to the point guard position. GMG!

I liked the "former UNT football player" reference...anyone have a clue as to how much Mac could win if his horse wins the Kentucky Derby?

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dw...gvale.7c36.html Brash 'Mattress Mac' and trainer Baffert form a winning combination Racing's strange bedfellows 01:53 AM CST on Thursday, April 1, 2004 By GARY WEST / The Dallas Morning News When James McIngvale jumped with characteristic enthusiasm into horse racing's deep end, the resulting splash soaked the environs. And, even worse, swimming proved difficult. But that was eight years and more than $20 million ago. That was also before he met trainer Bob Baffert. And Saturday, McIngvale and Baffert will send out Wimbledon as one of the favorites in the Santa Anita Derby. It could be the most telling prep of the Triple Crown season. Less than a year ago, however, McIngvale contemplated a retreat from horse racing – not an all-out, run-for-cover retreat, which would have been totally out of character for the Houston businessman, but a meaningful scaling back. After all, he had only some tchotchke to show for all the millions he had invested in the sport, and the disappointments had overwhelmed the joys Here was a guy who lived by the sort of inspirational slogans often found in locker rooms – such as, "Never give up," and "Don't look back" and "If it's to be, it's up to me." In fact, he once named a horse Ifitstobeitsuptome. Moving to Houston in 1980, the Dallas native and former UNT football player started selling furniture out of a tent. And by the force of his unbridled exuberance, "Mattress Mac," as he became known, had built Gallery Furniture into one of the most successful furniture stores in the country. But horse racing had beaten him – or at least had taken the opening rounds convincingly. Then last July, McIngvale's During won the Swaps Stakes at Hollywood Park. That gave him, he said, an indication that with Baffert as his trainer he finally was headed in the right direction. Like a man with a mission, which indeed he had, McIngvale began buying racehorses in 1996. He bought promising racing prospects with purplish pedigrees, the sort of young horses that could develop into classic contenders, and he never hesitated to whip out his checkbook. Mishaps galore In 1998, with Nick Zito as his trainer, McIngvale seemed poised to make a run at major stakes races. But an avalanche of injuries crushed expectations. Laydown, one of his cheaper purchases at $29,000, won the Lord Avie Stakes at Gulfstream Park in Florida but tore a suspensory ligament. Super Special, Treasury, Lady's Choice and A.P. Ruler all injured themselves either in races or training mishaps. St. Michael, purchased for $85,000, dominated in a maiden victory and seemed to be McIngvale's most promising prospect. But then St. Michael chipped an ankle in a workout at Gulfstream, and a month later, he died. McIngvale had heard unflattering reports about the Gulfstream surface and reluctantly had agreed to have his horses there, The injuries only convinced him to get out of Florida. He took his horses away from Zito and shipped them to Kentucky. Zito and McIngvale still speak highly of each other. "We just didn't have any luck," Zito said. The trainers and the scenery changed, but McIngvale's luck didn't. Accelerated Time injured a knee in the Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park, and Sorceror broke down fatally in the Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland. Over the next two years, he employed at least seven different trainers, including Hall of Famer Jack Van Berg. At one point, McIngvale turned his horses over to Leonard Atkinson, a former night watchman, and then to his sister-in-law, Laura Wohlers. Crusader, too And when he wasn't reeling from bad luck's body shots, McIngvale was butting heads with the sport's status quo. Through all the turbulence, he railed against unsafe racing conditions. He so valued the safety and care of his horses that he renovated a barn at the Kentucky Thoroughbred Center and had classical music piped in so they might better relax. Criticizing trainers generally, he said their priorities were awry. He argued that racing, a traditionally masculine world, needed to involve more women. He even pulled his sponsorship of a stakes race at Sam Houston when the track wouldn't agree to require female jockeys for all the entrants. Although much of his criticism may have had merit and many of his ideas value, McIngvale gained a reputation as a wild man, too undomesticated for champagne sipping at Saratoga, too outspoken for a seat in the Jockey Club. And then, through J.B. and Kevin McKathan, McIngvale met somebody who could almost match him for flamboyance: Baffert. The McKathan brothers, who operate a training center in Ocala, Fla., have enjoyed considerable success over the years finding and purchasing prospects. Although the McKathans have had many clients, they work most closely with Baffert. In 1996, they discovered Silver Charm, and the next year Baffert guided the gray colt through a championship campaign that included victories in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness. Nearly four years ago, J.B. McKathan spotted McIngvale at a sale in Florida. Knowing the wild-man reputation, McKathan was reluctant, he recalled, to approach "Mattress Mac." But finally, he stepped up to the owner and said, "What the hell are you doing?" "That's what I'm trying to figure out," McIngvale said, and soon they had a business relationship, an agreement for buying prospects that Baffert would train. The right choice Although reluctant to look back, McIngvale said he made many mistakes when he first jumped into the sport's deep end. It was a mistake, he said, to try to do so much himself – pick out horses, advise trainers. As for the inconstant relationship with trainers, McIngvale simply said he was slow to find the right one. "I went in way over my head," he said. "But it looks good now. I just leaving the training to Bob." During followed his success in the Swaps with victories in the Jerome, the Discovery and the San Fernando. Several of McIngvale's younger prospects also began to show promise. But before Wimbledon ever ran, and even after he ran a few times and lost, Baffert insisted that this long-striding gray colt was going to be McIngvale's best, maybe even his Derby horse. The McKathans found Wimbledon, a son of Wild Rush, at a sale of 2-year-olds last year. They sent Baffert a video of the horse's workout, and they all agreed to pursue his purchase aggressively. "He's a real big horse and has a long stride; it just took him a while to develop and get it all together," Baffert said. Wimbledon, so named because of McIngvale's enthusiasm for tennis, disappointed as the favorite in his first four races. But then he won a maiden race by eight lengths at Santa Anita. Then he traveled to Fair Grounds in New Orleans for the Louisiana Derby, where he rallied from eighth and finished powerfully to win by more than two lengths. "When a horse wins like that, you have a Derby horse," Baffert said. "Wimbledon can get it done. He's the perfect Derby horse. He's push button, and when you push the button, he'll get you where you're going." Baffert, who has trained three Kentucky Derby winners, said he never worried about McIngvale's wild-man reputation. Nor, he said, has he seen any evidence that it was deserved. "Mac's patient, and he's never shied away," Baffert said. "Maybe he can be brash, but some people think I'm brash, so it never bothered me. He's a workaholic with high standards, and horse racing is his excitement." Baffert said McIngvale is, in fact, easy to work for. After all, they share a goal and a passion to win major stakes races, and no stable managers or farm managers are involved to intervene. They could be quite a spectacle in Kentucky – Baffert, his white hair rippling in the breeze, handing out quips as though they're business cards; McIngvale, his Wimbledon cap proclaiming his allegiance, bubbling with such exuberance that he seems about to combust. And for McIngvale, being at the Derby will be all the more rewarding because he has invested so much in the journey and waited so long to arrive. E-mail gwest@dallasnews.com

I don't like the karma on this. Let's not have a vote as to whether someone else is going to vote on us. That's not a classy thing to do. Let's just let nature take its course and wish for the best. GMG!

CMJ are you insinuating that Johnny threw that game against USA? Just kidding I agree things are set up well for us in the tourney.

American coach Jones high on SMU's list Feb. 27, 2004 By Gregg Doyel SportsLine.com Senior Writer Tell Gregg your opinion! Now that he has fired Mike Dement, SMU athletic director Jim Copeland will undertake a national search that figures to have a distinct American flavor. Advertisement As in American coach Jeff Jones. Jones was the last men's basketball coach hired by Copeland, and he could be the next, too. At American, Jones has turned around a program that went 7-20 in his 2000-01 debut. The past three seasons American has gone 49-38, including 28-13 in the Patriot League. Copeland, who inherited Dement when he left Virginia in 1995 for SMU, hired Jones at Virginia in 1991. The year Copeland left for SMU, Jones went 25-9 and reached the Elite Eight. Over the next three seasons, a series of off-court mistakes by Jones' players led to his downfall. Jones' work at American, including the Patriot League's 2002 regular-season championship, has returned his name to the "hot young coach" status he had when Copeland hired him in 1991. Jones, 29 at the time, now is 42. SMU is 10-15 this season, only the second losing season in 10 years for Dement, whose record at the school was 138-120. The Mustangs never went to an NCAA Tournament with Dement, who was fired with three games left on the schedule.