ADLER

Malone Stadium is awful, mainly because they built half of it then quit, but there are worse stadiums...... Louisiana Tech needed to expand their tiny 23,000 seat stadium to 30,000 to comply with the then NCAA FBS 30K minimum, so they added four metal sections with 7600 seats that don't even face the playing surface. These metal 'wing sections' of the stadium may not even be structurally stable and are covered for every game with tarps to prevent people from wandering into those areas.

I posted this a while back really expecting some reaction from people that thought it was ridiculous to consider cancelling non-spectator sports to enable North Texas to add potentially revenue generating sports. Honestly, I was half joking with the suggestion, but then Brett Vito posted this on the DRC Mean Green Blog Is it possible that track could be forfeited to make room for baseball. We know that the current track facility, Fouts Stadium, has an eventual date with the wrecking ball. Is it possible, or even likely, that a baseball stadium will be built before a new track complex?

Just a few ideas, possibly bordering on absurd, so don't go saying that I am suggesting anything or pushing for something. Is Track & Field necessary for conference memberships? SMU cut theirs prior to joining CUSA. Other than at a few select top national programs, do any spectators at all pay to watch Track & Field? If the answer is no for these questions , which it is for both, then why not eventually cancel the program for something that the university community has an interest in supporting? Like Octopus Inc in the movie Fierce Creatures, stop running some kind of humanitarian mission and get rid of everything that the people will not pay to see. Use those scholarships for baseball, hockey, mens soccer and any other sport that fans (other than Mom, Dad & their little Suzy Rottencrotch) will want to support. A large budget scholarship sport doesn't really have a purpose if nobody has an interest in watching it. Nonessential non-spectator sports should compete only on the club level. Keep mens golf because of the team history and tennis because the investment in facilities has already been made, but evaluate the worth of every other program. OK, please tell me how I'm wrong. Fire away........

Adding Texas State and La Tech to the Sun Belt would be beneficial in so many ways. First, it allows the Sun Belt to have two divisions which significantly lowers travel expenses and also makes a lucrative conference football game possible. Next, and possibly most importantly, it kills the WAC's football aspirations and their rampant escalation of every FCS program in Texas to FBS. Texas is already saturated with ten FBS programs, two more have been added in Texas State and UTSA, and now the WAC is flirting with Lamar, Sam Houston State, and Stephen F Austin. Fifteen FBS schools is simply too many for a state that is already heavily recruited by schools from outside Texas. Elevating schools like SFA, SHSU and Lamar cheapens the very goal for which Texas State has spent decades preparing. Add these two, then add Missouri State and Georgia State to enable the Sun Belt to have two stable seven team divisions. Suddenly the conference has many of the larger schools across the southeastern US and invaluable exposure in many of the region's major media markets. UTSA should receive future consideration if they prove they are capable of fielding a successful FCS program, and could be an excellent replacement for ULM if ULM finally admits that their tiny school belongs in the Southland. East Division: Florida Atlantic, Florida International, Troy, Georgia St, South Alabama, Middle Tennessee, and Western Kentucky West Division: North Texas, Texas St, La Tech, Louisiana, Arkansas St, Missouri St, and UTSA I would also prefer changing the conference name simply because the conference will have outgrown the traditional 'sun belt' area.

Thanks to CajunT for posting this on the Sun Belt board: Looking at the list, especially the popularity of college baseball in Texas, and including the very respectable attendance figures from smaller Sun Belt schools, indicates that baseball may very well be a financially viable program at North Texas.

I think this kids adds what many consider to be a necessary complexion to our offensive attack. Now I want JJ to get after the biggest, meanest, monster that we can sign for the power forward / center position with the final scholarship. 6-8 230 lb school-hopping Karron Johnson may no longer be available as both West Virginia and Iowa State are competing for his services, but there are certainly other capable impact players out there without accepting 'roster filler'. Remember, if you can't get them into school, then they will not hurt your APR score. If you can get them eligible, their contribution may be the difference that would get the team though games like UALR in the conference tournament, and possibly even further.

#1 6-8 230 lb Karron Johnson is totally free of any commitment to OSU. The superbly talented power forward has supposedly been hampered by having an adviser/mentor that meddles in his business, and the result has been that he changes schools more often than North Texas changes branding. #69 6-11 350 lb Melvyn Oliver is available and probably out busy putting some pizza buffet out of business. We won't need huge offensive production from the center, but this 'Green Mile' monster could certainly neutralize an opponents inside game. With a lot of dieting and fitness work, which is something for which he reportedly hasn't shown willingness, this guy could be incredible. Both guys could become outstanding players, even NBA level, but both could be total busts that never contribute.

Here's another wild card that seems to be available: 6-11 and 340, Melvyn Oliver from Southwest Tennessee Junior College. Played freshman year at Seton Hall: from Clark Francis (Hoop Scoop) after Melvyn signed with Seton Hall: Oliver is a physical specimen inside and is good enough to step in right away and help move the Pirates program into the upper echelon of the Big East Conference. "Oliver is a skilled post player who take up a lot of space inside, is a great rebounder, excellent passer, and a good low post scorer," says our Mississippi Editor Lavel Johnson, who was the first person to tip us off about how good Oliver was in prep school this winter. Another report: This guy is very skilled can do things down low with a basketball that a lot of bigs Just can't do.. but...he was also suspended from his juco team for part of this past season.

I kinda threw this one out there as a wild card. Huge potential but such a loose cannon that I wonder if he'll ever play any division 1 ball.

Here's potentially the best player available in the nation, and potentially the biggest risk: 6-8 225 lb Power Forward Karron Johnson of Midland College (well, sort of Midland College, because he got kicked off the team in November). Karron Johnson ESPN Profile Rivals had Karron Johnson as the nation's top rated junior college player before the season. Had signed with Oklahoma State but was released from his LOI after OSU signed high school superstar Lebryan Nash No known legal troubles. The kid is said to be an NBA type talent, but has been plagued throughout his career by an "adviser" that has constantly had him switching high schools and colleges. The kid is very good at basketball, available, and plays a position where we have a need. He also has an established track record of constantly transferring and twice having been suspended from juco teams and even kicked off the team at Midland. Could Johnny get this player to reach his potential? Is there too much risk of distractions caused by a rogue player? Is there already too much risk of players potentially not being eligible next season and therefore making another such player not worth the effort? Karron Johnson, but his mentor, James Black. . “Karron feels like when he was going through his trials and tribulations the only people that stuck with him through everything were Travis Ford and Butch Pierre,” Black said, referring to the Cowboys’ head coach and assistant. “They never gave up on him. He feels he needs to be loyal to them.” (Travis Ford at OSU has since released Johnson from his LOI) Johnson has two years of Division 1 eligibility, but Black believes Johnson is so good that he could end up spending just one season at Oklahoma State before possibly going pro. “Most likely he’ll only do one year at Oklahoma State,” Black said. “Karron’s going to be one of the premier players in college next year.” Black said Johnson was also working hard in the class room and on his maturity to get things together. “He has been working really hard on and off the court,” Black said. “He has really grown up.”

And I was wondering if Harry would give us the ability to vote trolls of the site this year. I really don't want to waste my time on another crappy thread.

Maybe it's because he and his coach don't have a concept of geography.

After transferring from the University of Pittsburgh, the 6-foot-8, 245-pound sophomore forward enrolled for his sophomore year at Midland College. Miller is originally from Nassau, Bahamas, and played high school ball at St. Pius X in Houston. He has been solid for the Midland (26-3, 12-1 in WJCAC) this season, starting in 24 of 29 games and averaging 8.3 points and 5 rebounds a contest.

He may have made a horrible decision. Why would anybody want to go out there in the middle of that disgusting desert. It's like accepting a scholarship to play basketball in Iraq or Afghanistan except those places are probably a little safer.

I really like the Western Division of this conference. It combines the most regionally attractive members of the Sun Belt conference with the most attractive elements of the WAC. Great road trips, great tailgating. West Division Arkansas State New Mexico St Louisiana North Texas UTSA Texas St La Tech East Division MTSU Troy Florida Atlantic Florida International UL-Monroe South Alabama Western Kentucky The only real problem that I can see is that La Tech may not get support from three quarters of the Sun Belt members. North Texas, Arkansas State, and Louisiana-Lafayette would all vote in Tech's favor, but many of the other schools would likely view Tech as a redundant school in a very tiny market. The eastern Sun Belt schools could push for a school more geographically attractive to them with a larger media market, maybe something like Georgia State in Atlanta. West Division Arkansas State New Mexico St Louisiana North Texas UTSA Texas St UL-Monroe East Division MTSU Troy Florida Atlantic Florida International Georgia State South Alabama Western Kentucky

The best solution would be to add the four eastern-most members of the WAC; La Tech, UTSA, Texas St, and New Mexico St, and put the WAC out of it's misery. Before any of you start moaning and complaining about the possibility of adding two teams moving up to FBS, please consider this: The WAC in it's current desperation mode has not only offered FBS membership to UTSA and Texas St, but WAC Commissioner Karl Benson is also talking to Lamar, Sam Houston, and Stephen F Austin. I believe that the Texas market is already fairly saturated with ten existing FBS schools, and the result of all five of these teams moving up will be far too many teams and too much competition for limited resources. Moving the additional Southland schools up to the FBS is not good for us, and it's not good long-term for the current WAC schools. Eliminating the WAC while bringing these new programs into the Sun Belt will increase the value of the Sun Belt's media package through added markets while eliminating the competition for exposure. West Arkansas State New Mexico St Louisiana North Texas UTSA Texas St La Tech East MTSU Troy Florida Atlantic Florida International UL-Monroe South Alabama Western Kentucky In football this divisional play, roughly divided by the Mississippi River would save most schools enormously on travel costs. A fifteen school basketball conference (including UALR) would give seven home conference games and seven road conference games to each school. The "WKU never has to travel to Denton" issue would be permanently solved. This post has been promoted to an article This post has been promoted to an article

I wonder if Karen Aston will be bringing Angela Ortega with her to North Texas.

I couldn't agree more. I hope next years young team plays in any tournament that they can get into. The experience will be extremely valuable for for the following seasons.

Bobby Plump was the star player of the Milan High School basketball team that won the Indiana High School Athletic Association State Tournament in 1954. He played in college for Butler University and led that team to the 1958 NIT. After retiring from a career in life insurance and financial consulting he established "Plump's Last Shot," a restaurant in the Broad Ripple neighborhood of Indianapolis, Indiana. Honors 1957 Most Valuable Player (Butler) 1958 Most Valuable Player (Butler) 1958 Member College Basketball All Star Team 1981 Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame Inductee New York Times 2010 story on Bobby Plump and Butler Bobby Plump and his high school teammates were the inspiration behind the 1986 hit movie Hoosiers with Gene Hackman.

I have my reservations concerning Dave Wilbers. His success appears to be based on the ability of his assistant coach from Brazil to recruit star Brazilian players to play juco ball. I think the junior college recruiting restrictions are significantly less strict and most of those Brazilian players may not pass the NCAA clearinghouse.

Brock does seem to have all the qualifications that North Texas could possibly want. I see that as a solid hire. A candidate that I would see as the possible home-run, but also possible catastrophe, is the basketball legend Nancy Lieberman. She expressed interest after Tina Slinker was released and could be an option this time. Possibly the best available candidate is Pokey Chatman who is now coaching the WNBA Chicago Sky. She's proven at LSU that she's an excellent coach, resigned among allegations that she had an inappropriate relationship with a former player, and has rebuilt her career coaching in Europe and in the WNBA. Both Rick Villarreal and Johnny Jones know Coach Chatman well from the time that they spent working with her at LSU.

Craig Helwig did have a son at North Texas, Carter if I remember correctly, but he never played any sports.

Does this probation prohibit SMU from being able to participate in post-season tournaments? If so, would they even be allowed to play in the CUSA tournament?

It also gives the team a couple more days to practice, and a chance to watch the next opponent on tv, before the first game in our new stadium.