ADLER

Johnny is about to be on Channel 8 with Dale Hanson.

2008 MasterCard NIT Field to Be Announced On ESPN2 and ESPNU ESPN will also provide television coverage for every game of the Master Card NIT. March 16, 2008 NEW YORK -- The 32-team field for the 2008 MasterCard National Invitation Tournament (NIT) will be announced on Sunday, March 16, 2008 at 9:00 p.m. ET on ESPNU and ESPN2. The NIT Selection Committee, chaired by Basketball Hall of Fame member, C.M. Newton, has been meeting in Indianapolis this week. In addition to Newton, the NIT Selection Committee includes Rudy Davalos, Don DeVoe, Gene Keady, Reggie Minton, Jack Powers and Carroll Williams. ESPN will provide television coverage for every game of the Master Card NIT, which is played regionally for the first three rounds before playing the semi-finals and final round in New York's Madison Square Garden, the tournament's home since 1938. The championship doubleheader is slated for April 1 followed by the championship game, April 3rd.

Finally the ridiculous circular curviture of Fouts Field can pay some dividends. The aluminum stands need to be removed. That may be to build a baseball facility, a track facility, sold to another school, or simply sold as scrap. The west stands will need to be demolished. The structure is too close to the I-35 expansion and the west stands already have a history of foundation problems and repairs. That leaves the structuraly stable east stands (student side) of Fouts. This section of Fouts can be retained and have a outdoor performance venue built on what's now the football field. something similar to the facility at Fair Park but much larger. The curved sideline facilities at Fouts provide an excellent structure to expand into an amphitheature. This will allow one of the largest universities in the nation to attract some premier musical performers. In addition to providing a needed venue, this would also free the majority of the current stadium facility to be converted to parking for classes, performances, special events, and sporting events. Or, blind stupidy can rein and the whole thing can be bulldozed for a parking lot.

Perhaps our new Exes director was simply confused because he graduated from that commuter school.

Thank you for the clarification on the candidates positions. Hopefully both are up to the challenge of helping to create a great university. Politician: it's not the worlds oldest profession, but the results are the same.

Poor wolf. Why are there spoons stuck in it's eyes? .

No, not owned. This was not intended to be a slam against the candidate, but it was certainly intended to discard his canned answer of doing whatever is most popular. Sometimes a challenge should be taken, not because it's easy, but because it's the right thing to do. Both candidates seem to posess the potential to help make change happen. I'm interested to see if either one is willing to commit to that challenge. I am so tired of Student Presidents being useless bumps that only took the position because it would look good on the law school applications. If their interest is not in the betterment of the students, short term and long term, and to the increasing the stature of the university, then it is their moral duty to exit the race.

Hmmmm, leadership by following. "I will formulate my position only after I read the polls". Don't put yourself out there on a limb too far because people may get the misconception that you actually believe in something. Remember that the popular thing to do would be nothing, and that's what has kept North Texas in this quagmire for the last 60 years. This university needs genuine leadership which is willing to actually confront the real problem. If that's not you then please respectfully resign from the race as soon as possible. There are plenty of other ways that you can pad your resume that don't inflict damage on this university; charity fundraising, social work, Peace Corps, and even Eagle Scouts may be better options.

Boy, don't you bet his parents are pissed at him. Son, what the hell were you thinking. Oklahoman

I too would like to know the answer to this from each candidate. The answer determines whether the candidate is really interested in bettering the university or in just padding his own resume'.

Oh, and once again North Texas is acknowledged as THE poster child of schools that don't have a commitment to athletics. When are university leaders going to wake up and address the real issue? FIX THE PROBLEM, and the symptoms will disappear.

There, I fixed your post.

KRAM1 I really hope you're right but it's apparent that several months into his position he relys on preconceived negative stereotypes to portray his targeted customers. That's not good. Hopefully it was simply a faux pas of somebody still learning a job.

I am so glad that somebody finally acknowledges the problem and the solution. It's too bad that people in leadership positions won't grasp the obvious. Through per-student contributions comparable to the Southland schools, because of North Texas' large enrollment, it could compete on equal financial footing with many of the BCS schools. This would create a sense of pride in the university that has never been seen before. Gretchen Bataille is like a nice lady that knits mittens for starving children; her actions are certainly commendable, but they totally fail at addressing the real issue. I hope this fact dawned on her as she sat among the dozen or so UNT fans in Mobile.

What are the chances of North Texas getting a home game in either the CBI or NIT tournament? Fact is, half the teams do play at home but those are usually the schools that have a commitment to athletics. The schools that don't have a commitment are rarely invited, and when they are, they are quickly disposed of by being forced to play on the road. When was our last home NIT game? Wasn't it the same year that we hosted a 1AA playoff game in football? Take away an upset of Cinncinnati in 2002 and how many postseason games has North Texas won in football, men's basketball, or women's basketball in the last 63 years. FIX THE PROBLEM AND THE SYMPTOMS WILL GO AWAY.

How can that be? We can't compete financially with the schools that we want to be perceived as our peers? We have nearly 35,000 students, how can we possibly be constantly underfunded? Oh, thats right. Nevermind.

To each his own. I would go after former Fresno coach Stacy Johnson-Klein.

"But....If we raised the athletics fee to where it needs to be it would be too much money!" I hope that statement doesn't make sense to anyone on this board. I can guarantee that I didn't agree with it when it was said. Raising the athletics fee would instantly enable North Texas to participate on the same financial level as many of the BCS colleges. Build the best possible facilities. Hire and retain the best available coaches. F#*@ the photographer crap! North Texas should do like Western Kentucky and form their own television package and insure that EVERY game is televised in their market. THAT is how you gain a following and THAT is how you get recruits! THAT is exactly what North Texas needs to do for Football and Basketball. "But that's so expensive" and "How could we ever afford that?" Please refer back to the original statement. I can never figure why North Texas decides to limit itself to the same level as the Southland schools that it's trying to distance itself from. Keep thinking small and the results and the perception can never change. "We're not competing with the Texas States of the world." True, and we won't be for long if we don't get a real commitment made. FIX THE DAMN PROBLEM AND THE SYMPTOMS GO AWAY.

I think they should have stayed with the Indians theme and just changed the mascot to Pakastanis.

So true; we got destroyed 84-60 at ASU, lost 74-71 at home, but were able to rebound 83-75 to win the tournament. I think we are all aware of what's possible, especially after watching the last game between these two teams.

He will still have to sit out a year but he will still have 3 years of eligibility left starting with the 2009 season. Donte does have the potential to be an outstanding football player; great speed and a solid tackler.

Here, I've got all the details. It keeps all the bureaucrats in their comfort zone. It's just too bad because it's actually the major surgery of a heart implant that is needed. North Texas: Almost A Commitment To An Almost Mediocre Reputation!

From what I have seen of Warren he is pretty damn fast. Maybe that has changed with some of the additional weigh, but he was quite elusive back when he played quarterback and had the ability to sprint past defenders. Knowledge of the linebacker position may be a challenge but he has had a year to learn the position.

Former LSU, UK stars remember history of series * By JASON RUSSELL * Advocate sportswriter * Published: Feb 17, 2008 Maybe it wasn’t as big a game as it used to be. Maybe the rivalry didn’t quite live up to those classic games back in the 1980s. But for one day at least, the LSU-Kentucky basketball game was the biggest game in town. Heck, even “Big” was in attendance. Former Tigers center and current Phoenix Suns standout Shaquille O’Neal — who is affectionately called “Big” by his entourage — was among the former LSU and Kentucky players in attendance Saturday as 9,870 watched the Tigers fall to the Wildcats, 67-63. O’Neal, recently traded to Phoenix from Miami and nursing a hip injury, enjoyed playing to the crowd when introduced in the second half Saturday. “This was the creation of my game and my NBA career and I just wanted to get that feeling one more time,” he said. Then O’Neal put his two cents in on LSU’s search for a new coach. “They’re struggling but … Johnny Jones for head coach,” he said with a grin. While the final score did not go in LSU’s favor, those in the crowd who were part of the series history remembered what a few called “the good ol’ days.” “You still get that little tickle in your stomach” when you come back, former LSU guard Derrick Taylor said. “No matter how old you get, no matter what happens, you still get that tickle. “Those were good ol’ days, you never forget them. It was like a reunion today. We just didn’t get the win.” Taylor couldn’t hide his emotions when talking about being at an LSU basketball game. “It was good to see because when I come home, it’s always special for me,” Taylor said. “And it being the Kentucky game makes it even more special.” O’Neal wasn’t the only big man from the series history taking in the atmosphere of the game. Former Kentucky and NBA center Kenny “Sky” Walker also sat courtside reminiscing of days gone by. “It was a frantic pace when we came down here,” Walker said. “This, in my opinion, was the toughest place to play because all the students used to line up about two hours before the game and it was just a wild atmosphere, but in a good way. I always enjoyed playing here.” Former Tigers star Ricky Blanton said the excitement level wasn’t quite up to par with what he remembers. “It’s an exciting time, although the quality and the atmosphere is not the same that we’re used to,” Blanton said. “It was a good game. The excitement was definitely there.” The dip in quality of play from both teams did weigh heavily on all of the former players minds, though. “Hopefully the infrastructure is in place at Kentucky with the new coach to get to where they want to go and I think here at LSU, the (coaching) change will allow the progress to move a little quicker,” Blanton said. And despite LSU’s lack of success in the win column, Taylor said he sees a light at the end of the tunnel. “I’m glad to see the young guys rallying behind (interim coach) Butch (Pierre),” Taylor said, “because they could easily give up. I’m really proud of the way the team played today.” Pierre said he was grateful for those former Tigers who were at the game. “I want to thank the former players who came to the game today,” he said. “It means a lot to me and our players that those guys who are so important to the history of our program were here (Saturday).” Current LSU player Garrett Temple, in whose home O’Neal often stayed while O’Neal was at LSU, gave a little in-game shout-out to Shaq. “I gave him a little wink after I made some free throws,” Temple said. Also in attendance Saturday was former LSU coach Dale Brown and former LSU player Tyrus Thomas. Save a link to this article and return to it at www.savethis.comSave a link to this article and return to it at www.savethis.com Email a link to this articleEmail a link to this article Printer-friendly version of this articlePrinter-friendly version of this article View a list of the most popular articles on our siteView a list of the most popular articles on our site

THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT NORTH TEXAS NEEDS TO DO!