ADLER

How many non-Division 1 programs has North Texas played in each of those 4 seasons? What is the record against Divison 1 programs? Those are the only games that are factored into the NCAA equation for determining team strength.

Here's a couple of pictures of East Carolina's brand new baseball stadium. The seats were being installed when these photos were taken. It certainly is a beautiful facility. I would love to see the North Texas Ballpark be comparable when completed.

Unless you're reporting on Howerton's game, I'm only kidding guys. I saw that video clip and just had to use it somewhere.

Wow, are these guys prepared. The Athletic Department is already offering Live Video Streaming of our baseball games. That's amazing considering that forming the team was just recently announced. Somebody deserves a pat on the head. STREAMING VIDEO OF NORTH TEXAS BASEBALL GAMES

Obviously, we needed every player to perform well this game, but for the game MVP, I had to go with Justin. After comparing the two games against Denver, it is clear just how important he is to this team. Barnett was injured and had to sit out the game at Denver. The Pioneers pushed the ball inside to Yemi and started a dunkathon against our outsized defenders. When Coach Jones made some adjustments to stop the slaughter inside, Denver destroyed us with precision 3 point shooting. North Texas was was never competitive in that game and was down 25 points much of the contest. Even though Justin didn't score a whole lot of points, he kept the opposition's center from having free roam in the paint on defense. At Denver, Yemi Nicholson disrupted everything that North Texas tried to do inside, and his defensive ability was neutralized when he played against Justin in Denton. Size does matter. Having Barnett clog the middle allows our other players to cover our opposition's perimeter shooters. When Justin's healthy, we usually win. When Justin's sitting out or severely slowed by injury, we usually lose.

There is a Denton TCL site, but it hasn't been updated. Denton Outlaws web site Additionally, there is the Texas Collegiate League site at: Texas Collegiate League web site February 01, 2005 - TEXAS COLLEGIATE LEAGUE FEATURES PLAYERS FROM 84 SCHOOLS IN 2005 The nation's top college baseball programs will be well represented in the Texas Collegiate League in 2005. The projected rosters include players from 84 different schools, including 24 who advanced to the 2004 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament. Denton Outlaws team information Denton Outlaws 2005 Roster

Baseball: New TCL franchise short on funds to complete 8000 seat stadium, may wait one season 08:53 AM CST on Tuesday, February 1, 2005 By Brett Vito / Staff Writer A local group of investors that has founded a Texas Collegiate League baseball team in Denton has raised only half of the money it needs to build a stadium on North Texas property with its construction deadline for the upcoming season rapidly approaching. Team official John Hampton said designs for a $4 million facility that include 1,000 chair back seats and 8,000 total seats are complete. Team officials are hoping to finish fund-raising for the facility at a series of meetings in the next few days. "We need to get started on the stadium in the next few weeks," Hampton said. "Right now the decision is whether to build the stadium this year or next year. We don’t want to build something that is not first class." The team has already secured an alternate site for its first season, that is set to begin June 7, if its new stadium is not finished. The TCL team and UNT have entered into an agreement to share the facility. The TCL team would use the field during the summer, while UNT’s club team would use the field during the school year. UNT athletic director Rick Villarreal said building a stadium would be a key step toward reviving the Mean Green’s baseball program. A UNT varsity squad would share the stadium with the TCL team. While the Denton TCL franchise is still unsure of its future home, the team has chosen a nickname and has its initial roster in place. Hampton said the team will be known as the Outlaws. Eight people submitted the name during a contest earlier this fall. Hampton said the first person who submitted the name would be declared the winner at a press conference in mid February and will receive tickets to this fall’s World Series. The Outlaws’ roster includes several top collegiate players, including Texas catcher Taylor Teagarden and former Ryan pitcher Jackie Smith of New Mexico. Teagarden was a key cog in Texas team that advanced to the championship round of the College World Series before falling to Cal State Fullerton last season. Baseball America, the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association and Collegiate Baseball all named Teagarden to their preseason All-America teams. Teagarden hit .273 with 10 home runs in 2004. Smith pitched 15 2/3 innings in relief for New Mexico last season. He played on two of Ryan’s state championship football teams and intercepted a pass in overtime of a 42-35 win over Smithson Valley in 2001 state title game. He was also a member of the Raiders 2002 state title team and a standout baseball player for Ryan. Juston and Jordan Street are also on the Outlaws’ roster. The twins’ father James Street was a standout pitcher for Texas, but is best known as the quarterback who led the Longhorns to the 1969 national title. Huston Street, the twins’ older brother, was a standout pitcher for Texas who is now playing in the Oakland Athletics organization. The TCL is a summer baseball league that features college baseball players who have yet to complete their eligibility. The league includes teams based in cities across the Dallas-Fort Worth area, including Highland Park, McKinney and Coppell. BRETT VITO can be reached at 940-566-6870. 2005 Denton Outlaws C Brett Lewis UTA C Taylor Teagarden Texas 1B Steven Clay Ranger JC 2B/OF Blake Womble Baylor SS Ryan Booher Odessa College 3B/P Kurt Pessa Rice OF Kern Watts Evansville OF Blake Mitchell Oklahoma OF Elvis Herrera Loyola Marymount UTIL Alexy Hernandez Fla. Southern UTIL Matt Moake Rice UTIL Brett Fenner UTA UTIL Josh Corn Stanford UTIL Damian Gomez Dallas Baptist P Kerr Foster Baylor P Nick Cassavochia Baylor P Daniel Edwards Kansas State P Justin Boyette La.-Lafayette P Brandon LaFollette Purdue P Eddie Degerman Rice P Juston Street Texas P Kyle Hollander Odessa College P Chase Bayuk Kansas State P Jackie Smith New Mexico P Jordan Street Texas P Blake Kronkonsky Oklahoma State

The last official release from the Denton TCBL franchise in October had been that the initial $650,000 for stadium construction had been raised more quickly than anticipated, and that the team was debating raising another $2.2 million to proceed with building Phase 2 into the initial construction. Phase 3 when complete, would have a 7,500 seating capacity. And then, for months, there wasn't any new information. Frankly, I'm just happy to see the Copperhead's games that are scheduled at the Denton Outlaws facility. I was starting to get a little concerned when there was no news for so long, and the Outlaws web site hadn't been updated.

Although the team name hasn't been formally announced, information is being leaked from other league sources. Read the notes in the 'Briefly ... ' section. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Marshals ready for Round 2 McKinney eager to go after the championship in TCL's second season 12:46 AM CST on Sunday, January 16, 2005 By LUKE GILLIAM / Special Contributor to The Dallas Morning News McKINNEY – What a difference a year makes. McKinney Marshals general manager Shayne Currin talked comfortably from his office at the Ballfields at Craig Ranch last week about the upcoming season. His relaxed demeanor was in sharp contrast to a year ago, when he was scrambling and conducting business from a cellphone as he prepared for the Marshals' inaugural baseball season. "I'm 90 days ahead of schedule," Currin said. "We learned a lot of lessons on the business front last year." Currin had his roster completed in October, and he has already lined up housing for players who will come from all over the country to play for the Marshals this summer in the Texas Collegiate League. Currin spent last week at the National Baseball Coaches Association convention in Nashville, Tenn. He said the league's growing reputation among college coaches has resulted in more talented players coming to the TCL. "The complexion of the entire league has changed," Currin said. On the Marshals' roster, 23 of the 27 players are coming from Division I programs. There were 11 non-Division I players a year ago. McKinney produced the best regular-season record (33-17) and won the Tris Speaker Division – only to be swept out of the first round of the playoffs by eventual champion Coppell. Winning the league title is the team's only goal this season, Currin said, and the roster was assembled accordingly. The Marshals return 13 players, the most of any team in the league. Currin credits the laid-back approach of TCL manager of the year Kyle Hope and the generosity of owner David Craig for the holdovers. Craig had division championship rings made for each player. Among the key returners are outfielders Louie Alamia and Trey Rachal, along with shortstop Jose Salazar. Pitchers Bryce Cox, Josh Geer and Jacob Marceaux are slated to return but could be taken in June's amateur draft, according to Currin. The Marshals will once again have a local flavor as freshmen Matt Smith and Brandon Glover (McKinney) and Jake Arietta (Plano East) are on the team. Hope returns with pitching coach Mike Henneman and hitting coach Jack Clark, both former major leaguers. The Marshals will open the season June 7 at Coppell. McKinney will host the league's All-Star Game on July 11. Tickets will go on sale in March, and the Marshals have dropped prices to $6.50 for adults and $5.50 for seniors and students. Gabe Nesbitt Field will be all reserved seating this season. Briefly ... The league has cut its schedule from 54 games to 48 and reduced the roster limit from 30 to 27. The Granbury Generals franchise folded in the off-season. The Colleyville-Grapevine LoneStars franchise relocated to Euless, and the Denton Outlaws joined the league. The TCL Futures Game is July 24 at Ameriquest Field in Arlington, and the championship series is slated for Aug. 5-7. E-mail lgilliam@dallasnews.com >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Although it's still very early, some of the league teams are already pushing season ticket sales (Highland Park, Coppell, and McKinney) the Coppell franchise started updating their schedule on thier website today. Coppell Copperheads TCBL Schedule Page

I saw this archived story, was it ever put on GMG.com? Mayor pushes Denton growth Paul Knight Staff Writer October 07, 2004 Mayor Euline Brock envisions a future Denton that stands apart from other booming suburbs in the area and becomes the "third city" in the Metroplex. Brock, a NT distinguished alumna, said NT plays a major role in both the Denton of the future and the past. "We would be nothing without UNT," Brock said. "[NT] shaped who we are as a community." Brock said Denton is in a transition of either becoming another large suburb of Dallas or becoming a city that stands alone. Because of major growth in Denton and the surrounding areas, Brock said it is time to decide what the city will be. "We have two choices," Brock said. "One is that we are a real city and we act like a city, or we're just going to be a really large place taking what's leftover from the south of us." To examine the problem of setting Denton apart from other cities, the city hired an "economic development consulting firm" from Austin. After examining other north Texas cities, the firm suggested Denton's theme be, "The Creative and Intellectual Capital of North Texas." "It really does fit Denton, and it doesn't fit anyplace else," Brock said. She said there are several areas Denton must improve to become a great city. One is Denton's sports industry, and the city will focus on collegiate level sports. Brock said she hopes the city can build a new baseball complex that will rival Frisco's minor league stadium, and bring NCAA baseball to NT.

And for those of you coming to the game watching party, try to stop by Steve and Barry's Collegiate Sportswear Superstore in Grapevine Mills Mall. You will easily be able to envision the possibilities if there were Mean Green merchandise available in line with all those burnt orange, maroon, and crimson products.

D'Oh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Game time is 7:30 in Dallas, 6:30 is for the Mountain Time Zone. I'll get it corrected on the party announcement after we've firmed up a few commitments from fans, and gotten our reservations set with the bar.

Mean Green Game Watching Party The game starts at 7:30 Thursday night. Men's Basketball North Texas vs Denver Fox Sports Net Rocky Mountain will telecast the game, and we will all be watching it at The Sportsmans Bar and Grill at the Embassy Suites in Grapevine. I have reserved a section of tables and and two large screens for our group. The management has extended the Happy Hour pricing for beer to run through the duration of our game. The Sportsmans Bar and Grill is in the back of the lobby of the Embassy Suites in Grapevine. The Embassy Suites Hotel is the tall hotel directly behind the Bass Pro Shop and Outdoor World superstore. This function is open to all fans. Invite your Mean Green friends to join us. The more people that show for the party, the better. I hope to see all of you there. Go Mean Green!

Thanks. I think we're all going to miss the North Texas - NMSU rivalry. The football games were seldom determined before the final minutes, and then it seemed that blind luck would somehow become bestowed upon the Mean Green. In the basketball games, they were always exciting as long as they were played in Denton. With North Texas having not won in Las Crueces since the Ford administration, that end of the rivalry provided far less excitement. On a personal note, will you be signing in Febuary to play football at NMSU? You have just finished your juco career, right?

Here's a great stat of the night. Due to the smothering defense of the North Texas post players, the Aggys two starting post players — Trevor Lawrence (6-foot-11) and Jeff Jones (6-8) — shot a combined 3-for-17 Saturday. New Mexico State’s Trevor Lawrence (4) and North Texas’ Quincy Williams (32) reach for a rebound during the first half on Saturday.

NMSU guard Josh Jenkins tries to drive past North Texas' Marqus Mitchell during Saturday night's game in the Pan Am Center. The Aggies lost, 79-69, in the Sun Belt opener for both teams. (Sun-News photo by Vladimir Chaloupka) Los' Causes Sun-News Poor shooting leads to league loss for Aggies By Felix Chavez/Assistant Sports Editor Jan 9, 2005, 12:01 am The New Mexico State Aggies just couldn’t find the right formula Saturday night in the Sun Belt opener. New Mexico State missed several layups, couldn’t overcome 53.6 percent shooting by North Texas in the second half and fell 79-69 at the Pan American Center. The Aggies drop to 4-9 and 0-1 in league play, while North Texas is 8-4 on the season and 1-0 in league play. “We had chances,” NMSU interim head coach Tony Stubblefield said. “We ran our offense and got some good looks at the basket. We have to take advantage of those opportunities.” The Aggies chased North Texas all night long and led only 3-0 and 5-3 on the night. North Texas was up 35-31 at the break and kept a tedious lead in the second half. New Mexico State tied or pulled within three points several times in the second half, but never caught the Mean Green, which won in Las Cruces for the first time since 1974. “We couldn’t sustain the effort for 40 minutes,” Aggie guard Mike Mitchell said. “We have to keep working to try and be consistent.” The Aggies trailed just 69-66 with 3:02 left after a Trevor Lawrence follow and got the ball back 19 seconds later after Duane John took a charge. But the Aggies made two critical turnovers in the next minutes and never recovered. Meanwhile, North Texas hit eight free throws in the final 1:40 to pull out the win. Senior guard Leonard Hopkins keyed the late charge with four points and a key steal. “I just tried to step up my play and be a leader,” Hopkins said. “This was a big win for us. Our chemistry and effort is great. This is the best chemistry we’ve had as a team in a long time.” Hopkins and fellow guard Calvin Watson paced the Mean Green with 24 and 23 points respectively. Hopkins had 13 points in the second half, while Watson had 23. Watson was 9 for 9 from the free throw line, while North Texas hit 21 of 26 as a team. The Aggies shot just 35.9 percent from the field, despite hitting 9 of 19 from the 3-point line. New Mexico State’s starting forwards, Jeff Jones and Trevor Lawrence, made just 3 of 17 combined from the field. “We have to convert when we get chances,” Stubblefield said. “North Texas played some good defense in the paint, but good teams take advantage of some opportunities.” The Aggies were led by freshman guard Josh Jenkins and junior guard Mike Mitchell. Jenkins scored 21 points, 16 of which came in the second half, while Mitchell had 14. Junior wing Duane John added 13. Jenkins helped keep the Aggies in the game in the second half with clutch shooting. He hit four 3-pointers in the second half and made all four of his free throws. “We just have to keep finding ways to get better and find consistency, and if we do, we’ll be more successful,” Jenkins said. The Mean Green got 11 points each from Watson and Hopkins to lead by four at the break. The Aggies were led by Mitchell’s 10 and John’s nine at the break. “We are giving a great effort and it’s nice to come on the road against a difficult opponent and get the win,” North Texas coach Johnny Jones said. “We made some big shots in the second half and came up big on defense at times. Our bench also gave us a great effort.” The Aggies are back in action Monday against Tulsa at 7:05 p.m. Felix Chavez can be reached at fchavez@lcsun-news.com BOX SCORE North Texas 79, N. Mexico St. 69 North Texas (8-4) Williams 1-3 0-0 2, Jones 1-2 2-2 4, Hopkins 9-17 5-6 24, Hines 2-5 0-1 5, Watson 6-9 9-9 23, Harris 2-4 0-1 4, Mitchell 0-1 0-0 0, Sturns 1-4 1-2 3, Thomas 2-5 4-4 8, Simpson 3-7 0-1 6. N. Mexico St. (4-9) Jones 1-6 2-2 4, Lawrence 2-11 3-6 7, Mitchell 6-13 0-0 14, Davis 0-2 3-4 3, Jenkins 6-10 4-4 21, John 5-13 2-5 13, Haynes 1-1 0-0 3, Alexander 2-7 0-0 4, Funston 0-1 0-0 0. Halftime—North Texas 35, N. Mexico St. 31. 3-Point goals—N. Texas 4-10 (Watson 2-3, Hines 1-3, Hopkins 1-3, Jones 0-1), New Mexico St. 9-19 (Jenkins 5-7, Mitchell 2-7, John 1-2, Haynes 1-1, Funston 0-1, Davis 0-1). Fouled out—Alexander. Rebounds—North Texas 40 (Hopkins 7), N. Mexico St. 39 (Jones 9, Lawrence 9). Assists—North Texas 7 (Hines 4), N. Mexico St. 14 (Jenkins 4). Total fouls—North Texas 19, N. Mexico St. 17. A—04,252.

I hope for only the best for Lou. He has had a truly amazing career, from taking his NMSU team to the Final Four in Houston's new Astrodome in the 60's to compete against Elvin Hayes' Houston Cougars and Lew Alcindor's UCLA Bruins, to his Final Four appearances while coaching Illinois, and then to return back to his first love, New Mexico State basketball. Through his storied career the man has always been a class act. Several years back during the Big West days, Trilli's North Texas team was having a horrible season, but North Texas was able to pull an upset of New Mexico State at the Pit in front of a very small audience. The few shocked fans in attendance had been cheering, yelling, and occasionally taunting. It was a very rare win, and we were going to make the most of it. After the game, after the teams shook hands, Lou came over to many of the remaining North Texas fans, congratulated everyone for the victory, and thanked us for supporting our team. I hope he has a speedy recovery. College sports needs more people like Lou.

This was from the November 30th edition, but I don't know if it was ever posted on this board. Has anyone heard any further developments, like fund raising or dirt turning since then? Are they still scheduled to start play in 2005? *************************************************************** By BRETT VITO / Denton Record-Chronicle Briefly ... The Texas Collegiate League announced that a new franchise in Denton will play in the Rogers Hornsby Division with teams from Graham, Mineral Wells and Weatherford this summer. The Denton baseball franchise has entered into an agreement with UNT to build and share a baseball facility on school property. ************************************************************* Funding for UNT ballpark is in place Posted October 5, 2004 A group founding a Denton-based Texas Collegiate League baseball team has raised $650,000 that will be used to construct a stadium on UNT property, team official John Hampton said. Hampton said the money the group has raised will over the cost of constructing a minimal facility. UNT has an agreement with the TCL group to share the facility.

University of Tulsa Athletics Site Tulsa's Phillips Announces Resignation as Head Basketball Coach Assistant Coach Alvin Williamson assumes interim position Dec. 25, 2004 Tulsa, Oklahoma - University of Tulsa Head Basketball Coach John Phillips announced his resignation today, effective immediately. Phillips informed Athletics Director Judy MacLeod earlier today of his decision, and met with his team on Christmas night. MacLeod announced that Alvin "Pooh" Williamson has been named interim head coach for the remainder of the 2004-05 season. Phillips has been extended an offer to remain as assistant athletics director. "I want to say thanks to The University of Tulsa and Judy MacLeod for giving me the opportunity to coach at TU. The last eight years have been so enjoyable for me and my family. The last couple of months have been very difficult for me, my family and the players. Sometimes, change can bring about growth. My hope is that all TU fans will support the players through the remainder of the season and we will all witness tremendous progress," said Phillips. "I also would like to thank the people of the city of Tulsa who have supported Leah and me. We have achieved lifelong friendships and we are both so grateful for those friendships. God Bless every one and have a great holiday season." Phillips had a successful tenure at Tulsa, both as an assistant coach and head coach. In three-plus seasons as head coach, Phillips compiled an overall record of 61-42 for a .592 winning percentage. Phillips ranks 10th on the career victories list and became only the second coach in school history to win 50 games in his first two seasons. Phillips was only the fourth coach in school history to lead his team to back-to-back 20 wins seasons in the first two years as head coach. He led the Hurricane to a 27-7 overall mark in the 2001-02 season and 23-10 in his second year. During his seven-plus seasons on the coaching staff, Tulsa posted a record of 161-78 (.674), won the Western Athletic Conference regular season title once (1999-00), shared the WAC Championship twice (1998-99 and 2001-02) and won the WAC Tournament Championship once (2003). The Hurricane made four NCAA Tournament appearances, advancing to the second round all four years and to the 2000 NCAA South Regional finals, and won the 2001 NIT Championship. A longtime Oklahoman, Phillips became Tulsa's 28th head basketball coach on April 9, 2001. "Coach Phillips is truly one of the most honest, loyal and genuine people that I know. He has been an extremely valued member of our athletic family and a good friend. I look forward to him continuing at TU as an assistant athletics director," said MacLeod, who is out of town visiting family for the Christmas holiday. "These 13 young men must continue to work hard every day to improve as a basketball team. I trust that the loyal fans of TU basketball will rally around these players and coaches and demonstrate the insurmountable support that they have shown in the past that put Tulsa basketball in the national spotlight," added MacLeod. "I have confidence that our coaching staff will continue to work hard and keep this team focused on a very competitive conference schedule that lies ahead. We have 21 games remaining in the regular season so there are many goals that can still be achieved," said MacLeod. "As a coach, Pooh Williamson has shown the same dedication, competitiveness and leadership qualities that made him a great player at Tulsa." Williamson, 31, is in his fourth season on the Tulsa coaching staff. A 1996 graduate of Tulsa, Williamson was the point guard that led Tubby Smith-coached Hurricane teams to consecutive NCAA "Sweet Sixteen" appearances in 1994 and 1995. Prior to returning to his alma mater as an assistant coach, Williamson coached one year at Tulane University (2000-01). Before that, he spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Illinois State (1998-00) and two seasons at Washington State (1996-98). "Obviously, this is not the way that I envisioned becoming a head coach. Coach Phillips has been very influential in my coaching career," said Williamson. "As coaches we're going to put our entire energy into this basketball team, and our next opponent. Oklahoma is a tremendous basketball team that has shown this year that they are among the nation's very best. We have a huge task in front of us on Tuesday, then we begin play in the Western Athletic Conference two days later." "Coach Phillips has helped me progress as a basketball coach, and he has helped these basketball players grow as young men and players," added Williamson. "We will do everything possible to continue instilling the values of hard work, teamwork and unity. We have a great basketball tradition to uphold at Tulsa, and we will work diligently to keep it." Tulsa has a 2-5 record on the season and plays Oklahoma in the All-College Tournament on Tuesday, December 28, in Oklahoma City, Okla.

That's the nonconference schedule I want for the Mean Green for the next few seasons. All home games, and all victories. (OK,OK, maybe throw in a few regional home-and-home games) We just need to be able to sell enough season tickets to be able to afford that kind of schedule.

Wasn't it just a paper banner? I'm serious, how much more harmless could this 'raid' have been. I'm really surprised that anyone at TCU even cared, much less was incensed. It was about as harmless a prank as possible. And if the banner is anything other than paper, it needs to be returned.

The TCU game would be the perfect marquee event to get some of these people (and the local media) sold on North Texas basketball. Less familiar opponents wouldn't pack the same promotional value. One other idea, actually it is borrowed from ULL, is a 1 carat diamond ring giveaway to the female students in attendance. ULL did this in their football games and it was quite successful. In the first half of the games, 50 names were chosen at random from all the female students that entered the game, they gave out 50 gold rings, 49 of wich had a 1 ct Cubic Zirconia, and 1 with a 1 ct Diamond. During the fourth quarter they had all the ladies on the field and announced which had the diamond. The same type of promotion could be done for a basketball game with fewer rings. Anybody that would like to pass these ideas on to anyone, please feel free to do so.

Here are a few of my ideas: All intended to show fans a good time, and make them want to come back. Make the basketball game an event, and the fans will start coming out. We really need to concentrate on building our fan base since we are hosting the SBC tournament this season. Dollar hot dog night. Have a lot of fans out and show them it's not only fun but economical to bring the family to a Mean Green basketball game. Award the Sun Belt Conference Football Championship Trophy during halftime of the TCU game. Inviting the football team to BB games always brings an additional 100 loud and spirited fans. Have video highlights ready to show on the jumbotrons. Have the entire Green Brigade at the game. The Super Pit rocks when the whole band is in there, and it has been about a decade since the whole Green Brigade played a basketball game. Send (yes, for free) a set of good basketball tickets to the TCU game to every person that has a set of North Texas football season tickets. That target audience is clearly defined, and many of those football fans haven't been exposed to North Texas basketball in decades. We've got to win back those fans that were lost from the Tommy Newman through Vic Trilli eras (or errors as some might say). Those fans will come to a basketball game if they are familiar with the opponent, and hopefully we can keep many of them coming back. If not, we really didn't lose anything, and gratitude was shown to the fans that supported North Texas throughout the football season. Those fans will also love to see the football team receiving the trophys. Do an IFC half court shot contest for $1000. Each fraternity gets a chance to shoot a half court shot quarterly throughout the game (each fraternity getting 4 shots on the evening). The $1000 prize will be split equally between each chapter that makes a shot, and between all chapters equally if none make the shot. This keeps their members involved for the duration of the game. Get FOX Sports to award the Moneypenny Trophy to Jamario (assuming he gets it) at halftime. This will be an additional reason to invite the Dallas/Fort Worth media to the event. A few succesful events could change the Metroplex media's perception about North Texas sports being "small time". Throw out gazillions of beads and tee shirts to the fans at the basketball game to help promote the New Orleans Bowl trip. It's good promotion for the Bowl, and the fans love it. Make a concentrated effort to promote the game to the TCU season ticket holders, and have a loud, concentrated TCU section at the game. Many of those fans will make the trip to Denton if they plan early enough. TCU has always been very classy in it's relations with North Texas and it's fans, and it would be good to return the favor. Maybe this could become an annual game, or better yet a semi-annual non-conference basketball game like NMSU has with UTEP and UNM (they play home-and-home in every season). It could happen if it's profitable enough for both schools, and there's no reason it shouldn't be. Put Skytracker quad-unit searchlights on all four sides of the Super Pit before the game. It might not do anything for the game itself, but it sure looks as though something huge is going on there. These are just a few ideas, and I believe basketball at North Texas is ready to take off, and that we have the right people in place to make it happen. Go Mean Green.

Those aren't fans. Those people are probably the editorial staff from the North Texas Daily.

The Houston and SMU games were the only ones I have been able to attend. The Mean Green have played very well this season, and seem destined to become consistently one of the more powerful programs in this region. I think having the new soccer facilty at the former Liberty Christian school will be a major step in that direction. Crowd size could go from hundreds to thousands.