eulesseagle

Texas A&M compared to UNT had more talent when Gilespe took over than what UNT had when JJ took over. Texas A&M did not have any players leave like they left when Trilli was at UNT prior to JJ taking over!! SMUG, I was not comparing SBC to the Big 12, but making a comparison that the SBC and in particular UNT is a Mid Major not a Major....perhaps you did not read that??? My view centered on UNT not having a consistant winning record over the last 35 years with the exception of some bright spots of Spika and Blakely...... I think even you, SMUG, would agree with that!! Other than those too far and between bright spots UNT basketball has been at best average and non-competitive....in the conference they have been in. Sometimes, by your writings, you want a winner now!! well....who you going to pay and get???? Evidently you do not seen what myself or even Buford Julip has seen since the 1960's. Once you get a grip on UNT basketball since the 60's and see what has happened then perhaps, even you, SMUG, will realize that unless a miricle happens JJ "is" doing the best job for UNT Basketball. I have seen improvement in the team since JJ has been here along with the football team since DD has been here. Believe me when I say this you need to have more patience with JJ.

UNT had the opportunnity to get the current A&M and UTEP coaches but selected JJ!! Those schools currently had the talent where JJ did not. Take a look what Trilli did for the team. (1) he let go everyone that Jankovich had and brought in a whole new squad!! (2) caused disention on the team where players left UNT to go to other schools. What did JJ have when he got here??? well.....not much!! What did the A&M coach and UTEP coaches have when they got to their new venues???? come on man, think. I really do not think that any coach in JJ's position can come into a program that has been decimated and begin a winning program with a reputation of not having a winning program for years. Coach Blakley had the last great sucessful program at UNT/NTSU!! Just look at all the 20+ winning seasons this man had!! Coach Spika had a sucessful program at NTSU against the best teams in the nation back in the 60's and early 70's. Back in the mid or early 1980's we had the opportunity to get the Midland College coach. I can not remember his name but he had several National JC championships under his belt at MCJC. "Spud" Webb played for him and it was during this time that he applied for the NTSU position and did not get it. He was essentially going to bring to NTSU his Midland College team, as transfers to NTSU to rebuild the program, including Spud Webb. NTSU did not want him but got some assistant coach from some high school or college that kept NTSU in loosing seasons. Webb wanted to come to NTSU but the coach thought he was not good enough and too small (5'6" or so). Webb ended up at N.C. State on their National championship team and played several years in the NBA. So, now the question is even if you brought in any coach that UNT will spend the money for what can they do with a team that has a loosing record in their program??? If some UNT backer and UNT is willing to pay the big bucks to get a great name coach to come in is about the only "short term winning fix" that UNT will have. Other than that UNT will have to build a winning by having a coach like JJ who is willing to commit himself in building a program by getting the best possible player that are willing to come here. I believe that he is doing that right now. He is slowly turning the program around and possibly next year or the year after he will have us on the winning track. Besides, his future reputation is at stake too.

To: Buford Julip If I am not mistaken you have a lot of insight to the basketball team by going to the practices and games!! What is your humble opinion of next year with the recruits coming in and what JJ has for next year? It appears that you, as a cool, soothing, almost all knowing expert in UNT sports could give us a little professional insight....if you would make a new topic out of this.....appears we have some "hot-heads" that want change now.... thanks Buford Julip

Look what JJ has done: 1. Eased up on us playing the top 25 in roundball and getting the crap beat out of us. 2. Lost about 5 or 6 games by less than an average of 6 points. Those could have been wins (but were not) 3. Compared to DD.... it took DD his 5th year before his teams kicked into gear. Could be the same for JJ. 4. You never hear of any disention among the players. 5. He is slowly bringing in better players.....you have to remember that UNT is a MID MAJOR. 6. Who do you recommend getting....and for what price???-----if you say you don't know or there are plenty of people out there---ok---then who?? cant name any you want to take a chance on? 7. Give JJ a chance...everyone knows what shape the UNT program was in when he took over and remember his old coach came to UNT to stand behind him (cant remember the legendary LSU coach's name). 8. We have had some excellent BB coaches at UNT but the admin has let them go: including Spika (for you Hamilton/Fraley/Hamp Hazelton/Whitiker fans); Blakley (chances are we will never get another pro coach)--This guy packed the pit for every game; Jankovich. 9. Give JJ a chance...he comes highly recommended and looks like he has some very good players coming in. Takes time to build a team...cant be done in one or two years.

Jankovich....got the short end of the stick at UNT. We should have kept him. Heck we should have kept Trilli if someone in the Admin would have told him not to schedule all the top teams in the nation that kept beating the crap out of us and demoralizing the team. I believe that ran off quite a few really good players...one to Texas and one to Ok State.

Be patient with JJ.....everyone wanted DD's head about the 4th year of his contract. I believe that JJ will turn it around..... Beside who are you going to get???? what decent Basketball coaches are there who wants to coach at a mid-major??? some assist. coach or a good high school coach..... who do you expect to get? Bobby Knight North Texas is a mid-major.....face it!! JJ has turned the program around....wait until next year.

I didn't know Texas was a paramutual betting state??? You guys make sure you leave your names--- addresses for the cops to show up....lol

Yep....looks like UNT could easily be 19-6 if we had gotten a favorable roll here or there. Take the 6 games that we lost by 10 or less and presto......the average loss is by 6 points. Perhaps next year we can win some of these close games to get to 19-6 this time next year and a possible 20 game winning season. I think JJ is doing a great job..... Keep it up.

There was a good article in the Fort Worth Star Telegram either today or yesterday stating the 22 or 23 D-1 BB coaching changes this year .... along with the records from 2003/2004 and this year. Only about 3 or 4 of those schools had an improved record. The majority of them had the same record and a few more had worse records. Think about that. If a majority of us "old-timers" see a pattern of success in a program then it may be best to stay the course. I may not agree with some of the play calling of JJ but we have come pretty close to winning a few more games than in the last couple of years. We could be easlily 15-7 or 16-6 right now. Even Coach Trilli in some of his immortal words said that you know you are improving when you are loosing by fewer points every year then you start winning the close ones that you are loosing then you win the ones you are suppose to win. To me that makes sense. It should make sense to you too!!!! JJ has gotten some good players to come to UNT from a program that was not doing so well when Trilli left. It takes a little more time for a "mid-major" program like UNT to compete with the "major" programs. Be patient.....JJ will do us a good job.

Give JJ a chance....because....look at Coach Dickey....eveyone wanted to fire him after his 4th season and he might have gone except for the come from behind victory over NMSU. I have seen too many really good North Texas coaches get canned and some of the not so good coaches linger on. In my opionion, Trilli was not all that bad except he let go all the players when he got here and gave us an unbelievable "ball busting" schedule that looked great on paper but got us killed on the court and ended up loosing some of our best player to other schools. Those schedules had to be demoralizing to the player to get the crap beat out of them everytime they steped on the court. Give JJ a chance to get the players here. He is winning but not dominating yet. I too enjoyed the years watching Whitiker, Hamilton, Mort Frayley etc play. Enjoyed it more in the old snake pit where the noise level was unbelievable with all the yelling and stomping of the feet on those old wooden bleachers. More so when the students would throw the rubber snakes onto the floor during timeouts.

After watching another poor shooting experience last night..... I truly believe we have the talent & especially at point guard.....this kid is great compared to what we have had in the past... Hopkins is a very good shooter and handler but a bit streaky at times but appears that he is in a slump. The who team appears to be in a 3 game Rip Van Winkle slump but we do have an excellent coach who knows how to recruit and I feel certain that he will get the shooting percentage up to about 33-35% as it was during OOC play......

Watch out for Texas AM: Corpus Christi this year. They beat: Florida State (5-4) TCU (6-3) Old Dominion (8-1) Baylor (2-3) Lost to Kent State (7-2) who has already beaten Florida State (5-4) and Creighton (8-1). These are two excellent teams to bet on on the first couple of rounds in the NCAA tournament

Why is the NMSU coach letting 4 or 5 football player continue to play when they brutaly asaulted another NMSU student putting him in a coma??? I understand that these players tried to take advantage of some female outside some club and the male student tried to verbally defend her and the 4 or 5 NMSU players beat this guy to a pulp, put him in the hospital where he was for days in a coma.... Well, we know what Bob Stoops would do. What is the latest on this????? Does anyone in Las Cruces know????

My top 10 TV SitCom Comedies are: 1. WKRP Cincinatti 2. Frazier 3. Leave it to Beaver 4. Married with Children 5. Friends 6. Seinfeld 7. Beverly Hillbillies 8. 3 Stooges 9. Faulty Towers 10. Red Green Show