Zeleny' Orel

In the early days of women's basketball, Louisiana Tech was a powerhouse and they built a large and loyal fan base from area senior independent living, assisted living and nursing homes. The team became their "kids" and they were treated accordingly. I think we should explore incorporating that model.

Wish I could have been there...great crowd, great team, great game for Senior Day. Great fan in FlyontheWall to provide great food and atmosphere to support the women's team in the great basketball year at UNT. Now on to Dickies Arena...let's take both championships back to Denton, Mean Green! gmg

One assistant coach per position?

Speaking of assistants, how many do we have and how many are allowed? Watching the game against FAU, it looked as if both benchs had tons of coaches, assuming all the wardrobe matches were coaches. FAU looked to have more, but they were at home, so possible. Are all those on the bench coaches or are others allowed to sit on the bench? Seems like I remember there being a head coach and two assistants if the "good old days." There were so many on TV that it jumped out at me...of course being dressed like just made it more obvious. Just curious on how many allowed on the staff?

So who plays her position next year?

Did the game start several hours late? I thought it was on ESPN+ at 11:00. Was looking for it On Replay and it was still live with about 5 minutes to go in regulation time. Watched the rest of it...there was every reason for the Mean Green Women to lose this game from that point on, but they are a resiliant bunch. No matter how bad the start, poor free throw shooting, bigs fouling out, or ugly play, more often than not they find a way to win at the end. Going to be an interesting few weeks before tournament time...GMG

Have there been other UNT tennis players who have made it to the pro tour?

Am aware of that as I watched them play many times. I still think they are the best doubles team we have ever had at UNT.

We too lost to Tulane. By 3 points. Would love to go to San Antonio and knock them out of the undefeated ranks if they are still without a conference loss. Next up though is Temple...good crowd needed, the team deserves it!

UNT Women play FAU at 1:00 p.m. this afternoon...on ESPN Plus. UNT is currently in 2nd place, tied with Temple, and 1 game behind UTSA. Next game is against Temple at the Super Pit On Wednesday, January 29th at 6:30 p.m. We need a good crowd for home court advantage to break the tie! Play former UNT Coach Karen Aston's team in San Antonio on Tuesday, February 1st at 6:30 p.m. Looks to be a critical game as they are currently undefeated in conference play. Need to win today at FAU, next Wednesday against Temple, and the following Saturday at South Florida to set up a game at UTSA for possible 1st place in the conference. GMG...beat FAU! First things first...... https://meangreensports.com/news/2025/1/23/womens-basketball-womens-basketball-set-to-face-florida-atlantic-saturday

Best UNT doubles team in tennis history? I say yes!

I did the train trip as well. Only thing I can add is if you have bad knees, be prepared for the steep hills you need to climb if walking around West Point. It is a remarkable visit though. Have been blessed to visit the Air Force Academy and Naval Academy as well. They are all different in appearance, but common in goals. Everyone should take the opportunity to make this trip if possible. My game visit was the one where Derek Thompson, I believe it was, broke his leg.

And even if we support our team by watching them on TV or streaming, the TV audience can't see us, the team can't see us, and the team can't hear our support. If it's possible to get to the game, we need to be there in person not only to get the better in-person experience, but to show our support to others. GMG!

Complete reversal of our game against Tulane when we almost came back from a huge deficit, only to lose. This time we were "Tulane" and almost lost it after a huge lead. Kudos to freshman Price who made some crucial free throws at the end of the game. Also to Lampkin, not a good free throw shooter, who made several of hers toward the end to match an overal strong game. We do need to work on breaking the press and being more careful with our passes, which too often are sloppy and lead to turnovers and easy baskets. Overall, though, happy with the win. It will be more difficult when we play them at their home. Hopefully we will be a full strength and reduced our turnovers before then. Next up is Rice at home on Wednesday. Look out for Karen Aston's UTSA team...they are undefeated in conference play, we know she is a good coach, and they have beaten us several times lately. We need to keep improving our play to match last season. GMG!

Also a good NIL opportunity if the players still have to do something other than just play...get NIL money and fans!

The comment about visiting Assisted Living Facilities brought to mind something that Louisiana Tech did when Women's Basketball came into existence after Title 9. If I remember correctly (it's been a while and the memory isn't what it used to be), Louisiana Tech made it a priority to get nursing home residents to the games and develop a bond with the women on the team. This is when Louisiana Tech was a national powerhouse in Women's Basketball. Those residents became great fans and developed a true relationship with the team members. The generational gap made no difference...it was like grandmother/granddaughter and they always had good attendance. I think they may have bussed the nursing home residents to the game...the point is this was a unique marketing idea that developed a true fan base. It just shows how thinking out of the box can become successful. How long that lasted I don't remember, but it was a start. It may not have paid off financially but it did help develop a fanbase that truly cared about "their team." Any one else remember anything more about this? Would something similar work for UNT? I know they have a public school day at one of the women's games every year for the young fans. Expand this to other sports or for older people who don't have as many social options? Just a thought...any other ideas like those listed above?

Yes, we seem to start slow too often. Also seem to give up a lot of easy baskets inside the paint without much resistance. Need to get shooting and rim defense straightened out quickly to have a season comparable to last year.

Enjoyed reading this one because it doesn't seem to use the "fill in the blank" most use. Similar ideas but actually sounded as if it came from an unique individual. Hope he finds a good fit.

Craven said "expected to follow" while Zenitz said "accepted the job." Speculation vs fact.

Was only able to watch the first half so limited observations. Santa Clara had very precise passing and was able to get lots of easy baskets because of this and were also good at finishing at the rim. UNT couldn't hit 3's so had difficulty getting easy shots inside like Santa Clara did. Santa Clara definitely looked like the better team the first half. UNT made a run the 2nd half but don't know what changed since I wasn't able to watch it. We seem to be slow getting going early in the games though. I hope we use this game as a basis for improving before conference play. Santa Clara was a much better team than others we have played so far this year.

Which overall group of players on this year's team had the largest positive impact on our season..our returning players, transfers coming in this year, or current freshmen? Please explain why you chose that group.

Not in favor of hiring Mac Brown as the HC, but perhaps as a mentor, consultant, analyst to assist Eric Morris next year.

Abbey Inn...not sure it was same location as Loophole though Zeke's was a hamburger joint behind Maple Street Hall in the late 60's....used to eat there every Sunday night when dorm cafeterias were closed

Nice start to the season. Big test will be the ITA Regionals in Ft. Worth. Traditionally toughest schools in Texas compete in this one and we will be able to compare where we stand in comparison. GMG

I don't know "Matt from A700" but I see him as one of the type of fans that you describe. He has taken time to arrange and gather groups of fans for games around the state and country. Some do podcasts. The Maniacs seem to be doing a good job of getting more students involved. Perhaps the answer to getting more fans is in more grass roots efforts like these. For us "old timers" it was the Mean Green Club that got us to be lifelong fans. Tailgating groups seem to have somewhat carried on that tradition. We need to find younger fans who have the energy, health, and understanding what their peers enjoy and have the Athletic Department cultivate them to help with this mission. Any of you "youngsters" to the challenge?