Censored by Laurie

Blount settled down in the area and got married...Awasom is a reserve end with the Giants...all I got

If next year is your concern...then you ought to be worried about the state of our recruiting class. We're not...oor atleast we shouldn't be...recruiting for this season, but rather the following 2-3 years. As of right now, the 2009-2010 season will has 1 player on the roster, Collin Mangrum. This isn't setting up well for the future of our program. If JJ signs 2 players who will have eligibility in 09-10...that still leaves a minimum of 9 and as many as 12 roster spots to fill in the next 2 years. Thats a very high player turnover rate...and no matter how good a recruiter is it is tough to try and find 7 guys in a class who can contribute.

Let me explain the Censored by Laurie name: This harkens back to 2003: Laurie Klein is the director of Intramural Sports, in 03 we had a very successful intramural basketball team named "Bukkake" (I refuse to explain that name...go to a very public computer...maybe with a church group around...and look it up). We won Mens A division and consequently had our pictures and team name put up in the rec center. The following year...we were informed by Ms. Klein that due to a complaint we would not be able to use the same name for our team...that it was inappropriate. Thus our team had been Censored by Laurie...and we had our name.

Thanks Justin...hopefully this guy reads your post and realizes I have a Y chromosome.

So I was digging through Rivals.com and decided to check out Sun Belt team sites and went to Mid. Tennessee's. MTSU has a preview of their first conference game with FIU...they break down FIU by position and then give commentary on their schedule. FIU plays UNT in their last game of the season, to which the MTSU website has this to say: North Texas This should be the pillow fight of the year. After a record-tying seven overtime game in 06' these two flowers look to square off in what should be the fluffiest pillow fight of the year for the 2007 college football season. (ESPN 2, where are yooooouuu?). These two teams are near images of each other. Both are breaking in new coaches and trying to improve on extremely poor previous seasons. Look for FIU to finally make a stand and set the tone for the off season with its first victory of the year! Expected Results – W 31-28 I think 3 things need to be taken out of this: first, F*CK YOU Middle Tennessee...especially you mocking ESPN 2 when you've had fewer national appearances than both of these "flowers." Second, FIU doesn't use pillows, they use helmets and cleats...we all saw this last year against Miami. Lastly, and most importantly, as excited as everyone is about Todd Dodge, myself included, he is still a new coach implimenting a new system...and I think MTSU's analasys should give us a rather sobering perspective as how Dodge's hire is perceived...he's viewed as just a guy...a guy with very little college coaching experience.

The focus of possible signings has been guards and wings...it seems the idea is since we lost 3 last year, we need to add 3 this year. If we sign anybody else under 6'8" it had better be a D-I transfer who will make a big impact in 08-09 (Marquez Haynes). We need size...3 seniors and 2 juniors next season in the frontcourt, and only one of those juniors has proven consistant...meaning you would have one proven commodity in 08-09. Another D-1 transfer would be great to tuck away and maybe what you'll find waiting this late. I saw mention of Miss St having 4 transfer out...anybody have any word on those players, or any other D-1 transfers? If JJ does ink another wing...I fear it may be an indictment on his hopes for Collin Mangrum. When you recruit a freshman, you hope that he's contributing as a junior if hes a big, and as a sophomore if hes a guard. Quincey just came into his own as a junior, Wat and Sturns were seeing consistant minutes by the end of their freshman seasons. If Mangrum were ready to be in the rotation, Thompson or Smith would no longer be on JJ's radar. UNT runs what is basically a 3 guard line-up...so a five man rotation is ideal: Watson, Young, Davis, Sturns, Bell last year; if you ink lets say Thompson: 07-08 - Dennis, Sturns, Bell, McCoy, McCoy; 08-09 Dennis, McCoy, McCoy, Thompson and new point. Mangrum seems to progressivly be the man out.

If we threw octopi on to the field I promise you the kids would think that was fun...and it would create quite the mess...but it still would be blatent plagerism of the Detroit Red Wings. The tortillas need to go...its Tech's thing, let them keep it. As for the cannon and the "North" / "Texas" you would be hard pressed to find schools that dont have something similar. Every school has some sort of loud noise maker after a score, and having a historical cannon like ours is awesome. The back and forth is done nearly everywhere and when done well and at the right time it creates a great atmosphere in Fouts. Traditions just have a tendancy to happen...I wish the hand puppet thing at the Pit would've caught on...that was a great bit. If you want something to throw, lets get a bunch green rubber dodge balls and throw them at our opponents following a touchdown

Ideally I would like to see a cross between Baylor and UL-Lafayette. A white stone/brick facade...one endzone with seating with a nice green UNT or North Texas imaged. The opposite endzone, an open, grassy area, preferably not actually within the stadium. Admin could set up their "Mean Green Village" in this area, give away beer and food ect and create a party atmosphere in one end zone. The fans who go into the games now will still go into the game, but this area would give us atleast a showing of those who tailgate and never go near the gates. I doubt admin would realize the benefit of this...thinking it would cost them ticket sales. Really all I want them to realize the benefit of not having an f'n track between the feild and the fans.

The talk of Texas St. joining the SBC had me daydreaming back to 96 and the creation of the Big 12 and the expansion of the SEC. As much as I loved Ann Richards...she single handedly got Baylor into the Big 12 and things could've fallen into place so much better had the Big 12 gone elsewhere: Big 12 takes Arkansas instead of Baylor; SEC nabs Louisville and conference USA looks like a deep south conference and the WAC and MWC only have 8 teams each Pipe Dream Conference: West: TCU UNT SMU UTEP Baylor Texas St. East: Tulsa Rice Houston UL-Lafayette UL-Monroe LA. Tech C-USA North: E. Carolina So. Miss Ark. State UA-LR Troy Mid. Tennessee South: UAB Central Florida Fla. International Fla. Atlantic Tulane South Florida This thread has absolutly no merit...I was just bored...maybe they'll have a "crate your own conference" on the NCAA football.

The all-time greatest chant I have ever heard came from the Cameron Crazies at Duke. Maryland and Duke had a series of heated basketball games and Maryland fans became quite vulgar towards the Dukies...especially J.J. Redick. Tensions reached their peak when UM fans wore shirts to their games reading F*CK DUKE. The next time Maryland came to Duke...the Crazies decided to remind all Maryland fans that Duke is concerned with UNC: "Not Our Rival, Not Our Rival!" I read SMU and TCU bashing all the time on here...and as much as I love UNT...I feel the need to remind everyone that SMU is concerned with TCU, and TCU with SMU. The point I am making that actually applies to this thread is that Texas St. joining the SBC would actually create a regional rivalry...something UNT is sorely lacking. I am 100% on board with TSU moving up to D1A...it would give the SBC 10 football teams, 12 baseball and 14 basketball (assuming TSU moves up from the Southland in all sports and UNT continues to be sans-baseball). UNT fans would travel to San Marcos for games...SM is a really cool town and ATX is only 30 minutes away. TSU and UNT would compete for similar recruits which would increase the rivaly, and like most small programs...when TSU is successful...their fans show up...2-3 years ago they had a really fun spread offence that could score at will (hmmm) and made it to the final four of the D-1AA playoffs (another hmmm). Adding TSU would initially bring down the prestige of the conference...but keep in mind that the SBC in the form we know it is only as old as 2001. TSU's recruiting will improve simply by becoming D-1A, and with other programs in the SBC starting to get recruiting figured out and considered up and coming programs...it is quite feasable that we are on par with the WAC, MAC and CUSA within 5-10 years.

I think most people have missed your point. UNT is more than capable of attaining a level of national respectablity, including a top 25 ranking. TCU and Rutgers are good examples...but perhaps Boise St is the most comparable program with which we ought to set our goals. Boise implimented a solid system and began recruiting patterns...targeting not 5 star guys, but 2 and 3 star quality individuals who fit their system. The groundwork of this philosophy has been laid here by TD...he is very specific about the types of players he's targetting (quality players from quality programs) and has implimented a fun offensive system that is both appealing and familiar to many high schoolers. UNT's respectablity does hinge significantly on the improvment of the SBC. Troy is leading the way...the Florida's know that they have a wealth of talent to pull from...UNT has the best recruiting ground in the country...the rest may be a step behind. Boise plays in the second worst conference in the country, but the WAC is still a severe step up from the SBC...and unless WKU can find similar success to Troy...the SBC will only get worse. That leaves non-confernce games: An upset against Oklahoma, Texas or Arkansas is years away...it starts with respectable showings; a 14-13 halftime lead...comfortably covering the spread...these types of occurances will start the wheels of national recognition. It's a long journey...7-10 years minimum...but it is quite possible.

Thank you Rick...the purpose in having a uniform color isn't just so its appealling on the field, but also so that its fans look "uniform" in supporting their school...at home and especially on the road. Having gone to the tourney game in New Orleans...what made our mediocre fan base even worse was the fact that there were 4 or 5 different shades of green in our crowd...as if our fans had just gone to walmart and grabbed random green shirts in support...and being an alum who missed out on the color change I take part of the blame in wearing my older shirt. I like our new uniform "kelly green" (tshirt on the far left of ricks pic) and hate the lighter version "toothpaste?"(other 2 tshirts) but the University must be 100% firm on its belief that if it sanctions a product that it doesnt settle for a close representation of that color. We talk of trying to build tradtions and we can't produce a uniform color?

Would somebody please explain to me what South Alabama has done to get themselves involved in the coaching carousel. First, John Pelphrey's skins include one NCAA tourney and a first place regular season finish in the Sun Belt that netted them a first round exit from the conference tourney. Second, Ronnie Arrow literally built the TAMUCC program and got them to the NCAA's in their first year of eligibility...had South Alabama made the NCAA's, they would've been a 13 or 14 seed...TAMUCC was a 15, not a huge step up. If Arrow is Billy Gillespie-ing (my new term for a coach who stays put for two years and moves up...replacing the old the previous term of "Larry Brown-ing") I think he could've held out another year and found something a bit more prestigeous than South Alabama.

Oh...forgot to point out...Middleton plays at Akron...one of the schools Thompson is visiting...if we pointed out the Watson to McCoy connection...I guess that needs to be pointed out as well

Oh...forgot to point out...Middleton plays at Akron...one of the schools Thompson is visiting...if we pointed out the Watson to McCoy connection...I guess that needs to be pointed out as well

Landing Thompson would be a major boon to this program. Prep school players are typically more mature and more college-ready because they've had that intermediate level of experience between high school and college. Brewster has produced some solid players in the past few years who have typically been solid role guys at big programs and counted on players at the mid-major level: Damion Grant 6'11 260 North Carolina Armon Gates 6'3 215 Kent State Joel Smith 6'4 195 Washington Cederick Middleton 6'0 180 Akron Adrian Joseph 6'7 205 Virginia Chris Lutz 6'2 190 Purdue Weyinmi Efejuku 6'5 205 Providence Jeff Adrian 6'8 225 Connecticut Xavier Silas 6'5 195 Colorado Will Harris 6'6 230 Virginia Mike Freeman 6'8 220 Hampton This is a list of the players who have passed through Brewster since 2001 who have made an impact on a significant college basketball program. Jeff Adrian is a star at UCONN; Lutz was all freshman Big 10; Silas averaged 13 ppg at CU; the others we're either starters or key reserves. Brewster produces good basketball players...and seemingly quality individuals as there is no record of any of these players being in trouble or even headaches to their respective clubs. If Thompson is anywhere near the level of these players...he is a steal and a huge recruit for us.

Mike Conley, Jr. had similar numbers from the line...thats certainly not to compare the two, just an example...Bell definently needs some work at the line. Transfers may be the way to go for the next 2 or 3 years...with the new NBA rule preventing any player from going H.S. to the pros I think your going to see a lot more 3 and 4 star out of high school kids transfering out of big programs as those programs continue to bring in new 5 star recruits every year who they know will play a season or two and then bolt. Programs in those mid-major conferences; Mountain West, Missouri Valley, West Coast and the Sun Belt have had lots of success by adding D-1 transfers to compliment solid players who were recruited as freshmen. And I think the number of those transfers will increase until these guys realize that going to a mid-major and contributing for 4 years is the best way for them to get a look at the league in the future. I was hoping that Texas may sign some 5 star big man and cause Connor Atchley, Matt Hill or Dexter Pittman to transfer. But in order to have a successful program for an extended period of time, our ability to recruit freshmen needs to improve. Quincey looks like he's panning out...you know my feelings on Sturns; Stewart is a contributor...Howerton is goofy...and Edwards is gone; Mangrum has a chance to contribute next season...thats our roster of freshmen recruits. I want whoever we pull in for the wing this year to be a frosh...doesn't need to be a stud...just a guy who contributes on both ends and understands the philosophy JJ is running

...and where to go with them. I think the answer is dictated on two major factors...Johnathon Jackson's health and Marquez Haynes interest. First Haynes...if Haynes wants UNT...he should be priority number one...he would be a dynamic player in the sunbelt...and create an 08-09 backcourt of himself, Collin Dennis and Ryan McCoy...two scoring combos and a true point and whether all 3 are on the court together or on a rotation...that would be the best backcourt in the Sunbelt hands down. On to Jackson...if he's healthy enough to be a quality reserve (15-20 mins, 5ppg, 5rpg) the second ship goes to a D-1 transfer big man...if a quality big is available. This leaves next years front court with Keith and Quincey starting and Stewart and Jackson as two quality reserves. If Jackson isn't healthy...and barring that Justin Howerton learns how to walk, then run, then play basketball...the second scholarship needs to go to a JUCO or ready-to-play freshman post. JUCO fowards have been hit (Jeff Simpson, Michael DeGrate) and miss (Curtis Muse)...but our luck with freshmen hasn't been much better. The last ship needs to go to a wing...scorer or defender...obviously both would be nice. Our two "swingmen" next year are an unproven sophmore in Mangrum and the cancer of the past 3 years Michael Sturns...who's experience against Memphis should've humbled him...but by all accounts hasn't. 07-08 has the potential to be a rough season...if Dennis isn't the scorer as advertised, if Quincey's development stalls, if Keith is still inconsistant and if Sturns gets 20 shots a game we're looking at a middle of the road finish in the Sun Belt. I don't feel next years success hinges on this recruiting class...those choices and mistakes were made 2 and 3 years ago. However the potential for an outstanding 08-09 season is here if these ships go the right places. My best case for next year: Frontcourt: Keith Wooden is a consistant contributor night in and night out; Quincey Williams development continues and he averages near a double double; Harold Stewart provides good frontcourt energy for 20 mins a night; John Jackson is healthy and can bang and rebound for 15 mins a night. Backcourt: Ben Bell continues to run a steady ship and looks for his offense a bit more; Collin Dennis is the scorer hes touted as; Michael Sturns' ego has shrunk and he plays within the offense; Collin Mangrum is a solid bench contributor; Ryan McCoy is solid enough to make sure Sturns goes nowhere near the point guard spot; "New Wing player" contributes Rich Young- like numbers. Marquez Haynes and a quality transfer big man sit out for a killer 08-09 season. These things happen and there's a good chance we're dancing again in March...and an almost guarentee we are the following year.