NT80

Friday night home games are not good for attendance, conflicts with traffic and high school football.

The DMN sports transactions reported a Chris Davis F/G has signed with the Ft. Worth Tycoons, a new ABA team.

Check last year's scores for both ut and NT vs. OU and see who the tune-up game was against!

From UNO article: "The Sun Belt Conference tournament is scheduled for March 5-8 in Denton, Texas. All 11 teams will qualify. This past season, eight teams qualified for the postseason tournament."

Thanks for the scoop, scoop! Any good teams coming to the Pit? When will the schedule be out?

Arizona hoops the hottest ticket in town By James Kelley, Arizona Daily Wildcat July 28, 2004 (U-WIRE) TUCSON, Ariz. -- There are a few things in life that one can be certain about: Death, taxes and the popularity of men's basketball at Arizona. The Wildcats are the hottest ticket in town, explained assistant coach Josh Pastner. "I think it is the most popular thing in the state of Arizona; every single game is on live television," Pastner said. "In Tucson, the fan support is terrific. We get tremendous support. We're very fortunate, very lucky for that." Arizona has led the Pac-10 in attendance since 1984-85 and the 14,545-seat arena has been sold out since 1987-88. "I think we are one of the top-five programs in the country, definitely No. 1 in the west," said Chris Del Conte, the associate athletics director. North Carolina, Duke, Connecticut and Kentucky are the other top-five programs, Del Conte said. Seats are so coveted that the season tickets are handled on a priority point basis and courtside seats, known as Scholarship Row, cost about as much as out-of-state tuition, room, board and meal money. Pastner said they "absolutely" use the team's popularity in recruiting. "It is something we really sell in the recruiting process, no doubt about it," Pastner said. The student seats were limited to behind the basket and in the upper level after alumni bought the seats when Olson was hired. Normal lower-level seats go for $1,250. Del Conte said that Arizona is in the top five in terms of the money it makes. Students are also pretty passionate about the basketball team. "The student following is great; I know a lot of students who come to school here for the basketball program," Pastner said. "We're just very fortunate to have the support we do; it is not everywhere you get that kind of support." In 21 years under head coach Lute Olson, the UA has won a national championship, been to four Final Fours, been to seven Elite Eights, been to 11 Sweet Sixteens and has had 20 straight NCAA Tournament berths, the longest current streak in the NCAA -- and the same for its 17 consecutive 20-win seasons. The Wildcats have been ranked in The Associated Press top 25 for 286 consecutive regular season weeks since Nov. 29, 1987. The UA began the 2001-02 season unranked in the preseason poll and after its first two games jumped to No. 8. Arizona has been ranked No. 1 for 30 weeks, most recently for five in a row in 2002-03. The Wildcats have had 24 players picked in the NBA draft since 1989, tied for No. 1 with the Blue Devils. After the 1997 national championship, fans rioted on nearby Fourth Avenue. After the Wildcats lost the 2001 championship game, there was another riot on Fourth Avenue. In October 2002, when the UA was preseason No. 1, a ruckus arose outside the McKale Center after students had lined up to purchase tickets. Sixteen police officers were called to stifle the uncontrolled mob of 2,000. Temporary barriers that were set up that morning were knocked over and security guards, who were handing out ticket vouchers earlier than they planned, had to stop when the crowd was pushing. In 2001, the year the UA eliminated the lottery system because of requests by student government officials, sales went off without a hitch. Last year ASUA returned to the lottery system, and the ticket situation remains a hot-button issue for students. "Tickets are such a hot commodity and that's a very good situation for us. Like I said, in the recruiting process, we sell that," Pastner said. "The only person who gets credit for that, for building it up, is Lute Olson."

Glad you won it. Is this like the one we missed out on earlier?

That's the interlocked NT we need. The one (logo)! To me, I would take that interlocked NT (without the Eagle and the hoop) and use that as our ONE logo. Simple lines, easy for kids to reproduce, very visible from a distance. Print it!

Excellent news!

The Denton Albino Squirrels?

$ $ $ $ First, it was just a land donation on UNT's part, now it seems maybe it's a shared-expense on the stadium construction. This may be our best shot at baseball in the near future but I'll wait until the building starts to believe it will happen. Could they play baseball in a new football stadium if the field were.... never mind.

That may be true for softball. I had a friend who's son played baseball for Virginia and they split 13 ships among 28 players. Usually the seniors or pitchers got most of it and freshmen only received about 1/4 ships. Can ships in other sports be split too?

The DRC article about the new coach's hiring said there were no seniors on this year's UNT team. It also said "Burns will also have a recruiting class in place. Each member of Segal’s final recruiting class has signed a national letter of intent." I take that to mean unless someone doesn't return or fulfill the letter of intent that we're full, but not sure.

With UNT hosting the SBC basketball tourney's next spring in Denton, it would be nice to field a good team(s) that will draw local crowds out. I would hate for ESPN 2 to show a SuperPit final showing WKY and MTSU before 200 fans.

Well, Trilli was a good recruiter but couldn't coach, and JJ seems like a good coach but the jury is still out as to if he can recruit.

Maybe we could hire Trilli to recruit for us and JJ to coach them?

Yes, we are still a small team, more height is needed.

D-I teams barred from playing non-collegiate opponents in men's basketball By STEVE HERMAN, AP Sports Writer April 29, 2004 INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Major colleges will no longer be allowed to schedule men's exhibition basketball games against non-collegiate opponents, such as foreign teams, AAU clubs or Athletes in Action. The prohibition was approved Thursday by the NCAA Board of Directors and will go into effect for Division I schools on Aug. 1. Contracts signed before Oct. 21, 2003, will be honored. The measure was designed to eliminate possible advantages some schools might have in recruiting by playing exhibition games against teams that could include prospective college players. It does not apply to women's teams. ``From a men's standpoint, some of the membership was concerned these games create a relationship between an institution and club teams that result in an unfair recruiting advantage,'' NCAA spokesman Jeff Howard said. ``It just hasn't been addressed on the women's side.'' Division I teams would still be allowed to make foreign tours, which are not considered exhibition games and therefore not subject to the new rule barring non-collegiate opponents, as long as they are completed more than 30 days before the start of preseason practice. ``Some of the issues addressed in the proposal may exist in women's basketball,'' Howard said. ``There's a recommendation that additional discussion about whether the sport should be treated the same continue.'' The 30-day restriction will apply to men's and women's foreign tours in all sports and will take effect Nov. 1. All contracts signed before last Oct. 21 will be honored. The NCAA board also approved measures to: -- Give athletes more access to financial aid, up to the full cost of college attendance, from non-athletic sources such as the federal Pell Grant. This measure is effective Aug. 1. -- Give colleges the option of extending financial aid to incoming athletes the summer before their freshman year, so they can begin meeting academic goals. The board directed President Myles Brand to establish a task force to develop a plan to be considered at its Aug. 5 meeting. -- Allow colleges to cover medical expenses for injuries to athletes, regardless whether the injuries were related to athletics.

One does not leave UNT to go to UL-L!

NCAA board will vote on future of rule that restricts scholarships 11:26 PM CDT on Thursday, April 22, 2004 By BRIAN DAVIS / The Dallas Morning News Division I basketball coaches clobbered the NCAA when the 5-8 scholarship rule went into effect in 2000. Despite any positive intentions, the rule's limitations handcuffed coaches, leaving them unable to build a team with the maximum 13 scholarship players. "I'll tell you what you can write about that rule," Texas Tech coach Bob Knight said Thursday. "It's the most ill-conceived rule in the history of ill-conceived rules." Texas coach Rick Barnes said: "It's the worst rule they put in during my lifetime." All the bellyaching proved fruitful. The NCAA Division I board of directors could vote next Thursday to rescind the 5-8 rule, effective immediately. The rule allows schools to sign no more than five players in one year and no more than eight players in a two-year span. UT, Texas A&M and Texas Tech are among the dozens of Division I schools expected to benefit by signing more players before next season and bringing their number of scholarship players back to 13. It's not a slam dunk the rule will get rescinded, although NCAA president Myles Brand supports getting rid of it. New Texas A&M coach Billy Gillispie said the feeling among coaches was that they need to be cautious and not automatically assume the measure would be passed. "You have to cover your bases," Gillispie said. "Nobody's ever faced a possible rule change like this at this time that I know of." The Division I Management Council voted unanimously to rescind the rule, confirming a lower NCAA panel's recommendation. The NCAA works much like the federal government, except its president can't exercise veto power. "When you have a bad rule, you have to get it out," Oklahoma coach Kelvin Sampson said. "It's not about who was right and saving face. It was getting to the point where some coaches are losing their jobs." Coaches would have to act quickly; the spring signing period ends May 19. One Big 12 coach, however, said there were few impact players remaining to sign for next season. Every school's scholarship situation is different. UT and Tech both would have one scholarship remaining if the rule is rescinded. Oklahoma State would have two. As of today, Gillispie said A&M would have two scholarships. Every team's roster can fluctuate for various reasons, though. "If the rule gets rescinded, the coaching staff is fully aware that they have one more scholarship to play with, assuming no one transfers," Texas Tech compliance director Pat Britz said. The Red Raiders have not had their full complement of 13 scholarship players since Knight arrived in Lubbock in 2001. The rule was initially designed to encourage player retention in hopes that graduation rates would improve. Men's basketball teams annually have some of the lowest graduation rates of any NCAA sport. There were few loopholes, if any. Players transferred in good academic standing, and coaches were unable to sign a replacement player. If an athlete left school early for the NBA, coaches could not replace that player, either, unless they were under their 5-8 limit. Coaches could not initially replace scholarship players who died, although those cases were rare. "It was to preclude coaches from running off players," said Reggie Minton, associate director of the National Association of Basketball Coaches. Brand believes the 5-8 rule can go, because it will soon become obsolete. New academic legislation – the so-called "incentives/disincentives" program – is expected to be approved by the board of directors, too. These new rules are tougher on schools that do not maintain as-yet-undetermined academic standards. "Talking about holding teams accountable to graduating players, that's something that Coach Knight talked about 25 years ago," Barnes said. Brand said the NCAA is collecting data on what the standard should be, but a ban on postseason play is already one penalty being discussed. "The 5-8 rule is a rather blunt instrument, one that has considerable consequences that were unintended," Brand said. "Now we've moved on, and I think we have a much better instrument and can do the job in a better way." Oklahoma compliance director Curtis Jones expressed concern that coaches may not be fully aware how tough the "incentives/disincentives" program really is. Teams could still lose scholarships or be unable to play for championships if they don't have success in the classroom. "If you continue disregarding what kind of kids you're bringing in," Jones said, "the striking down of the 5-8 rule is nothing more than a stay of execution."

I like the 6-8, but the 210 pounds and 10 point average seem a little skimpy for a center.

I was thinking more of Baton Rouge where he played and coached at LSU.

Very interesting. I think JJ has a fondness for Southern Louisiana since he played and coached there. I don't know that he would throw his name in there unless asked to. Is that considered a promotion to go to another conference school? JJ's record at UNT may not be as sparkling as they want for a new experienced coach. We'll see.

Hines has grown 4 inches in a month! He is listed as 6-0, 175 on the Collin County site. Still, he looks like a great pickup for NT. We needed a true point guard. Collin County team photo and roster Chris White seems like a load at 6-6, 280; good size for a football OL. We needed a banger inside and hopefully he can provide that. His shooting percentage looks good at 63%. With one ship left I hope we can land someone else over 6-8.