NT80

6-1 aggies from what I could find thru 6 innings....NT vs. A$M

How did the team look? The real season begins this Wed. Feb. 4 at Texas A$M.

at 6:00 am tomorrow..be there! P.S. - I've never seen refs that wanted to control a game so much

Collin County C.C. disbanded their baseball team after last season due to cost. But they do have a nice field I wish we could move to UNT.

I saw the tailgating going on as I drove past and arrived just before tipoff of the last game. Hopefully it will take off like the football tailgating has.

I saw them setting up for the halftime interview. What did RV talk about? The SuperPit looks much darker inside once you get above court level. I went to the concession stand and saw the game on TV there and was surprised how much brighter they can make it look on TV.

Mens basketball: UNT men rolling into SBC opener 08:29 AM CST on Saturday, January 10, 2004 UNT men rolling into SBC opener The North Texas men’s basketball team will enter its Sun Belt Conference opener tonight with a little momentum. The Mean Green, which had been struggling only days before, broke out of a midseason funk Thursday and knocked off Texas-Pan American, 71-53. The win is one the Mean Green will look to build on tonight when it faces New Mexico State in a 7 p.m. game at the Super Pit. UNT has beaten New Mexico State in each of the last two times the teams have met in Denton. The Mean Green appears to have a better chance of extending its run against the Aggies after posting a solid second half against Pan-American and ending a four-game losing streak. UNT was locked in a close game in the second half before Calvin Watson hit a pair of 3-point shots to spark North Texas. The Mean Green finished the game on a 24-5 run. The game marked Watson’s debut with the Mean Green. The freshman missed UNT’s first 11 games of the season with a broken left foot. The addition of Watson could give UNT an added scoring threat to add to its balanced scoring attack. Senior forward Shawnson Johnson is leading UNT with an average of 15.6 points a game and is one of five players on the team averaging at least eight points a game. Duane John is averaging 18.2 points a game to lead New Mexico State, while James Moore is adding 16.4.

Coaches want to run off scholarship rule 5-8 provision under scrutiny as NCAA Convention opens today 08:28 PM CST on Thursday, January 8, 2004 By JEFF MILLER / The Dallas Morning News After months of strife and rancor concerning the Bowl Championship Series, it's almost comforting to focus on an aspect of major college athletics in which there's near unanimity. Good luck finding an NCAA Division I men's basketball coach who favors the current 5-8 scholarship rule. It's one of many by-laws scheduled to be scrutinized at the annual NCAA Convention that begins today in Nashville, Tenn. The rule was implemented by the NCAA's management council before the 2001-02 academic year, limiting programs to five scholarships awarded in any year and eight over two years. The intention was to curb the perceived practice of running off unwanted players and improve graduation rates. But it also has strapped programs that have lost multiple underclassmen to the NBA. "You can't find a coach in the country who is in favor of the rule," Texas A&M coach Melvin Watkins said. Arizona is probably the best example. After the Wildcats lost the 2001 championship game to Duke, they lost juniors Richard Jefferson and Michael Wright and sophomore Gilbert Arenas to the NBA draft, along with five seniors. They could sign only five players the next year and have remained shorthanded since, though they reached the 2002 NCAA Tournament West semifinals and '03 West final. This season's team has only eight scholarship players. "Let's get it rescinded tomorrow," Texas Tech coach Bob Knight said. "It hasn't done a thing academically, nor will it do a thing academically." SMU coach Mike Dement conceded that it was "a solid idea, but it exploded in the wrong way." North Texas coach Johnny Jones noted there's no similar rule for other sports. He said any problems concerning running off players or poor graduation rates shouldn't be dealt with nationally. "If there's a problem at a school, the administration should address it, not the NCAA," Jones said. "I don't think everyone should be punished because of what some schools are doing." The Atlantic Coast Conference sponsored Proposal 76 to eliminate the rule, in part because Georgia Tech didn't receive scholarship relief when Michael Isenhour left the team before his senior year in 2001 with what turned out to be a fatal case of leukemia. NCAA president Myles Brand met last July with members of the National Association of Basketball Coaches to hear their concerns. He said the rule would be implemented more on a case-by-case basis. That's enough to satisfy the ACC, according to compliance director Shane Lyons. Eliminating the rule, he said, is not "as high a priority as we once thought it was because of some of the relief that has been given," he said. Baylor plans to request an exemption in connection to the scholarship that was supposed to go to the late Patrick Dennehy for the 2003-04 and '04-05 seasons. Connecticut might ask for an exemption next year if junior center Emeka Okafor goes pro next summer since he is scheduled to graduate in May. In the spirit of a rule based on academics, UConn could receive a scholarship for his slot next year though he's leaving with a year's eligibility remaining. Even if the NCAA wanted to rescind the 5-8 rule tomorrow, as Knight wants, that can't be done immediately. The January convention is sort of an elimination round of legislation during which proposals are either junked or kept alive for a final vote in April. Lyons said the rule probably will remain for at least a few years, no matter how unpopular it is with coaches. Other proposals that would hold schools more accountable for classroom performance would make the 5-8 rule unnecessary, but it probably will stay until such academic guardians are in place, he said. Some other proposals of note on the agenda: • Proposal 92 would eliminate the practice of Division I men's basketball teams playing exhibition games against teams affiliated with high school recruits. NCAA rules allow Division I teams to play one or two exhibition games against any non-college organizations with no cap on fees paid to the opponents. The practice has made headlines twice in recent months. The Baylor committee looking into the conduct of former coach Dave Bliss and his staff determined that Bliss encouraged boosters to contribute to a Houston summer league program. He also played three exhibition games against a team affiliated with that program, paying fees that were two and three times more than those paid to similar teams. Maryland coach Gary Williams recently finished second in the recruiting competition for Baltimore prospect Rudy Gay, who signed with Connecticut. UConn played an exhibition game last fall against an AAU team coached by Gay's former coach. After Maryland lost an exhibition game to a team in the NBA's developmental league, Williams made a remark that appeared to point toward UConn coach Jim Calhoun: "We could have scheduled an AAU team and given them $25,000." • Proposal 65 would eliminate the waiver that allows schools in Division III, which doesn't provide athletic scholarships across the board, to offer them on a limited basis in certain sports. This would primarily affect the eight Division III schools that compete in Division I lacrosse. One of those schools is Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where NCAA president Brand played lacrosse as a freshman.

Report: Nebraska to name Callahan football coach January 9, 2004 LINCOLN, Nebraska (Ticker) - Former Oakland Raiders coach Bill Callahan apparently is leaving one pressure cooker for another. Callahan will be named the new coach at Nebraska, the Lincoln Journal Star reported on its website Thursday night. The newspaper cited a "source close to the situation" in reporting that Callahan is the school's choice to replace Frank Solich, who was fired November 29. University officials could not be reached for comment. Callahan was seen leaving a Lincoln hotel Thursday night and told reporters, "I'll talk to you guys later." His agent, Gary O'Hagan, told the Journal Star, "Things are progressing. That's all I can say." Cornhuskers assistant coaches Bo Pelini and Turner Gill also interviewed for the position. Nebraska was rebuffed by Arkansas coach Houston Nutt and Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer. Callahan, 47, was fired by the Raiders on December 31 following a disastrous 4-12 season. A year ago, however, he guided Oakland to its first Super Bowl appearance in 19 years. Things began to unravel for Oakland at the Super Bowl, where Callahan suspended troubled center Barret Robbins. This season, Callahan lost the respect of several players after calling the Raiders "the dumbest team in America." Callahan's most outspoken critic was four-time Pro Bowl cornerback Charles Woodson, but he was not alone in his antipathy toward the coach. "It got to a point where we're literally telling guys in the locker room, 'Nobody hit this guy, OK?'" veteran receiver Tim Brown told the NFL Network. In Lincoln, Callahan would succeed Solich, whose firing following a 9-3 season focused criticism on athletic director Steve Pederson. Pelini, Nebraska's defensive coordinator, coached the Cornhuskers to a 17-3 victory over Michigan State in the Alamo Bowl.

Defense Sparks NT to 71-53 Victory Over UTPA DENTON (1/8/04) -- North Texas clamped down on UT-Pan American in the final minutes of the game, holding the Broncs scoreless for nearly seven minutes, as the Mean Green ran off with a 71-53 win over UTPA in the Mean Green's final non-conference game of the season. The 18-point win, the season's second largest margin of victory for North Texas, improves the Mean Green to 5-7 as they look to opening Sun Belt Conference play on Saturday when they host New Mexico State at 7:00 p.m. at the Super Pit. UT-Pan American suffered its second loss of the season to the Mean Green and now stand 5-10. NT defeated the Broncs in Edinburg in overtime, 87-81, back on December 17. Saturday's game was tied at 32-32 at halftime and the margin never got more than three points in the first 10 minutes of the second half. But beginning at the 7:11 mark, following a lay-up by UTPA's Ryan Lange, North Texas held the Broncs scoreless until 22 seconds remained in the game. During that stretch, the Mean Green outscored UTPA by an 18-3 spread. Senior forward Shawnson Johnson led three Mean Green players in double figures with a team-high 18 points on nine-of 13 shooting. He also topped NT in rebounds with nine. Also in double figures scoring for NT were Jerome Rogers with 13 points and Michael DeGrate with 12. True freshman Calvin Watson, playing in his first career game after suffering a broken foot in preseason workouts, finished with nine points. North Texas dominated on the boards with a 53-30 edge in rebounding. North Texas also blocked seven shots in the game, with Johnson accounting for five blocks to run his season total to 23. Thursday's game marked the first of a four-game home stretch for the Mean Green. Following Saturday's game against NMSU, North Texas is also scheduled to host Denver (Jan. 15) and Florida International (Jan. 19).

NCAA says no to computer company CEO's title game proposal January 8, 2004 SAN DIEGO (AP) -- Unhappy with college football's split national championship, the head of a computer company thought he could entice Southern California and LSU to play each other later this month by offering $30 million in scholarship money. The NCAA quickly hit the ``delete'' button, saying there was no way such a game could be played. Ted Waitt, chairman and CEO of Gateway Inc., which is based in the San Diego suburb of Poway, offered each school $10 million in scholarships for disadvantaged students if they'd play each other the weekend of Jan. 24-25. The winner would have gotten an additional $10 million in scholarships and $1 million in Gateway products. ``Everybody wants to see it happen,'' Waitt said. ``It'd be fun. But everybody is afraid of the NCAA. We just want to know one good reason why this can't happen.'' Waitt made his proposal in letters faxed Thursday to LSU Chancellor Mark Emmert, USC President Steven Sample and NCAA President Myles Brand. ``It's just not as simple or easy as doing that,'' said Wally Renfro, the senior adviser to Brand. ``Decisions about postseason football are made by the membership of the association. Those two institutions would not be able to make that decision in any event. ``Right now, by the bylaws, it couldn't happen.'' And the NCAA wouldn't jump even with $30 million in scholarships up for grabs? ``No,'' Renfro said. Besides numerous logistical problems, games aren't allowed past last Sunday, which was the date of the Sugar Bowl. USC was No. 1 in both the AP media poll and USA Today/ESPN coaches' poll at the end of the regular season, but slipped behind No. 2 LSU and No. 3 Oklahoma in the computers and the final BCS standings because of a weaker strength of schedule. LSU won the BCS national championship by beating Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl while USC won The Associated Press title by beating Michigan in the Rose Bowl.

UNT notebook: Rogers to carry load at point guard for UNT 07:56 AM CST on Wednesday, January 7, 2004 Jerome Rogers will face a monumental task as the North Texas men’s basketball team’s point guard the rest of the season. The senior spent the first few games of UNT’s campaign splitting time at the point with sophomore guard Scott Roniger, who has since left the team. The Mean Green has been scrambling to find a solution for its lack of depth at the point guard spot ever since. For now the best solution appears to be to play Rogers early and often. The senior played 35 minutes in UNT’s loss to Indiana on Dec. 29 and then played 36 minutes in a loss to Arkansas on Saturday. Rogers will likely continue to carry a heavy burden when UNT (4-7) hosts Texas-Pan American (4-9) on Thursday. The game is UNT’s final contest before conference play and its second against the Broncs this season. The Mean Green beat Pan American 87-81 in overtime on Dec. 17, its last win before entering its current four-game slide. UNT will open Sun Belt Conference play Saturday at home against New Mexico State. "Jerome is going to have to get into condition," UNT coach Johnny Jones said. "He played 36 minutes against Arkansas, but when you start looking at the timeouts that are called, media timeouts and dead-ball situations, guys have a chance to get a breather. We have no solution right now. He is going to have to learn to play a lot of minutes." UNT looked at other solutions when Roniger left the team, including starting junior guards Marqus Mitchell and Leonard Hopkins together in the backcourt. The duo started UNT’s game against Indiana. Jones said Mitchell is more comfortable at the shooting guard spot and moved back to that position after UNT’s loss to Indiana. Rogers moved into the starting lineup for the first time and responded with a solid game when the Mean Green faced Arkansas. Rogers scored 12 points, handed out two assists and committed just one turnover. Rogers said he is ready to face the challenge of playing added minutes. He may not have much of a choice. John Franklin, a senior walk-on who played at Garland Lakeview Centennial, is the team’s only other option when it comes to a true point guard. Franklin has played in just two games this season, but could see more time as the season progresses, Jones said. The prospect of playing Rogers more is not an entirely uninviting proposition for UNT. He is UNT’s third-leading scorer with an average of 8.9 points a game and has 24 assists on the season, a total that is second only to the 32 Roniger posted before leaving the team. Women’s basketball UNT faces key series The North Texas women’s basketball team will begin Sun Belt Conference play with a tough stretch of games on the road. The Lady Eagles play at New Mexico State in their league opener Saturday before traveling to face Denver and Florida International. The series presents a challenge for UNT, not to mention an opportunity. A solid performance early in the season could put the Lady Eagles in position to make a run at the league title at the end of the season. UNT (4-8) plays its last five conference games at the Super Pit. UNT appears to be in position to do just that after the Lady Eagles broke free of a midseason funk by beating Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Friday. Men’s basketball Mean Green faces key series to open SBC play The North Texas men’s basketball team will open a key stretch of its season when the Mean Green (4-7) takes on Texas-Pan American on Thursday. The game marks the beginning of a four-game home stand for the Mean Green that will include its Sun Belt Conference opener against New Mexico State on Saturday. UNT will also play Denver and Florida International during the home stand. UNT has lost its last four games, three of them on the road. "We are excited about the opportunity to be at home," UNT coach Johnny Jones said. "The road has been very difficult for us and our record has been indicative of that. At the same time we have had a chance to grow as a team by playing some very competitive teams in some tough environments. That will be beneficial to us when we get into conference play." Player of the week Kim Blanton has been a model of consistency for the North Texas women’s basketball team over the past few weeks. The senior forward has scored in double figures in five straight games and helped the Lady Eagles end a seven-game losing streak this past week with a win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Friday Blanton scored 10 points against the Islanders and added six rebounds. Blanton made 5-of-9 shots from the field, helping UNT break free from an extended shooting slump. Blanton’s consistent play has helped her improve her scoring average to 11.3 points a game, a total that ranks second on the team. She is also averaging a team-high 6.5 rebounds per contest. For her efforts, Blanton is the Denton Record-Chronicle’s UNT Player of the Week. Athlete profile Full name: Will Smith Nickname: Will High school (city): Lincoln (Dallas) Family: Mother Theresa Smith, sister Tenesha Keeton Sport, statistics: Basketball, 5.2 points, 4.6 rebounds and .7 assists per game Major: Applied Arts and Sciences (Criminal Justice) When I graduate, I plan to: Become a probation officer I am sick of athletes who: Are only concerned with their individual stats rather than team improvement If I could get four tickets to any sporting event in the world, it would be: The NBA All-Star game My favorite sports movie is: Above the Rim My favorite pro sports team is: The Orlando Magic The people who had the most influence on my life is: My mother and sister The best summer I ever spent was: Playing with an AAU traveling team after my junior year in high school My goal for this year is to: Graduate, make my mother proud and get a job in the criminal justice department My dream for this year is to: Win the conference title If I could say one thing in the newspaper, it would be: I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me. 7-day slate The following events are on tap in the next week at UNT THURSDAY – Texas Pan American at Men’s basketball, 7 p.m. SATURDAY – Women’s basketball at New Mexico State, 8:05 p.m.; New Mexico State at men’s basketball, 7 p.m.

I feel Justin has improved his game over last year. He moves better and uses his size more. I still want to see him be more agressive with the ball near the basket and stuff a few. He is so big nobody could stop him going up but he tries to lay it in or bank it off the glass when all he has to do is throw it down the net!

3-8, but who's counting?

NCAA WOMENS BB 1ST 2ND TOTAL --- --- ----- NORTH TEXAS 27 26 53 TCU (19) 51 40 91 FINAL HIGH SCORERS: NORTH TEXAS - KIM BLANTON 11 TCU - SANDORA IRVIN 21 ...................................................................................... Is it almost football season again??

Hansen's Nebraska Huskers were playing a football game last night too, they plus the Cowboys got all the sports talk, and Ok State eating at Lawry's was big sports news too!

I tried to come over on highway 380 from McKinney/Frisco and they had it closed for construction west of Denton and a detour north to Pilot Point. A normal 1 hour drive took 2 hours, and would probably discourage any other fan that came that way from coming back for a weeknight game at 7pm. UNT's attendance is being affected by construction on the area highways.

The game was televised on ESPN Regional back to Indiana and their region. We have another home game in a couple weeks vs. NMSU also broadcast on ESPN Regional but I think this will be for our region (DFW). One thing I didn't like because of this was the long TV timeouts, like in the Bowl, it kills any momentum you have then.

Visit home a treat for Wright, Indiana, 79-70 The Colony product pours in 39, leaves UNT behind 11:47 PM CST on Monday, December 29, 2003 By BRETT VITO / Denton Record-Chronicle DENTON – Bracey Wright knew he was in for a big night when one of his worst looking shots turned out to be just as good as the rest in Indiana's game against North Texas on Monday. The former standout at The Colony hoisted up a 3-point shot that appeared to be long, but banked off the glass and settled into the net. The shot turned out to be one of several highlights for Wright in the Hoosiers' 79-70 win over UNT at the Super Pit. "I told A.J. [Moye] when I banked in that 3 that it was going to be my night," Wright said. He was right. The sophomore finished with a career-high 39 points and hit 6-of-8 3-pointers. "It was a great experience," Wright said. "A lot of people from my high school, old coaches and family members came. To play like I did in the one time they will get to see me play close to home was a wonderful experience." Wright got off to a quick start by scoring 28 points in the first half after hitting his first nine shots of the game. He missed all three of his shots from the field in the second half, but hit 11 free throws after intermission. "For Bracey to come out and play like this in his hometown was a great feeling for him and a great feeling for me," Indiana coach Mike Davis said. UNT (4-6) managed to stay within striking distance despite Wright's big night. The Mean Green cut what had been a 15-point Indiana lead in the second half to five points, 69-64, with 3:26 left on a pair of free throws by Shawnson Johnson. The senior forward led UNT with 21 points and 11 rebounds.

It blatantly shows their lack of opponent knowledge.

It's interesting that the lower level has a "few" seats remaining while the upper level has "some" seats remaining. "Few" in the SuperPit could be +/- 1000 while "some" could mean +/- 4000. In sales jargon, they are adjectives used to spur indecision, as in only a few remain and you may not get one if you wait. We'll see if it works!

North Texas vs. Indiana A few Lower Level seats and some Upper Level seats remain for the North Texas vs. Indiana basketball game tonight at 7:00 pm at the Super Pit in Denton. Tickets are $15 and $10 and you can order at (940) 565-2527 or 1-800-UNT-2366.

North Texas vs. Indiana A few Lower Level seats and some Upper Level seats remain for the North Texas vs. Indiana basketball game tonight at 7:00 pm at the Super Pit in Denton. Tickets are $15 and $10 and you can order at (940) 565-2527 or 1-800-UNT-2366.

IU brings star power to UNT High-profile Hoosiers also feature ex-area standout Bracey Wright 09:09 PM CST on Sunday, December 28, 2003 By BRETT VITO / Denton Record-Chronicle DENTON – North Texas men's basketball coach Johnny Jones will reach one of his goals for the Mean Green on Monday and bring home one of the area's top former high school stars in the process. Jones has always wanted to bring a high-profile team to Denton to face the Mean Green in the Super Pit. Indiana, led by former The Colony standout Bracey Wright, will bring Jones' dream to fruition when the Hoosiers face the Mean Green in a 7 p.m. game. UNT lost to Indiana, 84-58, in last season. "This game will give us the opportunity to play someone who is respected nationally because of the titles they have won and because they were in the Final Four two years ago," Jones said. "Plus we will get a chance to play them at home in front of our crowd." The Mean Green is hoping to take advantage of its appearance in the national spotlight by challenging the Hoosiers. UNT players say they are more prepared this year than last season. UNT struggled through its toughest campaign under Jones last season, going 7-21. UNT has shown signs of improving this season, posting a 4-5 record. UNT won three of four games in one stretch before falling to St. Bonaventure and Southeast Missouri State on the road. UNT's players say they are starting to come together as a team. Senior Shawnson Johnson became eligible at the semester break after transferring from LSU and has become a force. The 6-9 forward is averaging 14.8 points and 8.8 rebounds to lead UNT in both categories. Johnson is the only UNT player averaging double figures in scoring. "We are getting better in some aspect of our game each time out," sophomore forward Ty Thomas said. "We still need to work on some things. We don't feel like we have hit our stride yet." Finding its rhythm could be a challenge against Indiana. The Hoosiers (5-4) may not have an impressive record, but they have lost tough games to ranked teams, including Kentucky, Missouri and Wake Forest. Wright has been one of the bright spots for Indiana. The sophomore leads the team with an average of 21.1 points and 5.3 rebounds. "Bracey is a complete, NBA-type player," Jones said. "He can shoot it, put it on the floor and defend." This could be the highest profile game of the year for UNT. "You always imagine what it might be like to play against a team like Indiana," Thomas said. "We fell short last year, but we get another chance. I feel like we are better prepared this year. We are ready to go out and compete against one of the best teams in the nation." Indiana (5-4) at North Texas (4-5): 7 p.m. Monday, Super Pit, Denton (KWRD-FM 100.7, KNTU-FM 88.1)

Scott was the best passer and ball handler on the team. Something is wrong that we are losing all these players. Is it because most were recruited from out of state and they're homesick? If so, we need to focus closer to DFW.