jdennis82

Clearly it's a different style of basketball and lesser competition from a talent standpoint but it's great to see the squad taking full advantage of their chance to build on-court chemistry while facing completely unfamiliar settings/circumstances. Much like the CBI Tournament last year, I see no reason why this isn't great for the growth of the program. With Wren's background, I've always been confident in his ability to oversee a turnaround for MBB and the progress they've made in the last 14 months is incredible.

I see your point but it would be concerning if they played to the level of the competition. This is a program that hasn't had a lot of "don't let up with a big lead" games in recent years. There's value in learning how to prevent another team from getting back in the game.

In order of personal intrigue... Obviously North Texas vs. SMU - 7:30pm EST - Stadium Would make waves nationally unlike any other Florida Atlantic @ #5 Oklahoma - Noon EST - FOX A winning record vs G5 peers is critical for CUSA prestige Marshall @ Miami (OH) - 3:30pm EST - ESPN+ Louisiana Tech @ S. Alabama - 7:00pm EST - ESPN+ Any win against the P5 is huge (most to least likely W) Middle Tennessee @ Vanderbilt - 7:30pm EST - SEC Network FIU vs. Indiana - 7:00pm EST - CBS Sports Network WKU @ #7 Wisconsin 8:00pm EST - ESPN Good chance to see future oponents ODU @ Liberty - 6:00pm EST - TV TBA Rice vs. Prairie View A&M - 7:00pm EST - ESPN+ Can't lose to FCS Squads Southern Miss vs. Jackson St. - 7:00pm EST - ESPN+ UTEP vs. Northern Arizona - 7:30pm EST - ESPN3 Charlotte vs. Fordham - 6:00pm EST - ESPN+ UAB vs. Savannah St. - 8:00pm EST - ESPN+ This game includes both Herm Edwards and UTSA UTSA @ Arizona State - 10:30pm EST - FS1

Agree. Get the Apogee crowd roaring early and make those SMU players revisit the revolt they tried to start when Dykes was hired over Jeff Traylor

Good read here as the team looks ahead to next week's trip. https://meangreensports.com/news/2018/8/8/mens-basketball-playing-international.aspx As the North Texas men's basketball team is less than a week away from its trip to Italy, the Mean Green have been scrimmaging daily with unfamiliar rules and even a different basketball. While in Italy, UNT will play at least three exhibitions against international competition and use International Basketball Federation (FIBA) rules and a FIBA basketball. Hadn't really considered the on-court impact of the team playing internationally under FIBA rules but as is highlighted by the article, it's going to be incredibly valuable to have the squad learn how to: Play at a faster pace (8 sec backcourt violation / 24 sec shot clock) Value added floor spacing (deeper 3pt line) Defend with quickness on the perimeter without fouling (officiated in a way to emphasis skill over physicality) Additionally, the team should benefit through a unique necessity to develop their on-court communication as they take on the challenge of making these adjustments. What a great opportunity - both on and off the court

I am confident that 2018 will not be a reminder of 2014 for many reasons, but one big one is best illustrated by... Phil Steele's Experience Chart which combines his Career Starts Offensive Line % of Yards returning % of Tackles returning Two Deep Class breakdown A look at where the squads in question stack(ed) up... 2014 - http://plus.philsteele.com/Blogs/2014/JUNE14/DBJune16.html #96 - 54.73 experience points 2018 - https://philsteele.com/2018/07/02/2018-experience-chart-pg-29-of-2018-college-magazine/ #8 - 76 experience points

Honestly, under a previous administration, I'd worry this was premature (see McCarney) but I've come to really trust that Wren knows exactly what he's doing and has a long-term vision with each new development. I'm definitely excited about the trajectory of both programs and the individuals at the helm

Taking a look at CUSA Tourney attendance, according to the reports, the average session attendance did slightly increase over 2017 (90 per session) but overall attendance dropped significantly (24.1k in '17 vs 16.4k in '18)... http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/m_basketball_RB/Reports/attend/2017.pdf Will be interesting to see how the momentum of the new scheduling format, possible NBA draft interest Chareless Bassey may bring, and (I trust) a North Texas squad poised to make a deep run impacts the second go around at The Star for the tournament. Would be curious to see if any game format or promotional changes are made this time as conference leadership certainly seems to be taking an aggressive approach to improving the attention our conference gets in basketball.

It feels like many on the board here are rooting for failure from this move and based on the reputation college hoops has right now - one where it's thought corruption and under the table dealing runs amok - it's easy to question the integrity of things here, but... if we only look at what we know to be true, CUSA just added a player who is a projected lottery pick in whatever draft he comes out in. This will bring much needed attention to our league - from scouts , media, and fans alike. The last player to be drafted out of a current CUSA member school...Tony Mitchell. This needs to change and the added attention Bassey will bring should help many of our deserving players get looks they otherwise may not.

For those who are already subscribers, make sure you read the piece that dropped this morning... For those interested, I think the subscription is well worth the cost. A very clean site/app visually with a subscription business model that removes the annoying ad elements that clutter up many sports websites. Also, a good way to support some of the North Texas alums on staff there - Saad Yousuf, Tim Cato, Kevin Turner.

Becoming an increasingly common tactic. In most cases, the fathers at least appear to have the necessary qualifications... Mizzou Michael Porter Sr (https://www.kansascity.com/sports/college/sec/university-of-missouri/article140442753.html) USC Eric Mobley (https://www.12up.com/posts/6014430-usc-pulls-sketchy-move-by-hiring-father-of-two-top-recruits) Memphis Keelon Lawson (http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/11222556/memphis-tigers-expected-hire-keelon-lawson-assistant-coach) Michigan (football) Michael Johnson (https://www.sbnation.com/college-football-recruiting/2017/2/13/14602600/michael-johnson-coach-quarterback-2019-michigan-jim-harbaugh) AND... SMU Tyrone Maxey (https://247sports.com/college/southern-methodist/Article/SMU-basketball-hiring-Tyrone-Maxey-father-of-five-star-guard-Tyrese-Maxey-to-support-staff-role-106406433/) ... ** Note: Tyrese Maxey committed to Kentucky this spring and amazingly, Tyrone is no longer on staff (https://www.aseaofblue.com/college-basketball-recruiting/2018/4/12/17232406/tyrese-maxey-father-no-longer-coaching-at-smu)

Didn't see this posted yet... https://athlonsports.com/college-football/college-footballs-top-50-wide-receivers-2018 46. Jalen Guyton, North Texas Guyton began his collegiate career at Notre Dame and spent a year at Trinity Valley Community College in 2016. The Texas native landed at North Texas prior to the 2017 season and emerged as one of the top receivers in Conference USA. Guyton caught 49 passes for 775 yards and led the Mean Green with nine touchdown grabs.

Becoming quite the common refrain from these recruits. To so consistently hear that the "Mean Green Family" is not simply an easily spoken claim of unity but a reality of what Denton has become should make us all proud to hear of the work Wren, Seth, and the rest of the staff/department have done with the program.

Glad for JJ. With the squad Nevada has heading into next season, I was enjoying the prospect of him being there with them for a deep tournament run but can certainly appreciate the appeal of trying to avoid getting himself locked in with a reputation as being best suited as a quality assistant (rather than HC) had he stayed in that role too long. He seems like a perfect fit at Texas Southern where they've made the NCAA tournament in 4 of the last 5 years. They needed an experienced coach with success on his resume. This seems like the perfect hire for them as I have little doubt he will be able to sustain the success they've had recently. Will be rooting for him

Woa... This 2019 class is shaping up to potentially be something historic in Denton. Can't remember ever having this kind of momentum heading into summer camp season. And the commits now have 6 months to recruit more to join them. Keep 'em coming!

Man...the good news keeps coming. Thanks for bringing us this news, @Brett Vito Love adding some beef to the skill and speed we've landed thus far in the 2019 class.

If anyone is in a position to assess the future of the program, forecast the leadership stability or instability, and evaluate the ability to build on the recent success, it's the Kuehne family. Beyond being an huge get as a football talent, Will's commitment speaks volumes about the confidence they have in the trajectory of things in Denton.

Sounds like a guy who's been through a lot and has worked hard to get to this point. Should be easy to root for... https://247sports.com/Article/Caleb-Colvin-is-a-defensive-tackle-prospect-that-could-really-fit-Oklahoma-States-needs-of-getting-a-player-at-that-position-with-a-little-more-maturity-Caleb-Colvin-OKlahoma--118053141/ When Vito speaks with him, I expect we'll hear that the program's culture of family played a big role in his decision.

Awesome news...glad to have Deonte in Denton! The early talent we've landed thus far should really help entice other targets to hope on board.

I'll always welcome big time talent to the conference to raise our league's profile. This, along with the schedule creativity announced a couple weeks ago only helps the effort to become a multi-bid conference. Has to be the biggest CUSA freshman recruit since Derrick Rose (not counting Mitchell Robinson's no-show last season), right? This will only further motivate Coach Mac and the squad.

I'll admit to being very pleasantly surprised... https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2780351-ranking-the-best-receiving-corps-for-2018-college-football-season

Agree. Felt like he explored greater storytelling than usual. I imagine the slower pace of things on campus right now allowed for (or possibly necessitated) a change of pace in the style of writing but I certainly enjoyed it. I value the information we get from Brett in his typical writing but would certainly welcome more of these creatively crafted deep dives into the programs. Who knows, maybe there's some new freedom for the staff at the DRC now that the ownership change has had a full 6 months to settle in.

I'll let you guys read without giving anything away but they certainly do a good job highlighting much of the intrigue of the coming season for our conference... https://athlonsports.com/college-football/conference-usa-football-2018-predictions Clearly, we know where the publication stands on it's view of our QB situation: https://athlonsports.com/college-football/college-football-starting-quarterback-rankings-2018 For comparison's sake, here's their 2017 article predicting a 5-7 finish for the Mean Green (of course, few projected the 2017 season correctly for our squad in Denton)... https://athlonsports.com/college-football/conference-usa-football-2017-predictions

Exciting to see a young man investing part of his summer this way. Hopefully, we'll get another entry about the last stage of the trip. I'd expect playing in such a unique setting with players from all over would be helpful to his development on the court and the overall experience can be drawn on as he grows into a team leader in the locker room.

Should be a great showcase for the program and a way to forge some non-traditional recruiting relationships - and with the way the major programs comb through the DFW area for talent annually, a program like ours has to take advantage of any opportunity to uncover a lightly recruited gem. Even without this recruiting benefit, I hope it's an experience the players will appreciate and enjoy. Without question, they will when they reflect on it as they grow older. Well-deserved reward for the players (assuming they see it that way)