Buford_Julep

The very first game Awasom suited up was December 29, 2001 against New Mexico State. He had only practiced a couple of days and did not get into the game. New Mexico State's Chris Jackson was having a great time butting , shoving and pushing NT's post men out of his way. During one of Jackson's runs, coach Jones walked over to where Awasom was sitting, and talked to him for about a minute while pointing in the general direction of Jackson. There is little doubt that Awasom was being told what his role on the team would be. We thought Awasom was going into the game right then, but it didn't happen. He needed more time to learn the plays and defenses.

Ok. Let's go back to 2001 after the loss in Louisiana and all the fans(including me) thought Dickey should be fired. Even Villareal was pleading with Dickey to "Give me something to work with." Although some of the fans were negative right up to the last 30 seconds of the NM State game, remember Eagle Man's "The Mean Green are choking", the team never gave up and won the conference championship. Many of the BB players have suffered just as much and have never given up. I will never forget seeing two guys dive into the bench and the courtside seats after loose balls in the last three minutes of a 4-22 season. I never predicted a Top 25, a conference championship or 20 wins, but I still think this team is capable of being a respected force in the Sun Belt and finish with a winning season.

Thank God it is such a long season with so many games to be played and so much time for the team to improve. Where was the football team at the midway point in the season when the games with power conference teams ended and the conference schedule began? As I remember it was 1-5.

We were there for the whole game. The guys fought hard and did their best. They have nothing to be ashamed of. NT's shooting was ice cold while Baylor's shooting was unconscious hot. Roberts was a load, big, tall, stong and a great shooter. We listened to Bliss on radio after the game. He was ecstatic over how his team played on offense and defense. He gave credit to Mike DeGrate for playing a good game. The NT women ran into a top 25 type team in Baylor. Too bad we couldn't have signed Stan Blackmon' kids. He has two daughters playing for Baylor, and a son played for Arkansas-Little Rock a couple of years ago.

My guess is the most likely scenario is Jermaine Green moves to Hopkins' wing and Masters, Barnett and Harris split Green's post time. The wild card in this story is the return of Adrian Awasom. With a year's experience now, he may be ready to contribute at the post position immediately. One thing is for sure, none of the Sun Belt's big bruisers are going to push AA around. Lee Green and Scott Roniger have logged in time at the wing. The problem is Roniger is having his knee scoped and Green, although I have read nothing about it this, obviously is suffering from an ankle(s) injury. Many times he limped off the court in the pre-season practices, just like he did at the last home game with St. Edwards. The guy starts every game and doesn't play 20 minutes. He has to be less than 100% healthy. His ankle(s) also bothered him late last season. Ty Thomas and walk-on Rusty Chiles are also wing players. I am a big Ty Thomas fan, but he is learning to play wing after being a post player in high school. He may not be ready yet. Chiles lacks the size, strength and speed to earn a division I scholarship, but he is an alert player, with excellent court vision and has good ball-handling and shooting skills. I am going to predict Chiles will get some playing time and do a good job.

Boxell played one minute......not Blount.

The game was 10 minutes old before Barnett came out of the locker room and took his place on the bench. According to his dad, Justin had just finished taking a final. Academics should be placed above athletics, but still, it looks like in this case an exception should have been made and the test given at some other time. This would never have happened at Kentucky or Indiana or many other universities.

NT was off to a great start, but then the refs went on a brazen run that left our guys in a daze. The momentum shifting call was when the tall, bald ref awarded SMU the ball after one of their defenders tackled Lee Green while he was dribbling down the sideline. I didn't have a big problem with the officiating after SMU took the lead. In the second half, it seemed our guys didn't play with their usual aggressiveness on offense. Also, with the exception of Masters, our guys had trouble rebounding against SMU's taller and heavier players. You have to give SMU credit. They look like a good team. Give NT some credit for not completely falling apart on an admittedly bad night. SMU had just a 5 point lead with 5 minutes left. It went down hill in the final minutes as NT made mistakes caused by a desparate effort to get back in the game. The three freshman that played made some big time plays to go along with some errors. Rogers had a good shooting night and Masters got his share of rebounds. I'm not too worried about the 9 of 15 free throw shooting. Combine that with 25 of 29 vs SMS and NT is shooting an excellent 77%.

Deron Williams of The Colony is starting at point guard for Illinois.....9.5 ppg and 4 assists. Kyle Wilson of Dallas Jesuit, a sub at Illinois......12.5 ppg. Bracy Wright of The Colony.......Leads Indiana in scoring with 15.7 ppg. Chris Bosh of Dallas Lincoln......Georgia Tech, 20.5 ppg and 12 rebounds a game. Daniel Horton of Cedar Hill..... Starts for Michigan, 10.5 ppg and 2.5 assists. Bryan Hopkins of Dallas Lincoln.....SMU point guard, not 100% healthy but 7 ppg and 5.5 assists pg. Ike Diogu of Garland........Starter at Arizona St, 16 ppg and 5.8 rebounds.

Right now my guess is Roniger would get more minutes than the other Freshman. Barnett and Harris should get more minutes than Ty Thomas. The guess is based more on the opportunities presented by the position they play, rather than my perception of how well they will play. Observations and opinions: 1. JJ has told the team the goal is to never let the other team get comfortable on offense or defense. Look for NT to play very aggressive defense. Look for NT to use the trap (double team the man with the ball) both half court and full court. On offense the goal is to beat the other team down the court and score before the other team can set up a defense. Defensive rebounders have been instructed to always look to throw long passes if there is an opportunity. Defensive rebounders have been told if no one is open for an pass, they should dribble the ball upcourt instead of waiting for someone to get open for an outlet pass. 2. JJ says he expects the Fours (power forwards J. Green, Degrate, and Harris) to score many points by beating the opposition down the court. Not many teams have Fours that can match NT's in speed. 3. After the game with Texas Blue Chips, JJ was happy with the offense, but not as pleased with the defensive play. 4. Chris Davis, Jerome Rogers and walk-ons Rusty Chiles and Lance Boxell are usually the first ones to cross the finish line in sprints. In previous years Red Mangrum, now a grad assistant, always finished first. 5. Don't underestimate Will Smith. He knows what he is doing. The coaches very seldom say anything other than "Good job" to him. 6. I saw Ty Thomas play three high school games last year and he played better each game. Thomas was a late bloomer in high school. He reportedly had a growth spurt after his junior year. This year he is adjusting to playing the wing after playing post in high school. He has the footwork, instincts and quickness to become an excellent defensive player. Sometimes he overcommits. He would rather pass than shoot and has made some spectacular passes. He has also thrown the ball away a few times. He can be a good player. Consistency will come with experience. 7. If Ron Harris had stayed at Arlington Bowie instead of transferring to Arlington Oak Ridge he would be playing for a Power Conference team instead of NT. Last winter I drove to Arlington to watch Harris in action against Dallas Jesuit and 6-8 Illinois signee Kyle Wilson. What a disapointment. Oak Ridge spread the floor, pro style, the game plan was for the Oak Ridge guards to work one on one against the Jesuit guards. Poor Ron was relegated to literally standing in a corner and watching the guards play. Jesuit Coach Fred Younkman, a former Denton Ryan assistant and no dummy, put Kyle Wilson on the Oak Ridge point guard. The Oak Ridge strategy worked as Wilson fouled out and Oak Ridge won, but it was frustrating to a Mean Green fan wanting to see Harris against good opposition. Oak Ridge played a zone defense and Harris seldom guarded Wilson Harris has some of the best quick moves on the team. He is a finisher. He needs more experience playing man defense. 8. Scott Roniger has been unspectacular, but hasn't committed many turnovers either. He did get his pocket picked several times in the Exhibition game. He seems to be a good, but reluctant shooter. Point Guard is a difficult position for a Freshman. 9. Justin Barnett Is a very good passer and has the ability to shoot with either hand. He is very strong and is not easy to push around. NT's other post players are lightweights compared to the incredible hulks of the other Sun Belt teams. Barnett needs experience in adjusting to the speed of the college game.

After watching four practices last week, an exhibition game and two more practices this week, here are my guesses as to what the depth chart is. It isn't easy to tell. No one is buried on the scout team. All twelve scholarship players get their chances to work with the "A" players. I still am not even sure who is in the starting five. Chris Davis and Lee Green appear to be sure starters. The other three starters will almost certainly be chosen from these four: Len Hopkins, Will Smith, Mike DeGrate and Jermaine Green. Jermaine Green plays on the wing and at the power forward position. Will Smith missed the exhibition game with an injury, but seems to be 100% now. At this time, it looks like Scott Roniger and Justin Barnett are on the second plateau. They wear Green most of the time. Barnett is still re-habing from what seems to be a back injury. He doesn't run sprints with the rest of the team, but does take part in full court scrimmages. Jerome Rogers and Ron Harris are usually on the scout team, but still get some reps with the guys wearing Green. Ty Thomas and Jell Masters are almost always on the scout team. Point Guards: 1. L. Green 2. Roniger 3. Rogers Wings: 1. Davis 2. Hopkins or J. Green 3. Thomas Posts: 1. and 2. Smith, DeGrate or J.Green 3. Barnett 4. Harris 5. Masters

Four by my count.

Link to photo: http://www.paris.cc.tx.us/phed/basketball/...agonplayers.htm

Quotes from Eddie Sutton and Jason Miller: http://okstate.ocsn.com/sports/m-baskbl/sp.../102802aaa.html

Danderick Jones, the 24th ranked player, is considering North Texas, St. John's, Iowa St., New Mexico and Boise St. Jones, a 6-4 guard from Dallas Kimball, was ranked #12 by Texas Hoops for the 2000-01 season. He signed with Baylor, but did not qualify academically. He played for our old friend Garden City Kansas CC last season, but has since transferred to Trinidad Colorado CC to be with his father, who is an assistant coach there. It would be justice if NT finally gets a Garden City player. NT recruit Mike Jones is not listed because he is not playing this year. He is committed to play for NT next season if he can regain academic elegibility.

Wow. Mike Jones played on the same team with Mike Degrate last season and scored more points, had more rebounds and more assists than DrGrate. He is a keeper.

Calvin Watson is ranked # 35 in latest Texas Hoops ratings. Twentyeight of Texas' top thirty seniors have already orally committed. Cartier Martin of Houston and Lance Jackson of Fort Worth Dunbar are the only two left.

The White team defeated the Greens 45-36 in Saturday's scrimmage. Hopkins and DeGrate did almost all the scoring for the Whites. Starting line-ups were: Green............White Masters.........DeGrate Smith.............Harris J. Green..........Hopkins Davis..............Thomas (these two almost always guard each other) L. Green..........Roniger Rogers subbed for L. Green and Davis Chiles subbed for Thomas and Hopkins Boxell subbed for Roniger Justin Barnet was there but was unable to play. My guess is he has lower back problems. Will Smith was a decisive winner in the dunk contest.

There will be a slam dunk contest before the game. Watch for Ty Thomas.

No scrimmage Saturday, but this is how they lined up when they went 5 on 5. GREEN..................WHITE Lee Green.............Roniger Hopkins.................Chiles Davis.....................Thomas Jermaine Green......DeGrate Smith......................Masters Ron Harris (possible wrist, hand or finger injury) and Justin Barnett (possible lower back pain) were unable to participate in the 5 0n 5. Their injuries did not appear to be too serious. Saturday J. Green worked with the Posts all day while Ty Thomas spent all his time with the Wings. Ron Harris worked with the posts before his injury. Walk-on Freshman Lance Boxell is with the point guards. Boxell's name often appeared on the Texas Hoops lists when he played at Ponder.

Here is how JJ matched them up for the scrimmage: GREEN..............WHITE Lee Green.........Scott Roniger Lenny Hopkins...Germaine Green Chris Davis........Ty Thomas Will Smith...........Mike DeGrate Jel Masters.........Justin Barnett On Sidelines: Jerome Rogers, Lance Boxell and Rusty Chiles Absent but accounted for: Ron Harris and Antonio McKenzie Observations: 1. Barnett is taller and heavier than Masters 2. DeGrate seems to be taller than 6-7. He for sure plays big anyway. Very strong and athletic with ability to score. 3. Pencil in Jermaine Green for wing duty this year. Ty Thomas filled in at post when Masters suffered a knee injury. Nothing was broken or torn but the trainer wrapped and iced the knee. 4. Red Mangrum is a grad assistant. 5. Scott Roniger may have picked up the nickname VooDo. 6. This is the first time since Jankovitch's last year that the Mean Green have returning players at every position and are playing a system they have experience with. Remember what happened last year when the same thing could be said about the football team.

Players can, and sometimes do, orally commit as Sophs or Juniors. It doesn't mean anything until the fall and spring signing windows. NCAA early signing period is from 7 A.M. Nov 13-20, 2002. This is when most of the best players sign. The Spring signing period starts April 16 and runs through May15.

Ryan Wall, a 6-0 170 lb point guard from Coppell HS, is the brother of Hunter Wall, a new transfer QB from Oklahoma U. UNT certainly would listen if he decides he wants to be with his brother in Denton. Ryan is rated as one of the 60 Senior Super Prospects by Texas Hoops. Last Winter he was listed as a second tier prospect by Texas Hoops. He was put in the low to mid Division I recruit category. That rating may be too low as Ryan has already verbally committed to play for New Mexico. He is also being recruited by Utah State and Wichita State. I saw Ryan play 5 games last season and once this summer. He shot very well in the games I saw , but he was not rated as a good shooter in some web scouting reports I have seen. He makes some truly astonishing passes at times, but also throws the ball away too often trying to make impossible plays. He plays a very aggressive , physical defense that results in steals and fouls. Has a tendency to reach in and slap at the ball while on defense. This will result in many fouls if he continues to play like that in college ball. Ryan has a 3.2 GPA and has an SAT score above NCAA requirements. That reminds me of something about NT's number one recruiting target, Brett McDade. According to my daughter who was in the same grade with Brett at Lee Elementary and Strickland Middle School, Brett was in the EXPO program for students with high scores on achievement tests. Hopefully he won't have the academic problems that have plagued Ryan athletes in recent years.

I heard a rumor from someone I believe and who knows Matalya McBath. She said Matalya withdrew from school to have a baby. I was assured Matalya had not committed any crimes or broken any team or school rules. Matalya worked hard in practice and got along well with her teamates and coaches. I don't know where she is now or if she will return to NT.

Nigel Dixon is an interesting player. He has already lost quite a bit of weight since he first enrolled at Florida State, but he needs to lose about 75 more pounds to reach his potential. Although he started last season he was only able to average about 17 minutes a game because of poor stamina. Imagine a basketball player that can't run or jump. That's Nigel Dixon. He gets some rebounds because he takes up so much space and opposing players can't move him out of position. If he loses weight, he might make a decent replacement for Marcus. Otherwise, he appears to be out of place in WKU's running game.