2020 Sucks

A team needs 15 for practice. You can't just carry 10 and get the work in that you need. So somebody has to be out there doing the work to make others better...and hopefully getting better themselves as well. Anywhere you see a successful team, I guarantee you that the practice squad is also good! UNT needs to be bringing in young talented players, but we need a way to get them to stick around.

I don't think they are leaving because of a coaching change. Heck, they probably haven't even talked to the new coach. They sure as heck have never worked out or practiced in front of him. They are leaving because an agent told them they have value (along with the other 1,943 kids in the portal), or because they didn't see the court. These kids today don't have any perseverance to fight for a spot. It happens every day...a guy who is all district and gets all the accolades comes out of HS to college, and for the first time in his life, enters a realm where the other guys at his position, are just as talented as he is. Its Prima Dona Syndrome.

Some of ya'll don't understand! And some of ya'll are just bitter jerks! It isn't always a conspiracy! Ross deserved a promotion...he earned it with hard work, winning, and enduring a lot of crap from fickle fans, bad attendance, a crappy league, and no money to compete with in the NIL age. There were teams that won a bunch of games with Ross and Grant that were full of little pricks. Some of those teams (despite winning 20+ games) were very toxic and hard to coach. There were a handful of players over the years that were very unlovable! Players who were cancerous in the locker room and created unnecessary drama that had to be dealt with constantly. Ross repeatedly said all year long that this group was different in how they worked together, how they built each other up, how they hung out together outside the gym. It was a special group of kids who enjoyed being around each other and laying it all on the line for one another. He stayed because he LOVED this group. He didn't stay to notch his belt...he already had the other job. He stayed because this is a TEAM that he believed in and wanted to maximize his time with them because they had made his job fun. I'm sad he left, I'm happy for him, and I'm thankful that he gave this school 100% for 8 years. He is a diamond and I wish him all the success at WVU and wherever else he may end up. He's that good...He could be at any of the dozen or so basketball powerhouse schools in the next 8-10 years if he wants to be.

Estelle told Hank and Dave last night that he was headed to WVU with Ross. Any word on who might be staying?

I think we will have 0 returning players from this years team that contributed. I hope I'm wrong. But our 8 guys in the rotation are GONE in my opinion. Maybe Cotton, or Mayson Howell tries to stay...I'd like to see that. But the 8 players in the rotation are going to move on. B-Lo is gonna get a bag somewhere...probably Morgantown. Floyd will be in demand...probably a SEC school. Grant is the only one I think could possibly stay...but it would take some money and some convincing by D-Rob.

I'm not blasting you...but the Horizon league is full of really good players who could play at other places after they develop as Freshmen and Sophomores. We like to believe that we are a "high" mid-major. But are we really? Maybe we are just an average mid major? We lost to another mid major last night in UCI who has a 7'1" center from Germany. If we are so much "higher", why have we not had a 7-footer in Denton in at least 20 years? We need to humble ourselves a bit here (myself included) and understand that great basketball teams are way more about culture and chemistry, and coaching...and a lot less about superior talent at our level. There is very little difference in Rubin Jones and Jasper Floyd. There is very little difference in Aaron Scott and B-Lo. There is zero difference in Abou Ousmane and Mou. Those are all kids who went on to P4 programs late in their careers after developing here. Whoever D-Rob brings in...we need to support because they are probably very good basketball players and the coach is bringing them here because he feels that they are coachable and have the talent to win. We'd all be better off getting excited and supporting D-Rob and Jared instead of Monday Morning Quarterbacking from this board or X. Go Mean Green!

Hurl is Ross' boy. If he didn't go with Ross, I'd be shocked. Phil won't have any problems finding an assistant job in the Big 12 or SEC. I think Stone will go wherever Ross does as a grad assistant/analyst...Ross loves him like a son and respects his fire. I'd love to see Johnny stay...he's 100% Texas roots. Andre is a toss up. He's got enough skins on the wall to take a Texas D2 HC job if he wants it. These chips will start falling into place after the NIT run is complete. Go Mean Green!

Give the tickets away and fill the upper ring with loud HS kids every game!

Good Article...thanks for a positive spin on what many believe to be a mediocre hire. Time will tell.

We can't recruit and pay those Top 100 Blue Chip HS recruits...and in my opinion, if a kid isn't on that list, they need to go to JUCO and develop. We will chase them after they mature. Bottom line...a 17-18 yr old freshman can rarely play with Jr.s and Sr.s and 5th yr starters like Atin, Newell, Floyd, BLo, etc. I think the new strategy would be to team up with a couple of solid JUCO coaches that run similar styles and plant HS kids at aJUCO with the promise of bringing them in when the time is right. If they excel, it could be after their 1st year of JUCO. If it takes 2 years, then we bring them in then. But it seems like it is time for the Mid Major schools to find their feeder programs the same way that the P4 schools seem to be doing with the MM schools.

Estelle did the radio interview after the OK St win.

He should be waived of his buyout if he was fired. Buyouts only affect coaches that leave for a better job Right?

Does Rodney Terry have a job yet?

They lost to Oregon St around the same time we beat Oregon State this season. Looks like they are versatile...they can win scoring 60 and holding the opponent in the 50's. And, they can win by scoring 80 to 100. Well coached...didn't panic last night when things got tight. They handled UAB's length ok, but UAB pretty much beat them in all statistical categories. I think we win this one going away. We might even see Stone play late in the game! For us, it comes down to staying out of foul trouble early (especially Mou), not turning over the ball, avoiding the 7 minute scoring drought, and shooting in the 40's. If we do those things, we are as solid as anyone in this tournament!

Like Izzo, Pitino, and Calipari? Go watch a practice and come back and tell me he's too old! He's got plenty of energy and fire left in his belly!

Johnny Estelle can coach. Plain and simple. His JUCO record was incredible and his teams were disciplined and gritty. He didn't tolerate disrespect and a lot of the BS you typically get with JUCO athletes. At , he went to be the coach of his Alma Mater. He won a few and lost a few, but never had a team that was disrespectful, dirty, or quit. He won a few more than he lost...but he was happy there and he brought dignity and pride to the program. He's a great dad, a great Christian father and husband, and he has the character to go get high character kids. That is EXACTLY what Ross and Grant looked for when they were recruiting. Winners with high character. Johnny Estelle knows basketball...he can coach a team that can score 100+ in multiple games per season. And he can coach defense on the same level as Ross. Last year, he was named Texas Association of Basketball Coaches D1 Assistant Coach of the Year. If he wants the job, he should get the job. He's a winner

I don’t see any way that B-Lo doesn’t go with Hodge.

Out of the box idea...but give it some thought. Hire Jason Burton to the Men's HC, and go find another Women's Coach!

Ross hated the Super Pit, he hated how lackadaisical the fans were on the side of the Pit opposite the bench (the alumni side I’m told), he hated being in a 1-bid conference, and he hated developing talent and watching them walk out the door for a bigger bag. WVU solves all of those problems.

UNT's 6'10" Center, Moulai Sissoko has been missing since 2/1/25. He made an appearance vs Tulsa on February 19th, and we saw him peeking around the corner in the tunnel again vs Tulsa on 3/14. But outside of that, he has been AWOL. You'd think he'd be easy to find given his size, but he has definitely gone missing. We need him back tonight vs Furman. Many students have reported seeing him around campus, but there have been more Bigfoot sightings reported at Eureka Park than Mou sightings in the Super Pit over the past 6 weeks. Please Help!

We would have been in The Crown, but we shot like crap vs UAB and played like 3rd graders inside the paint.

They are giving our starters a hard run in practice every day. You don’t want your practice squad full of intramural players…you want them to be thinking they are on the cusp of playing time. If they leave early, that opens a slot for another experienced transfer.

He said he was going to play after the game Thursday. I heard it directly from his mouth. Also, Ross told Hank explicitly that he would play against Temple…said he would get a hard practice in Friday and be ready for game day on Sunday. Did something go bad in the practice?

Maybe its about a pipeline. Other teams are out there developing our players. We develop some kids and if they stick around, they may play when their time comes. Or, they may learn that "what I did at NT wasn't enough and I need to get my butt in gear if I wanna play over there at the new school". We need quality practice players for our starters to match up with...so its more than just about the playing time. Its about a TEAM! It's about FAMILY! Its about being a part of something bigger than self. I think Ross and staff are very honest with the HS kids they bring in. They tell them that they shouldn't expect to play unless they can compete with Jr.s and Sr.s. Most cant.

Excellent! Hope to see UNT do even more! I'm sure this type of move will come down to nearly every conference due to the HOUSE case. But for now, the recruits need to take notice! The AAC is serious about athletics!