OldTimer

UNT ends 27-year tourney drought Mean Green beats Winthrop in final 12/08/2002 By Tim MacMahon / Staff Writer ROCK HILL, S.C. ? A pair of lengthy streaks ended Saturday night, and North Texas certainly would never have imagined that the two would be extinguished together. The Mean Green registered a 65-56 victory over Winthrop to win the Brothers Air and Heat Shootout, its first tournament title since the 1975 Creighton Classic. UNT did so despite getting just five points from star swingman Chris Davis in the championship game Saturday night at Winthrop Coliseum ? the first time in 41 games he failed to score in double figures. "We got a trophy; that?s all that matters," said Davis, who was 2-of-14 from the floor but led UNT with 11 rebounds and seven assists. "I did what I could do to help the team." Davis had plenty of help from his teammates to hand Winthrop (4-4), which has won the Big South Conference the last four years, its eighth home loss in coach Gregg Marshall?s five-year tenure. Forward Jermaine Green recorded his second double-double of the season with 14 points and 10 rebounds, and point guard Jerome Rogers came off the bench to score 16 points. "It?s encouraging for us," UNT coach Johnny Jones said. "Different people on our team took the opportunity to step up. Chris? presence on the floor allows other people that opportunity, because teams devise their defenses to stop him." Added Green: "We have a good team behind him [Davis]. If your go-to guy is struggling, other people need to get it done. We did that tonight." The Mean Green (3-2), which will play its first home game of the season Tuesday night against TCU, trailed by as many as 11 points in the first half. UNT took control of the game with a 15-2 spurt, which began six minutes into the second half. Reserve forward Michael DeGrate, a junior college transfer who entered the season with big expectations but had made a minimal contribution, scored all seven of his points during the run, capping it with a layup and 3-pointer on consecutive possessions. Winthrop responded by scoring nine of the next 12 points to whittle the lead to four with 2:40 to play. Forward Tyrone Walker, who led all players with 18 points and 13 rebounds, scored seven points during the stretch. A 3-pointer with 2:06 remaining by guard Leonard Hopkins, who had a relatively quiet nine points one night after scoring a career-high 24, all but iced the game for UNT. Green came up with a loose ball and dished to Hopkins in just enough time to fire before the shot-clock buzzer sounded. The Mean Green shot a woeful 32 percent from the floor in the first half but entered the locker room down just one point, 32-31, thanks to a spark from 3-point specialist Rogers. The 5-10 junior, who entered the game with UNT trailing by nine, was 3-of-4 from behind the arc and had two assists in seven first-half minutes. "I just wanted to come in and give the team a lift," Rogers said. UNT didn?t shoot the ball particularly well all night ? finishing just 37 percent from the floor ? but made up for it with a dominating effort defensively and on the glass. The Mean Green held Winthrop to 33 percent shooting and won the rebounding battle by a 49-39 margin. "Congratulations to North Texas," said Marshall, the Winthrop coach who was admittedly agitated by the way UNT physically overpowered his team. "They were obviously the better team, the tougher team, the hungrier team and the team that deserved to win the most. They just had the desire to get it done that the Winthrop Eagles didn?t have tonight." TIM MACMAHON can be reached at 940-381-9572.

Despite shooting slump, Davis still doing his part 12/07/2002 By TIM MacMAHON / Denton Record-Chronicle ROCK HILL, S.C. - North Texas senior swingman Chris Davis' shooting slump continued Friday night against Weber State. That doesn't mean Davis didn't have a lot to do with the Mean Green's 76-72 victory in the first round of the Brothers Air and Heat Shootout at Winthrop Coliseum. Davis made only five of 15 shots from the floor, misfiring miserably enough to miss the rim on a few occasions. He found other ways to contribute, however, such as leading all players with 10 rebounds and five assists. "My jumper was going almost everywhere but the right way," Davis said with a smile and shake of his head. "If my jumper's not falling, I've got to be able led tto do something else." After a particularly horrid exhibition of shooting by Davis - consecutive airballs on open jumpers near the end of the first half - UNT didn't shy away from getting its star the ball. Quite the opposite, actually. Instead, coach Johnny Jones instructed Davis to switch positions with forward Jermaine Green on the offensive end. That allowed the 6-5 Davis to use his size advantage and post up on the block. He responded with an old-fashioned 3-point play for UNTÕs final bucket of the first half. Davis also keyed a critical 16-7 run in the second half with his play in the paint. He had six points - hitting a running hook, fadeaway jumper and layup - during the spurt. He also had three assists in the span. "For my teammates and my coaches to still believe in me and try to get me the ball, that helped me a whole lot," said Davis, the nation's ninth-leading scorer last season. "I just kept being aggressive and tried to get everybody else involved." Added Jones: "His presence on the floor allows for other guys to score, because they pay a lot of attention to him. Our guys are really benefiting from Chris' play and his reputation." Briefly - Forward Jermaine Green recorded a career high in a category for the second consecutive game with five assists. He had six steals against Indiana, the third-most in a game in school history. - UNT's 55-percent shooting equaled the best effort under coach Johnny Jones. The Mean Green also shot 55 percent from the floor in a win over Middle Tennessee last season. TIM MACMAHON can be reached at 940-381-9572. His e-mail address is tmacmahon@dentonrc.com.

Lady Eagles' Slinker seeks split in Arizona 12/07/2002 By MATTHEW POSTINS / Denton Record-Chronicle A sign of youth. That's what Tina Slinker calls her Lady Eagles' 57-46 loss to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi last Tuesday, North Texas' first of the season. Slinker hasn't minced words with her team, either, with Saturday's 2 p.m. tip-off against Illinois at the Fiesta Bowl Classic in Tucson, Ariz., looming on the horizon. After starting 3-0, the Lady Eagles (3-1) shot a dismal 28 percent from the floor against the Islanders, who shot just 35 percent themselves. That ended a two-game stretch in which UNT shot at least 46 percent from the field. "Actually, I think it [the loss] came down to effort and intensity," said Slinker. "I think we've demanded it [more intensity] and the players have responded the past two days in practice." This weekend's tournament represents the Lady Eagles' first real test of the season. A win over Illinois (4-0) Saturday could set up a potential championship meeting with Arizona Sunday at 4:30 p.m. at the McKale Center. The other tournament game pits Arizona against UC-Riverside on Saturday. The Illinois game represents the start of a non-conference stretch in which the Lady Eagles will see teams from the Big 10, Western Athletic Conference, Big 12 and the Southeastern Conference, all before Sun Belt play begins Jan. 4. In other words, the growing pains may only get more intense. "I don't think losing is good unless you learn something from it," said Slinker. "For the freshmen, and even some of the veterans who are still pretty young, it [the loss] could be a wake-up call." Kim Blanton continues to impress, as she is the only Lady Eagle in double figures in all four games. The 6-1 junior post scored 12 points against the Islanders Tuesday, but shot only 4-of-11 from the floor. Meanwhile, senior forward Angel Lewis was the most valuable player at last weekendÕs Century Tel Shootout in San Marcos. She's averaging 9.3 points and 6.0 rebounds per game. "I think Kim has played very well," said Slinker. "Her and Angel both have been consistent, and that's what we're looking for - a couple of players we can rely on to be consistent." To be competitive against Illinois, though, the shooting will have to improve. Slinker says they outrebounded the Islanders by about 20 on the offensive glass, but still missed second- and third-chance baskets. Illinois likes to press fullcourt, which Slinker hopes will play into the Lady Eagles' desire for an up-tempo contest. That means freshmen like starting point guard Erika Bobo and guard Jamie Armstrong (the teamÕs second-leading scorer at 11.5 ppg), along with junior Heather Trout, will be pivotal to UNTÕs success. And Slinker's expectations this weekend? Well, she'd just be happy with a split. "That's what we're looking for," she said. "If we go 2-0, I'll do cartwheels for you." MATTHEW POSTINS can be reached at 940-381-9574. His e-mail address is mpostins@dentonrc.com

UNT stays around for second half Lincoln's Hopkins keeps scoring to help Mean Green shoot over hurdle 12/07/2002 By TIM MacMAHON / Denton Record-Chronicle ROCK HILL, S.C. ? Guard Leonard Hopkins scored a career-high 24 points to lead North Texas to a 76-72 win Friday night over Weber State. Hopkins displayed a splendid shooting touch, making all but one shot from the field. But coach Johnny Jones was most impressed with the manner in which the sophomore scored his points in the first round at the Brothers Air and Heat Shootout at Winthrop Coliseum. "The fact that he shot the ball well is not a surprise to me," said Jones, whose team will face the winner of the Winthrop for the tournament title at 6 p.m. Saturday. "He showed tonight that he's growing up by being patient and waiting for his shot." Hopkins, a 6-3 Lincoln product, has had a habit of forcing the action when he gets the hot hand. That's why he spent most of the second half on the bench after scoring 13 points before halftime of the season opener at Southwest Missouri State. "I tried to stay away from that tonight," said Hopkins, who was 8-of-9 from the field and 5-of-5 from 3-point range. "After I hit a couple, I just stayed calm and relaxed, let it come to me." UNT (2-2) shot a season-best 55 percent from the field and was 7-of-14 on 3-pointers. The Mean Green made sure it avoided its first three-game losing streak since last December by breaking another rough trend: poor second-half performances. UNT, which had been outscored by an average of 14 points in the second half this season, took control of a close game in the first nine minutes after halftime. The Mean Green stretched a two-point lead to 10 points during that span, with Hopkins hitting 3-pointers to begin and end the spurt. UNT swingman Chris Davis, who has struggled this season, had another poor shooting night, making just 5-of-15 from the field. However, he led all players with 10 rebounds and five assists and sparked UNT's start in the second half. Davis had six points and three assists during a 16-7 run. Weber State (4-2), which has four starters back from last season's 18-win team, trimmed the lead to four points with 55.1 seconds remaining but couldn't get any closer. BOX SCORE NORTH TEXAS (2-2): J. Green 5-8 5-6 15, Masters 3-6 0-0 6, Davis 5-15 5-7 15, L. Green 3-7 0-0 8, Hopkins 8-9 3-3 24, Smith 1-2 0-0 2, Rogers 0-0 0-0 0, Roniger 0-0 0-0 0, DeGrate 3-4 0-0 6, Barnett 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 28-51 13-16 76. WEBER STATE (4-2): Sparrow 3-9 0-1 6, Bachmann 3-6 2-2 8, Boyette 5-8 4-6 15, Barton 1-3 3-4 6, Morrison 2-9 0-0 6, Jenkins 0-0 0-0 0, Hamilton 4-13 2-2 13, Eyre 1-1 0-0 2, Danley 7-11, 2-6, 16. Totals 26-60 13-21 72. Halftime: UNT, 38-36. Three-point goals: UNT 7-14 (Davis 0-4, L. Green 2-5, Hopkins 5-5), Weber State 7-28 (Sparrow 0-5, Boyette 1-3, Barton 1-3, Morrison 2-7, Hamilton 3-10). Fouled out: None. Rebounds: UNT 32 (Davis 10), Weber State 34 (Danley 8). Assists: UNT 18 (J. Green, Davis 5), Weber State 11 (Sparrow, Boyette, Morrison 2). Total fouls: UNT 20, Weber State 16. A: 151.

UNT notebook 12/04/2002 By Tim MacMahon UNT-ex Lyons wants to share in Davis? success North Texas men?s basketball coach Johnny Jones brought along a special guest to his weekly press conference Tuesday morning. Kenneth Lyons, the program?s all-time leading scorer, joined Jones. Lyons, who played for the Mean Green from 1979-83, stopped by the basketball coaches? offices in the morning to introduce himself. ?It was a pleasant surprise for him to stop by,? Jones said. ?We?re excited that he?s around. We?re delighted that he?s here today and definitely want him to be a part of the program.? Lyons hasn?t been to a game at UNT in a long time, but he said that would change this season. He wants to witness UNT senior swingman Chris Davis? chase of his scoring record. Davis, whose name has been mentioned to Lyons by friends and neighbors on several occasions recently, is 485 points shy of tying the record. ?It?s going to be a challenge for him,? said Lyons, a 6-7 post who scored 2,291 points in his career at UNT. ?I would love to come down and give my input to Chris, encourage him and try to be a service. Mean Green blood runs in my veins.? Lyons, who was selected in the second round of the 1979 NBA Draft by Philadelphia, had tryouts with the 76ers, Mavericks and Warriors, making the final cut on a couple of occasions. He played professionally in Italy and Venezuela before retiring from the game. He is now living in Dallas with his 10-year-old son and working as a network engineer. Jones seeks answer to second-half woes The Mean Green has been outscored by an average margin of 14 points in the second halves of its three games this season, and coach Johnny Jones admits being puzzled by the problem. Jones said he called several of the people he respected most in the coaching profession for help, but they didn?t have an answer, either. ?It?s nothing I can really put a finger on.? Jones said. ?We?ll try to change a few things to maybe get their energy up.? The potential solutions include beginning the second half with a more aggressive defensive scheme, Jones said. Starting jobs aren?t safe Coach Johnny Jones was not happy with his team?s effort and intensity in the waning moments of an 84-58 loss Sunday at No. 19 Indiana. As a result, he said no player should feel comfortable in their roles, including the starters. ?The guys who have the best practices will start,? Jones said. ?Minutes will be given in accordance to effort in practice.? Player of the Week Senior forward Angel Lewis was named the most valuable player of the Southwest Texas Century Tel Classic because of dominating defensive performances in the Lady Eagles? two wins. Lewis, who had 15 points and 10 rebounds in the two games, harassed UM-KC star Katie Houlehan into an 0-of-11 shooting performance. She also held Alcorn State standout Keairre Levy to eight points, 11 below her season average. For her efforts, Lewis was named the Denton Record-Chronicle UNT Player of the Week. TIM MACMAHON can be reached at 940-381-9572. His e-mail address is tmacmahon@dentonrc.com. 7-DAY SCHEDULE FRIDAY: Men?s basketball vs. Weber State, 5 p.m., Rock Hill, S.C. SATURDAY: Men?s basketball vs. Winthrop/Morris Brown, TBA, Rock Hill, S.C.; women?s basketball vs. Illinois, Tucson, Ariz., 2 p.m. SUNDAY: Women?s basketball vs. Arizona/UC Riverside. TBA, Tuscon, Ariz. TUESDAY: TCU at men?s basketball, 7 p.m.

Kelsie Edwards...Mansfield Summit scored 16 pts this week and has between 15 and 18 pts. in every game so far this season.

Jones, UNT men seek ?next step? 11/22/2002 By Tim MacMahon / Staff Writer North Texas was not expected to have much success in coach Johnny Jones? first season. A 15-14 record certainly came as a surprise to many after the Mean Green won a total of 15 games in the previous three seasons. Now it?s time to take the next step. "We?ve got to continue to build," Jones said. "I think that?s the most important thing. I don?t think that we can be fooled and change our approach because of the success that we had last year, exceeding a lot of people?s expectations. There?s still a lot of work to be done." While he notes that the schedule isn?t as friendly as it was a year ago, Jones knows he has the pieces in place to improve upon the promising beginning of his tenure. The Mean Green returns four starters, including unanimous All-Sun Belt selection Chris Davis. "We did a little something last year," forward Jermaine Green said. "Now it?s time to get to the tournament. Western Kentucky isn?t the only big team in the conference. We want to be noticed just like they are." With the addition of junior college transfer forward Michael DeGrate and a few other newcomers ? and the loss of only two seniors ? UNT plans to take advantage of its depth by extending its defense and pushing the tempo. "We led the league in scoring last year, and in doing that, I thought we played pretty fast," Jones said. "But I think we?ve got a chance to be even better in that." After also ranking last in the league in scoring defense, Jones knows the Mean Green can get much better on that end of the floor. He said, however, that UNT will play to its strength, which is its ability to score. "We?re a fast-break team, so sometimes we?ll give up easy baskets," Jones said. "I?m okay if we?re leading the league in offense, and there?s a big difference in the points we?re scoring and the points we?re giving up. But to beat good teams and to win championships, our defense has got to improve." The additions of the 6-8, 220-pound DeGrate and 6-10, 260-pound redshirt freshman Justin Barnett give UNT two big bodies who can bang on the block. Out of necessity, the 6-8, 185-pound Green played out of position at power forward last season, often getting pushed around by bigger players. Now Jones gets to dictate how he wants to match up inside. There will be many times when he decides to play a small lineup, putting full-court pressure on and forcing opponents to adjust to UNT?s pace. "We?re going to be a team that gets up and down," Davis said, "and gives the fans something to keep coming back and watch." TIM MACMAHON can be reached at 940-381-9572. North Texas at Southwest Missouri State, 7 p.m. Radio: KWRD-FM 100.7 The teams have split two meetings the last two seasons, with each team winning at home. ¼ UNT has not won a season opener on the road since 1991-92 at Texas Tech. ¼ UNT forward Jermaine Green did not practice this week after spraining his ankle in the exhibition finale. ¼ Guard Terrance McGee, who averaged 14.2 points per game last season, is the Bears? only returning starter. ¼ UNT reserve point guard Jerome Rogers had a career-high 23 points against SMS last season. PROJECTED STARTERS Lee Green; PG; 6-3; Sr. Just has to be steady Leonard Hopkins; SG; 6-3; So. Scored in bunches off bench as freshman Chris Davis; G/F; 6-5; Sr. Led team in points, rebounds and assists Jermaine Green; F; 6-8; Sr. Long, lanky and team?s most versatile player Michael DeGrate; PF; 6-8; Jr. UNT has big hopes for ex-Baylor Bear Adrian Awasom; PF; 6-5; So. Justin Barnett; C; 6-10; Fr. Andy Blount; SG; 6-4; So. Rusty Chiles; G; 6-2; Sr. Ron Harris; F; 6-7; Fr. Unjel Masters; C; 6-9; Jr. Scott Roniger; PG; 6-2; Fr. Jerome Rogers; PG; 5-10; Jr. Will Smith; F/C; 6-7; Jr. Ty Thomas; 6-7; SF; Fr. SCHEDULE Nov. 22; at Southwest Missouri State; 7 p.m. Nov. 29; at SMU; 7 p.m. Dec. 1; at Indiana; 1 p.m. Dec. 6; vs. Weber State*; TBA Dec. 7; vs. Winthrop/Morris Brown*; TBA Dec. 16; St. Edward?s; 7 p.m. Dec. 21; at Tennessee Tech; 6 p.m. Dec. 23; at Colorado; 8 p.m. Dec. 28; Texas A&M-Commerce; 7 p.m. Dec. 30; at Baylor; 8 p.m. Jan. 2; at Auburn; 7 p.m. Jan. 5; at Florida International; 1 p.m. Jan. 11; Denver; 1 p.m. Jan. 16; Arkansas-Little Rock; 7 p.m. Jan. 18; Arkansas State; 7 p.m. Jan. 23; at New Orleans; 7 p.m. Jan. 25; at South Alabama; 7:05 p.m. Jan. 30; Louisiana-Lafayette; 7 p.m. Feb. 1; New Mexico State; 7 p.m. Feb. 6; at Middle Tennessee; 7 p.m. Feb. 8; Western Kentucky; 7 p.m. Feb. 13; at Denver; 9 p.m. Feb. 20; New Orleans; 7 p.m. Feb. 22; South Alabama; 7 p.m. Feb. 24; at Louisiana-Lafayette; 7 p.m. March 1; at New Mexico State; 8 p.m. March 6-11; Sun Belt tournament; TBA *Winthrop Tournament

Lady Eagle vets accept challenge 11/22/2002 By Tim MacMahon / Staff Writer The class that put the North Texas women?s basketball program on the map is gone. That doesn?t mean the expectations are. At least not from coach Tina Slinker, who isn?t scared by the fact that the Lady Eagles? roster includes more freshmen (eight) than returning players (six). "At some point, you should quit being young and try to get there as quickly as possible," said Slinker, who won 20 games five seasons ago while starting two freshmen. "You can use that as an excuse for too long. I don?t want to do that." Forward Jamie Armstrong of Duncanville is the most highly regarded recruit in the program?s history, but point guard is the only position where a freshman will start. Instead of relying on the rookies, Slinker is expecting veterans such as Heather Trout and Angel Lewis to carry the load for the Lady Eagles, allowing the coaching staff to bring the younger players along as the season progresses. "I?ve never questioned that we signed a very talented group," Slinker said. "What we?ve got to find out as a coaching staff is how we?re going to implement them into our system. We graduated a lot of leadership and a lot of character. The ones that are coming back are going to have to take the heat and be the ones that step up." That?s a challenge the veterans eagerly accept. It?s not that they minded being the supporting cast for Rosalyn Reades and Jalie Mitchell the last couple of seasons, when the Lady Eagles made consecutive appearances in the WNIT. They just think they?re ready to have more responsibility rest on their shoulders. "We paid our dues," Lewis said. "We were the role players. Now it?s our turn. We?ve got to get the job done." Added Trout: "I don?t necessarily think of it as a transition. I look at it as a fun opportunity. We basically hope to not look back and keep going and take the next step." Nevertheless, UNT will need several freshmen to immediately step in and contribute to avoid taking a step back. Erika Bobo will start at point guard and will be backed up by classmates Natalie Mireles and Nahogany Brown. Armstrong will begin the season coming off the bench, but she is expected to make an immediate impact. "I could sit back and say, ?Our expectations are a little less. We?re young, we?re rebuilding,?" Slinker said. "But on the other side of that, great programs don?t rebuild." TIM MACMAHON can be reached at 940-381-9572. UT-San Antonio at North Texas, 7 p.m., Super Pit Radio: KNTU-FM 88.1 The Lady Eagles have won a school-record 14 straight games at the Super Pit, the fifth-longest home winning streak in Division I. ... UNT leads the all-time series with UTSA, 12-6. The teams are former Southland Conference rivals. ... UNT won a school-record 21 games last season. ... UTSA junior forward Nikki Hendrix, a 6-0 Texas Tech transfer, was the Southland Conference Newcomer of the Year last season and led the Roadrunners in scoring (12.0 ppg). PROJECTED STARTERS Erika Bobo; PG; 5-8; Fr. Will split time with two classmates Heather Trout; SG; 5-10; Jr. Toughest player on the team Angel Lewis; SF; 5-10; Sr. Excellent rebounder and defender Kim Blanton; PF; 6-1; Jr. Time for promise to become production Vilma Grismanauskaite; C; 6-4; Sr. Health concerns will keep minutes down Jamie Armstrong; SF; 5-11; Fr. Nahogany Brown; PG; 5-6; Fr. Emily Britt; F; 6-0; Jr. Marquita Carter; SF; 5-11; Fr. Karolyn Haskin; C; 6-3; Jr. Natalie Mireles; PG; 5-6; Fr. Jasmine Williams; PF; 6-0; Fr. Mian Williams; SG; 5-8; Fr. Kennethia Wilson; PF; 5-10; Fr. SCHEDULE Nov. 22; UTSA; 7 p.m. Nov. 29; vs. Alcorn State*; 6 p.m. Nov. 30; vs. UMKC*; 4 p.m. Dec. 3; at Texas A&M-Corpus Chrisit; 5:30 p.m. Dec. 7; vs. Illinois#; noon Dec. 8; vs. Arizona/UC Riverside#; TBA Dec. 11; Indiana; 7 p.m. Dec. 16; at SMU; 7 p.m. Dec. 30; at Baylor; 6 p.m. Jan. 2; LSU; 7 p.m. Jan. 4; Florida International; 2 p.m. Jan. 7; Weber State; 7 p.m. Jan. 11; Denver; 5 p.m. Jan. 16; at Arkansas-Little Rock; 7 p.m. Jan. 18; at Arkansas State; 1 p.m. Jan. 23; New Orleans; 7 p.m. Jan. 25; South Alabama; 7 p.m. Jan. 30; at Louisiana-Lafayette; 7 p.m. Feb. 1; at New Mexico State; 8:05 p.m. Feb. 6; Middle Tennessee; 7 p.m. Feb. 8; at Western Kentucky; 7 p.m. Feb. 13; at Denver; 7 p.m. Feb. 20; at New Orleans; 7 p.m. Feb. 22; at South Alabama; 7 p.m. Feb. 27; Louisiana-Lafayette; 7 p.m. March 1; New Mexico State; 7 p.m. March 6-11; Sun Belt tournament; TBA *Southwest Texas Classic #Fiesta Bowl Women?s Basketball Classic

Davis easy candidate to endorse Senior earning national attention after earning All-America votes 11/21/2002 By Tim MacMahon / Staff Writer The promotional flyers featuring senior swingman Chris Davis have been printed and mailed out to the media by the North Texas sports information department. The preseason votes have been tallied. University of North Texas senior guard Chris Davis is an All-America candidate. He led the Sun Belt Conference in scoring last season, and will lead the Mean Green into its season opener at Southwest Missouri State Friday. It?s official: The Mean Green has an authentic All-America candidate. Davis, one of 27 players to receive votes for the Associated Press? preseason All-America team, is the kind of guy who is easy to endorse. He?s one of the most prolific scorers in the nation and consistently stuffs the box score in several other categories. He also has squeaky-clean character to match his sterling statistics. "I think Chris has done everything that a team or coach or fan could ask of him, on and off the floor," said UNT coach Johnny Jones, whose team opens the season Friday night at Southwest Missouri State. "He led the team in scoring, rebounding and assists [last season]. At the same time, he?s taken care of his school and is going to graduate in December with one of the highest GPAs on the team. And he?s done everything he?s supposed to in the community, and he continues to. He?s a model citizen and a model student-athlete." Added forward Jermaine Green about Davis? preseason recognition: "I say it?s about time they got him on there. He?s been doing it for three years now. He deserves it." The 6-5 Davis was a unanimous All-Sun Belt selection last season after leading the league in scoring (22.5 ppg) and ranking 10th in rebounds (6.4 rpg) and 13th in assists (2.6 apg). He was one of nine players in the country to lead his team in all three categories and the first to do so in the history of the program. While Davis is best known for putting the ball in the basket, he?s most proud of his ability to do it all. Just don?t expect him to participate in the promotional aspect of his All-America campaign. "I?ll let them handle all that," Davis said with his usual smile. "I?m just going to play ball. I?m just going to hoop. All that?s nice and I appreciate it, but I?m just going to help my team win." For the first time in his college career, Davis experienced the sweet taste of team success last season. After winning a total of just 11 games the two previous years, UNT went 15-14. The Mean Green?s improvement mirrored the progress of Davis? play. He significantly upgraded the statistics from his sophomore season in almost every category, with his shooting percentages taking the biggest jumps. Winning was particularly satisfying to Davis, a Dallas Kimball product who admits he considered transferring after former coach Vic Trilli was fired. He decided, however, to wait until Trilli?s replacement was hired before fully considering his options. When the job went to Jones ? the candidate he was secretly pulling for ? there was no doubt that Davis was staying in Denton. "I wanted to be loyal," Davis said. "I came here to help turn this program around. I was just hoping they brought somebody in that was a great coach, and they did." While Davis is the epitome of unselfish, he is in reach of some significant personal goals. He enters the season needing 548 points ? 105 fewer than he had last season ? to surpass Kenneth Lyons as the school?s career scoring leader. "I?d love to go out as the all-time leading scorer and have my name on top of the record book," he said. "I?d trade that in real quick to go to the NCAA tournament, though." Davis also has his sights set on the NBA. Several scouts have stopped by the Super Pit recently to evaluate him, something Davis can hardly contain his excitement about. "That?s all I?ve been thinking about since I was little," Davis said of playing professionally. "Now I?m one year away from having that opportunity. That?s something I can?t help thinking about." Added Jones: "He sees the light at the end of the tunnel for himself. He understands and knows that if he has a great year and our team has a great year, he has a chance to play basketball for a long time after college." First, however, Davis intends to have as much fun as possible his senior season. He?s worked hard to help get the program back on its feet and wants to savor every second of his time at UNT. His main goal is to extend the Mean Green?s season into March. If he happens to receive All-America honors, that?d be a nice bonus. In the meantime, he?s concentrating on continuing to improve instead of campaigning. "I don?t have a slogan," Davis said, replying to some good-natured ribbing. "I?m just ready for Friday. It ain?t getting here fast enough." TIM MACMAHON can be reached at 940-381-9572.

UNT regents pursue property acquisitions 11/22/2002 By Matthew Zabel / Staff Writer FORT WORTH ? University of North Texas officials will begin the process of buying seven properties to help the university address its housing and parking shortages. On Thursday, the UNT Board of Regents? facilities committee gave its approval for officials to move forward with negotiations on the properties, most of them on the campus? western edge. The full Board of Regents, at its regular quarterly meeting Friday at the UNT Health Science Center, is expected to discuss and consider purchase of those seven plus one other property on South Bonnie Brae Street, after a presentation in executive session. The committee gave its approval for UNT to negotiate and buy four properties along the north side of West Prairie Street between North Texas Boulevard and Avenue F where university officials would like to build a dormitory with space for about 400 students. Several small businesses, including a gas station and convenience store, tattoo parlor, television store, storage facility, a barbershop and a used-car dealership, are located on those properties. These buildings would be torn down. A four-unit apartment complex is also among the properties UNT wants to buy. Dr. Richard Rafes, UNT?s interim vice president of administrative affairs, told the committee UNT and the owners have agreed to a price of $115,000 for that property. UNT President Dr. Norval Pohl said after the meeting that UNT?s housing department turned away an estimated 1,500 students who inquired about housing for the current semester, and about 500 of those students were freshmen. UNT dorms can accommodate about 4,500 students. Dr. Pohl said that because of UNT?s housing shortage, officials have had to make many exceptions to its policy that requires freshmen to live on campus or with a relative. "We don?t mind that, but a lot of parents say, ?Wait a minute. We don?t want our son or daughter living off campus,?" Dr. Pohl said. Coupled with the 350-bed dorm expected to open in fall 2003 on the southwest corner of North Texas Boulevard and West Prairie Street, a 400-bed dorm across the street would help a great deal to solve that problem, he said. That dorm, if UNT officials go forward with it, probably would open in fall 2004, he said. Another piece of property UNT regents are considering is Eagle Ridge Apartments, a complex on the southwest corner of North Texas Boulevard and West Hickory Street. Dr. Rafes told the facilities committee that the apartment complex?s owner has agreed to sell the property to UNT for $900,000. Eight units of that 56-unit complex sustained fire damage in July. "The owner came to us at that time and wanted to know if we were interested in buying it before he fixed it up," Dr. Rafes told the board. "If he would have gone ahead and fixed it up, it would cost us a whole lot more." Dr. Pohl said that property is next to the construction site for a new science building at Hickory and Avenue C, and that the area could be designated for construction supplies and a construction headquarters. Or, that area could serve as a parking area. UNT?s board also will consider allowing UNT to buy the Sierra Apartments on Maple Street. This property is surrounded by university property, and if UNT buys it, it will be demolished to allow UNT to build a walking path from the Gateway Center, at the corner of North Texas Boulevard and Eagle Drive, to the campus?s center. A fourth area UNT officials want to buy is a 10- to 12-acre tract north of Liberty Christian School, which UNT agreed to buy earlier this year to use for athletics. UNT officials now want the additional area, on Bonnie Brae, for remote parking, Dr. Rafes told the board. Dr. Rafes asked the facilities committee to not vote on this item until after he could make a presentation to the full board in executive session on Friday. If UNT buys this property and develops remote parking on it, the university would expand its campus shuttle bus service to there, he said. As a state agency, UNT could exercise eminent domain to acquire property if they can?t reach an agreement with the property owners, or if property owners refuse to sell. "We have talked about that a couple of times, but we hope we don?t have to use that," Dr. Pohl said. MATTHEW ZABEL can be reached at 940-381-9664.

Wood signs with UNT Former Sanger pitcher to be part of first softball team 11/20/2002 By Tim MacMahon / Staff Writer Former Sanger standout pitcher Amber Wood is one of 13 members of the North Texas softball program?s initial signing class, which was announced Tuesday. Wood, a 5-10 righthander who earned all-state honors while leading the Lady Indians to a Class 3A state title in 2000, said she signed with UNT because she wanted to play with coach Stacy Segal, her former coach at Navarro College. "I thought she was an excellent coach," said Wood, who set the Navarro College record with 120 strikeouts as a freshman. "UNT is just starting up a program, and I think she?ll put together an awesome program. I?m really excited." Wood, who turned down a scholarship offer from Stephen F. Austin, said the fact that UNT is located a short drive from her hometown didn?t play much of a factor in her decision, though she is pleased her parents will be able to see her play. "Maybe I can get a home-cooked meal every once in a while," she said. Wood is one of five junior-college players in the recruiting class. The others are middle infielder Kelei Walker of Navarro, left-handed pitcher Mandy Hacker of Blinn Junior College and third baseman/catcher Ana Vega and shortstop Brittiniy Chapman of Central Arizona Junior College. Eight high school players also signed with the Mean Green, four each from the states of Oklahoma and Texas. Signees from north of the Red River include outfielder Crosby Dyke, first baseman Heather Bostic and utility players Susan Waters and Maureen Kelly. The four high school players from the state of Texas to sign with UNT are pitcher/utility player Katy Maxey, first baseman/outfielder Monica Garcia, outfielder JoAnn Jones and catcher Christen Jones. "We have received commitments from everyone we have wanted," said Segal, who was hired in August. "I am very excited about this class. These young ladies have the opportunity to initiate a collegiate softball program, which is one thing that not everyone has the opportunity to do." TIM MACMAHON can be reached at 940-381-9572.

UNT Notebook Mean Green?s starters not set 11/20/2002 By Tim MacMahon / Staff Writer North Texas men?s basketball coach Johnny Jones is still juggling possible starting lineups in his mind, just days before the Mean Green?s season opener. UNT, which plays Friday night at Southwest Missouri State, will play with a three-guard lineup. Lee Green will start at point guard with Leonard Hopkins and Chris Davis on the wings. The starting frontcourt isn?t so clear, especially with forward Jermaine Green hobbled by a sprained ankle suffered in Friday?s exhibition win. Green, the team?s second-leading scorer and rebounder last season, isn?t expected to participate in team drills during practice this week. He said, however, that he would definitely play Friday. According to Jones, either Green or junior-college transfer Michael DeGrate will start at power forward, a decision that will be strongly impacted by the status of Green?s ankle. DeGrate or Will Smith will start at the other frontcourt position. Grismanausaite back in lineup Center Vilma Grisman-auskaite, a preseason All-Sun Belt selection who was recently sidelined because of a blood disorder, has been cleared by doctors to play this season. Coach Tina Slinker had previously said that she might have to redshirt the 6-4 senior from Lithuania. Slinker said Tuesday that Grismanauskaite will start, but her minutes will be carefully monitored as a precaution. Player of the Week Freshman middle blocker Brittney Gregory, a major reason the Mean Green has its most wins since 1995, had maybe her best week yet. The 5-11 Gregory recorded career highs of 21 kills and seven blocks in a near-upset of Sun Belt Eastern Division champion Western Kentucky. She followed that performance by recording 15 kills and six blocks at Louisiana-Lafayette, helping UNT hand the Ragin? Cajuns their only home loss of the season. For her efforts, Gregory is the Denton Record-Chronicle UNT Player of the Week. TIM MACMAHON can be reached at 940-381-9572. 7-DAY SCHEDULE THURSDAY: Volleyball vs. Middle Tennessee, Sun Belt Tournament, 7 p.m. FRIDAY: Women?s basketball vs. UT-San Antonio, 7 p.m.; Men?s basketball at Southwest Missouri State, 7 p.m.; Volleyball at Sun Belt Tournament, TBA SATURDAY: Volleyball at Sun Belt Tournament, TBA; Football at Middle Tennessee, 2:05 p.m.; Swimming and diving at Arkansas Invitational

Blanton leads Lady Eagles to win 11/19/2002 Staff report Junior forward Kim Blanton connected on seven of eight field goals to lead four Lady Eagles in double figures as the North Texas women?s basketball team topped the Oklahoma Flyers, 83-64, in an exhibition game Monday night at the Super Pit. Blanton?s 16 points led an offensive attack that included junior Heather Trout, senior Angel Lewis and junior Karolyn Haskin all finishing with 10 points. North Texas shot 40 percent from the field and 13 of the 14 players in uniform scored at least two points for the Lady Eagles. "Our first half shots didn?t go down, but we were able to come out in the second half and seize momentum," said North Texas head coach Tina Slinker. "I?m excited about Kim Blanton?s level of improvement. She has been doing that in practice and getting better every day." In its final tune-up before Friday?s 7 p.m. season opener at home against UT-San Antonio, North Texas took control of the game in the second half after the score was tied at 37-37 at halftime. Blanton, a 6-1 junior, also had seven rebounds, sharing the team lead with Haskin. Senior center Vilma Grismanauskaite pulled down six while Lewis and freshman Kennethia Wilson each had five rebounds. North Texas dominated on the boards, 62-40. The Lady Eagles shot just 37 percent from the field in the opening half and never led by more than three points. The score was tied five times and the Flyers led by as many as six points early in the first half. In the second half, North Texas outscored the Flyers, 16-8, in the first seven minutes to open up its first double-figure lead, 55-45.

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UNT exhibits skills in preseason win 11/16/2002 By Tim MacMahon / Staff Writer Here?s a sign that expectations have increased for the North Texas men?s basketball team: Coach Johnny Jones wasn?t happy with a 117-74 rout of the Texas-Louisiana All-Stars. Jones certainly wasn?t steamed after UNT ended the exhibition season with a blowout Friday night at the Super Pit. He made it clear, however, that the Mean Green has plenty of work to do before the season opener next week at Southwest Missouri State. Of particular concern was UNT?s effort on the defensive end. The All-Stars made 11 of 33 3-pointers, including several that came off of wide-open looks. "We?ve still got to get better on the defensive end," said Jones, who engineered an 11-win turnaround in his debut season a year ago. "We?ve got to be more focused and determined." Jones even found reason to nitpick UNT?s performance on the offensive end, though the Mean Green shot 54 percent from the floor and had five players score in double figures. "We pushed it, but I didn?t like the way we handled some of the break," Jones said. "We turned it over 19 times. That shouldn?t happen. ... But we got 22 assists. I liked that part." There were several other good signs from the Mean Green, starting with the play of point guard Lee Green, who struggled down the stretch last season. Green didn?t shoot the ball well (2-of-9 from the floor), but the led the team with eight assists and nine rebounds while committing only two turnovers. "Right now, I?m focused on the little things," said Green, who will open the season as the starter. "If the points come, that?s a bonus. A point guard is supposed to lead the team." The play of center Justin Barnett, a 6-10 redshirt freshman who sat out last season with a foot injury, was also encouraging. In 19 minutes, Barnett scored 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting and grabbed seven rebounds. "I?m not sure Justin is going to be able to get those numbers night in and night out," Jones said, "but I like his presence in there." The Mean Green got big scoring nights out of its prolific pair of wings: senior Chris Davis and sophomore Leonard Hopkins. Davis, an honorable preseason All-America selection by the Associated Press, scored 22 points on 10-of-16 shooting in 22 minutes. Hopkins, who will start after being the Mean Green?s sixth man last season, added 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting in 19 minutes. Forward Michael DeGrate (12 points) and center Unjel Masters (11) were the other UNT players to score in double figures. UNT received a scare when forward Jermaine Green, the team?s second-leading scorer and rebounder last season, left the game in the first half with an ankle injury. X-rays on the ankle were negative. "I?ll be ready Friday," the lanky forward said, referring to the season opener. Jones intends to make sure the rest of the team is as well. TIM MACMAHON can be reached at 940-381-9572.

UNT Notebook Davis receives All-America votes 11/13/2002 By Tim MacMahon / Staff Writer North Texas senior swingman Chris Davis received votes for the Associated Press preseason All-America team. Five players ? Xavier?s David West, Arizona?s Luke Walton and Jason Gardner, Kansas? Kirk Hinrich and Alabama?s Erwin Dudley ? were first-team selections. The 6-5 Davis was one of 22 others to receive votes. "I?m really excited for Chris," UNT coach Johnny Jones said. "He?s very deserving. It?s good to see that his hard work is paying off for him." Davis, who needs 548 points to surpass Kenneth Lyons as the school?s all-time leading scorer, was one of nine players in Division I to lead their teams in points (22.5 ppg), rebounds (6.4) and assists (2.6) last season. He ranked ninth in the nation in scoring. Davis, Western Kentucky center Chris Marcus and Virginia Military Institute guard Jason Conley were the only players to receive AP votes that weren?t on teams in one of the 10 "power conferences." Mean Green tries to make due without Marginas UNT junior outside hitter Corina Marginas, the school?s all-time kills leader, is possibly out for the season after suffering a third-degree sprain of the ankle during Friday night?s loss to Denver. "Even if we do get here back, she?s not going to be 100 percent," coach Cassie Headrick said. "The kid still has another year to play. We?re not going to put her in a position to hurt herself worse. It?s a wait-and-see thing." With Marginas sidelined, Brieanne Fowler steps back into the starting lineup. Fowler was second behind Marginas on the teams in kills last season, but she lost her starting job to Jill Ruskowski when she hurt her ankle earlier this season. Headrick said Fowler showed signs of returning to last season?s forms during last week?s matches. She added that more of the offensive onus will be placed on middle blockers Brittney Gregory and Tanya Samples in Marginas? absence. "It?s going to put some more responsibility on their shoulders," Headrick said. "If we can establish the middle, that will open things up for Brie and Jill on the outside." Player of the Week Freshman forward Jessica Hennessey picked a pretty good time to pick up her game. Marilyn Marin, the NCAA?s leading scorer, was suspended for the Sun Belt semifinal because of a red card she received in the previous round. Hennessey responded to her teammate?s absence by scoring both of UNT?s goals in a 2-1 win over South Alabama. Hennessey, who had five goals entering the game, tied the game with a goal in the 62nd minute of the game. She scored the first-game winner of her career in the 85th minute. It was also the first multi-goal game of her career. TIM MACMAHON can be reached at 940-381-9572. 7-DAYSCHEDULE FRIDAY: Men?s basketball exhibition, 7 p.m.; Western Kentucky at volleyball, 7 p.m. SATURDAY: New Mexico State at football, 3:05 p.m. SUNDAY: Volleyball at Louisiana-Lafayette, 2 p.m. MONDAY: Women?s basketball exhibition, 6 p.m.

Last night in their first game of the season....Kelsie scored 20 pts and was the lleading scorer in the game.

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Hopkins, Davis spark 98-93exhibition victory for Mean Green 11/09/2002 Sophomore guard Leonard Hopkins and senior guard Chris Davis poured in 22 and 20 points, respectively, to lead the North Texas Mean Green past the Texas Blue Chips, 98-93, in a men?s exhibition basketball game Friday at the Super Pit. In North Texas? first action of the 2002-03 season, Hopkins connected on two three-pointers and hit 12-of-13 free throws to lead four Mean Green players in double figures. Davis hit eight of 20 field goals and went four-of-five at the free throw line to finish with 20 points. Also in double digits for the Mean Green were senior forward Jermaine Green with 13 points and freshman forward Ron Harris, who came in off the bench to contribute 10 points. "I thought we did an excellent job in the first half," said North Texas head coach Johnny Jones. "We played with energy, defended well and penetrated offensively. I was a little disappointed in the second half. We gave up too many points and weren?t patient on offense." The Mean Green forced the Blue Chips into 13 first-half turnovers and raced to a 50-32 halftime lead. Eleven different Mean Green players scored with Davis? 10 points leading the way in the first period. The Blue Chips hit six of their 10 three-pointers in the second half and outscored North Texas by a 61-48 margin to put a scare in the Mean Green. In the first 12 minutes of the final half, the Blue Chips outscored UNT by a 31-12 margin to pull to within a point at 64-63 with 8:11 left. That was as close as the Blue Chips would get, as North Texas connected on seven of eight free throws in the game?s final minute to secure the win. North Texas will play its second and final exhibition game at the Super Pit against the Texas-Louisiana All-Stars on Monday, 7:30 p.m. at the Super Pit.

Early start helps Lady Eagles Freshman point guard trio bright spot in 15-point win over Jaguars 11/08/2002 By Tim MacMahon / Staff Writer There were flashes of potential and more than a few signs of youth during the North Texas women?s basketball team?s exhibition opener Thursday night at the Super Pit. The Lady Eagles opened up a 20-point halftime lead and held on for a 70-55 victory over the Houston Jaguars. Sparked by the play of freshman point guard Erika Bobo, who hit a 3-pointer and had three assists in the first few minutes, UNT shot 50 percent from the floor and made five of seven 3-pointers before the break. Forward Angel Lewis, the only senior to suit up for UNT, scored all eight of her points in the first half. With Lewis sidelined most of the second half because of cramps in her leg, the Lady Eagles weren?t nearly as sharp. UNT allowed the Jaguars back in the game by shooting just 21 percent after halftime, relying way too much on the outside jumper. The Lady Eagles missed all 10 of their 3-point attempts in the second half. "It was a good experience," said UNT freshman forward Jamie Armstrong, who scored a team-high 10 points. "We all went out and were focused and determined, but we have a lot to learn. There?s a lot of things we didn?t do well, but we?ll get better as the season goes on." Added Lewis: "Now we know what we need to work on. We just have to keep our intensity up when we start the second half." Coach Tina Slinker wasn?t too concerned with the drop-off after halftime, noting that it?s difficult to establish much of a rhythm when rotating 13 players. While there are plenty of mistakes made that she will point out to her team, Slinker also came away from the night with several positives. She thought all three of her rookie point guards ? Bobo, Nahogany Brown and Natalie Mireles ? performed well. The trio combined for 14 points and seven assists. Armstrong lived up to her billing by leading the team in scoring off the bench. And freshman power forward Jasmine Williams was a pleasant surprise, grabbing a team-high 10 rebounds in 20 minutes. "The younger kids weren?t intimidated," Slinker said. "You could at least see their potential."

Timely turnaround UNT rebounds into title chase 11/08/2002 By Mike McClendon / For the Denton Record-Chronicle The North Texas football team isn?t the only Mean Green squad with a chance to pull off a dramatic in-season turnaround. Stacey Cooper/DRC Clockwise from top, University of North Texas volleyball coach Cassie Headrick with players Brittney Gregory, Kristin Sheppard, and Corina Marginas at the Men's Gym Thursday afternoon. The team hosts Denver Friday and New Mexico State Sunday, with aspirations of clinching the Sun Belt West title. After stumbling out of the gate this season with a record of 2-9, the Mean Green volleyball team has found its stride and improved its record to 15-13. The Mean Green (15-13, 9-2) could claim a tie for first place in the Sun Belt West Division with a sweep of Denver (2-8, 4-17) and New Mexico State (10-1, 20-5) this weekend. With all but one player returning from a team that advanced to the semifinals of the conference tournament, the Mean Green may have suffered from overconfidence during the early season struggles. "I think after the summer, everyone came in real excited and thought it would be easy," said outside hitter Corina Marginas. "We thought other teams would just let themselves be beaten by us. It wasn?t what we expected. It was harder than that." Added head coach Cassie Headrick: "We thought it would be easy. We didn?t think we were going to have to get out on the court and work hard." Another emotion replaced the overconfidence after the rough start. "I think there was a little bit of panic that set in," admitted Headrick. That panic led to a turnaround that includes a 9-2 record in the Sun Belt Conference and a school-record eight-match winning streak. "We knew that these conference games truly mattered," said junior Kristin Sheppard. "Every game this year has mattered, but we knew we had a chance to win this conference. We knew that if we didn?t get it in gear right then, it would be too late." The school-record winning streak started with a 3-1 win over Denver on Oct. 6. The Mean Green then cruised past seven more foes before the streak ended with a 1-3 loss to New Orleans on Nov. 2. Both Marginas and Sheppard were named Sun Belt Player of the Week during the record run. Marginas, a junior from Brasov, Romania, received the award for the second time this season after averaging 5.67 kills and 3.5 digs per game in sweeps over New Orleans and South Alabama. "When Corina is on, she brings the whole team up, said Sheppard. "Everyone responds and plays that much harder for the team, for her and for the fun of seeing her put the ball down as hard as she can." Marginas, who was selected to the Romanian national team in 2000, is currently leading the Sun Belt in kills. "With Corina, you put the ball up and you know she is going to put it down," said Headrick. "The girls look to her as a go-to player. They put a lot of pressure on her shoulders. I?d say 99 percent of the time, Corina takes that very well." Sheppard, a setter, was honored as Sun Belt Player of the Week after posting her ninth and 10th double-doubles of the season in victories over Arkansas State and Arkansas-Little Rock. "She?s the one who directs our offense," said Headrick of Sheppard. "She?s the quarterback of the team. We put a basic outline together and we say this is what we need to do, but she?s the one making decisions out there." While Marginas and Sheppard provide the Mean Green with solid veteran leadership, a freshman is also making an impact on the court. Middle blocker Brittney Gregory has emerged as a legitimate candidate for Sun Belt Freshman of the Year. Gregory ranks ninth in the Sun Belt in attack percentage in conference play. The freshman turned heads with 10 service aces, a Mean Green season-high, in a win over Grambling. It?s no coincidence that the Mean Green?s season began to turn around after Gregory began to feel comfortable with the speed of the college game. Gregory?s teammates and coaches say that her physicality separates her from other players on the Mean Green roster. "Brittney is attitude," said Headrick. "She has a goal to hit someone in the face every game. That?s one of the big reasons she is here. We needed that little bit of lift." The Mean Green will need a big lift to get past New Mexico State this Sunday. The Mean Green is 0-5 against the Aggies under Headrick, including a sweep earlier this season. "They always beat us and I think we are a little intimidated by them because of that," said Marginas. "We really want to beat them, but we will have to be really determined." Getting past New Mexico State would help clinch one of the three goals the team set out to achieve this season. The Mean Green has already accomplished the first goal: qualifying for the Sun Belt tournament. But claiming a West Division championship and a Sun Belt title are still on the to-do list. The winning streak, individual awards and turnaround are things the team can be proud of, said Headrick, but without the Sun Belt title, the Mean Green will be left unfulfilled. "Ultimately, that goal of a conference championship is what we are going for," Headrick said. "All the stuff that goes with it are just little niceties along the ride." .

Marin ejected in UNT win NCAA?s leading scorer will miss SBC semifinals 11/07/2002 Staff report MOBILE, ALA. ? North Texas got two goals from Melinda Pina and a very unwelcome turn of events in a 4-1 victory over Middle Tennessee in the opening round of the Sun Belt Conference Women?s Soccer Tournament Wednesday. Marilyn Marin Marilyn Marin, the nation?s leading scorer in NCAA Division I, received a red card in the 38th minute of the contest because of rough play. North Texas (13-4-1) not only had to play the rest of Wednesday?s game shorthanded, but will also be without Marin in Thursday?s semifinals as she serves an automatic one-game suspension. "I was proud of the way the team played, especially being a [player] down," said UNT coach John Hedlund. "I think we played a man short for about 60 minutes. The team showed a lot of character. We?re just glad to get to the next day." Hedlund said losing Marin, the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year, "hurts because she?s a tremendous player but at the same time I think the girls really wanted to show that they are not a one-man team." Sophomore defender Caree Ridenour posted the game?s first goal in the 12th minute to give North Texas the early lead. Seven minutes later, Pina scored to make it 2-0. Even with 10 players on the field, North Texas continued to dominate the attack and got a quick goal by midfielder Michelle Uselton, assisted by Pina, right after the start of the second half in the 46th minute. Pina scored in the 74th minute on a great one-on-one chance from 15 yards out to give North Texas a 4-0 cushion. Middle Tenneesse ruined the shutout bid for North Texas when Lindsey Bopp scored off an assist on a corner kick by Laura Miguez in the 76th minute. North Texas will face host South Alabama in the 7 p.m. semifinals Thursday.

Scorer sees NCAA berth as her goal UNT junior Marilyn Marin tops Division I women's soccer 11/06/2002 By TERRY BRITT / The Dallas Morning News DENTON ? Marilyn Marin knows she is the center of attention when she steps onto a soccer field for the University of North Texas. She knows she is UNT's all-time leading goal scorer. And she knows she is going to get the ball, even with double and triple teams. None of it matters for the nation's leading scorer. "I just hate to lose," said Marin, a junior. "I'm very competitive when I get out there." This week, Marin has only two things on her mind as the Mean Green prepares for the Sun Belt Conference tournament in Mobile, Ala., on Wednesday. UNT (12-4-1) is the No. 2 seed and faces No. 7 Middle Tennessee (8-11-1) in the first round. "Two of my goals this season have been for us to win the conference [tournament] and make it to the NCAA tournament. We have a shot at those if we do well this week," Marin said. The Mean Green has a good chance at claiming the Sun Belt's tournament title and automatic NCAA berth with Marin at the helm. Marin leads the nation in scoring with 67 points. Even with that firepower, UNT will have to improve if it is to defeat top-seeded Denver. Eight games ago, Denver handed UNT a 6-1 drubbing, its worst loss of the season. Since that game, UNT has employed a more aggressive attack strategy. Marin has 13 goals and six assists in that span. "It's going to be interesting to see what she can do in the conference tourney," UNT coach John Hedlund said. "It is important that we keep it going with her and keep her healthy," Marin is comfortably ahead of her competition for the scoring title. She has nine more points than California-Santa Barbara's Krystal Sandza. Marin leads Division I in points per game (3.94) and goals per game (1.53). She also ranks fourth in the country with .88 assists per game. She said she developed her inner drive competing for the Dallas-based Sting '83 soccer club for six years. She helped that team win the Snickers North Texas State Cup championship in 1997 and 1998. "Club soccer was so much more important than high school soccer at that time, and it's why a lot of players get their exposure at various [club team] tournaments," Marin said. "We had a really awesome team. ... I think the fact it was so competitive stuck with me. We were the team to beat." Marin worked her magic in high school soccer as well. A three-year starter for Skyline, Marin finished her high school career with 117 goals and 68 assists. Twice, she had 80 or more points in one season. Although she had offers from other programs, Marin was firm on her desire to stay in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. She also said she admired Hedlund's winning determination as a coach. "We're both very competitive, and we talk about it all the time," Marin said. "We both hate to lose, so we just were always on that same page there." Banging home 26 goals and adding 15 assists this season hasn't been easy for Marin, who is generally the target of the opposing team's best defender or two. "There were some occasions before where I would get pushed around and stuff, and that would take me completely out of my game," Marin said. "I've come to realize it's going to happen, and I've got to work harder." She credits the play this season of her teammates ? most notably Melinda Pina, Michelle Uselton, Jessica Hennessey and Alyssa Carrier ? with helping to divert some of the defensive attention. "It helps a lot. They take a lot of the pressure off of me sometimes. They work hard and try to get me the ball and help me," Marin said. "I think we definitely have a good chance of taking the tournament. Hopefully, we can make the finals, and I know we can." SUN BELT WOMEN'S SOCCER TOURNAMENT (At Mobile, Ala.) Wednesday's first round No. 6 Florida International vs. No. 3 South Alabama, 10 a.m. No. 5 Western Kentucky vs. No. 4. La.-Lafayette, 1:00 No. 7 Middle Tennessee vs. No. 2 North Texas, 4:00 No. 8 Arkansas State vs. No. 1 Denver, 7:00 Thursday's semifinals No. 1/8 winner vs. No. 4/5 winner, 4:00 No. 2/7 winner vs. No. 3/6 winner, 7:00 Saturday's championship Semifinal winners, 4:00

Mean Green gets first hoops commitment 11/06/2002 By Tim MacMahon / Staff Writer Former McLennan Community College forward Mike Jones has orally committed to play basketball at North Texas. Jones, who is no relation to UNT coach Johnny Jones, averaged 19.4 points, 9.4 rebounds and 5.6 assists last season. He was an all-region selection and the runner-up player of the year in the North Texas Junior College Athletic Conference. The 6-7 Jones, a teammate of UNT forward Michael DeGrate at McLennan, will sit out this season to complete the academic requirements necessary to transfer to a Division I school. He expects to make an immediate impact for the Mean Green next season. "I?m a player," said Jones, who played his high school ball at Lancaster. "I?m going to bring something to the table. I?m going to hold my hand down." McLennan coach Wendell Hudson said Jones, who chose UNT over several Southland Conference schools, is a quality person who does not have any flaws in his game. "Michael Jones is a complete player," Hudson said. "He plays both ends of the court. He was our best defensive player. He guarded the best player on the other team from 6-9 to 6-0. And he led the team in scoring." Oral commitments are non-binding. The first day a recruit can sign a national letter of intent is Nov. 13. Jones is UNT?s first commitment of the year. Lady Eagles center out with illness Senior center Vilma Grismanauskaite was hospitalized for four days last week with a blood disorder and will not return until Nov. 11 at the earliest, coach Tina Slinker said. Grismanauskaite?s hemoglobin count reached a dangerously low level, leading to her hospitalization. Slinker said Grismanauskaite, a 6-4 senior from Lithuania who was a preseason All-Sun Belt selection, is anemic and has bleeding ulcers. While Slinker hopes Grismanauskaite will return to health quickly, she left open the possibility of redshirting the senior. "You can?t risk her life," Slinker said. Volleyball team?s streak ends at eight The Mean Green volleyball team?s school-record winning streak was snapped at eight matches when UNT suffered a 3-1 loss Saturday at New Orleans. Coach Cassie Headrick said she hoped the loss would get her team?s attention entering this weekend?s home matches against Denver and New Mexico State. "We?re going to use it as a learning experience," Headrick said. "We hope it gets us re-focused. This is probably the biggest weekend that we?ve had thus far." Player of the Week Reserve running back Patrick Cobbs stepped into the spotlight by rushing for a career-high 128 yards and four touchdowns on 16 carries during the Mean Green?s 41-2 win Saturday over Louisiana-Monroe. Cobbs, a sophomore, scored on runs of 33, 28, 7 and 2 yards to become the first UNT player since Scott Davis in 1988 to score four touchdowns in a game. For his efforts, he was named the Denton Record-Chronicle UNT Player of the Week. TIM MACMAHON can be reached at 940-381-9572.

UNT?s No. 8 is great Marin leads Mean Green into Sun Belt tourney 11/05/2002 By Terry Britt / Staff Writer Marilyn Marin knows she is usually the center of attention whenever she steps onto a soccer field for the University of North Texas. She knows she is the all-time leading goal scorer at UNT. She knows she is going to get the ball. She knows opposing defenders will try to double-team her, sometimes even triple-team her. She knows reporters are going to ask her a lot of questions about the goals she scores. None of it matters to Marin ? all that does matter is that the Mean Green ends the match with a victory. "It doesn?t bother me at all," said Marin about all of the individual attention she has had to deal with in three seasons at UNT. "I just hate to lose. I?m very competitive when I get out there." This week, Marin has only two things on her mind as the Mean Green prepares for the Sun Belt Conference tournament in Mobile, Ala. "Two of my goals this season have been for us to win the conference [tournament] and make it to the NCAA tournament. We have a shot at those if we do well this week," said Marin. Many people think the Mean Green has an excellent chance at grabbing the Sun Belt?s tournament title and automatic NCAA berth with Marin at the helm. Her record-setting play this season has garnered attention from college coaches across the country, and she has no bigger fan than UNT head coach John Hedlund. "She having such a tremendous year. The regular season is over and she is well ahead of the second and third-place players in total points for Division I," Hedlund noted. In fact, Marin enters the Sun Belt tournament with 67 points this season, nine more than California-Santa Barbara?s Krystal Sandza. Marin leads Division I in points per game and goals per game. It?s all merely a byproduct of Marin?s rigid determination to score and to help her team win every time out on the field. She said she developed that inner drive competing for the Dallas-based Sting ?83 soccer club for six years. "Club soccer was so much more important than high school soccer at that time, and it?s why a lot of players get their exposure at various [club team] tournaments. "We had a really awesome team," Marin said of her days with the Sting ?83 soccer club, which won the Snickers North Texas State Cup championship in 1997 and 1998. "We went to nationals once, and to regionals several times. I think the fact it was so competitive stuck with me. We were the team to beat." But Marin worked magic in the high school soccer wars as well. A three-year starter for Skyline, Marin posted an incredible 82 points in her junior year on 31 goals and 20 assists. That followed an 80-point season as a sophomore with a high school career-best 32 goals. Although she had offers from other collegiate programs, Marin was firm on her desire to stay in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and signed with North Texas for that reason. "I chose UNT due to the fact I was close to home here. I?m an only daughter and I just wanted to stay close to home," said Marin. She also said she admires Hedlund?s winning determination as a coach. "We?re both very competitive and we talk about it all the time," said Marin. "We both hate to lose so we just were always on that same page there." Banging home 26 goals and adding 15 assists hasn?t been easy for Marin, who is generally the target of the opposing team?s best defender or two. "It?s something I?ve come to expect," she said of the double-teaming or triple-teaming tactics she has faced. "It is frustrating at times but that just makes me work harder. "There were some occasions before where I would get pushed around and stuff and that would take me completely out of my game. I?ve come to realize it?s going to happen and I?ve got to work harder," Marin added. However, she credited the great play this season of her teammates ? most notably Melinda Pina, Michelle Uselton, Jessica Hennessey and Alyssa Carrier ? with helping to divert some of the defensive attention from her. "It helps a lot. They take a lot of the pressure off of me sometimes. They work hard and try to get me the ball and help me," said Marin. Free kicks within 40 yards have become prime scoring chances for the North Texas junior. "It?s something I?ve worked on throughout the years, and every chance I get I try to work on that," she said about her shot accuracy. "You need to place it sometimes, depending on the way the opposing team is set up. I do have confidence in my shot, but I?m just determined more than anything," she said. Marin?s determination is now focused solely on getting the Mean Green into the NCAA Tournament, a quest that will begin with Wednesday?s first-round match against Middle Tennessee. "I think we definitely have a good chance of taking the tournament. Hopefully, we can make the finals and I know we can. We will definitely give all we can and leave everything here. We don?t have anything to lose," said Marin. TERRY BRITT can be reached at 940-381-9605. SUN BELT CONFERENCE SOCCER TOURNAMENT At Mobile, Ala. Wednesday?s Games 10 a.m. ? (3) South Alabama vs. (6) Florida International 1 p.m. ? (4) Louisiana-Lafayette vs. (5) Western Kentucky 4 p.m. ? (2) North Texas vs. (7) Middle Tennessee 7 p.m. ? (1) Denver vs. (8) Arkansas State Thursday?s Games 4 p.m. ? Tournament semifinal 7 p.m. ? Tournament semifinal Saturday?s Game 4 p.m. ? Tournament final