OldTimer

He was am asst coach at NT for several years, left to go to a Florida school for a year or so, then returned to NT last year staying only one year this time. The one year he was gone NT had hired a Denton HS coach, a woman , who only stayed one year. The two other womens asst coaches are women (Janice Dziuk who played at TCU and Angela Ortega) and have been at NT for several years. Scott Stoehr has left his position as an assistant women's basketball coach at North Texas and is expected to join the staff at Arkansas-Little Rock. ..

Track & field: Denton’s Irabor, Roberson headed to UNT Bronco speedsters opt to stay close to home 07:42 AM CDT on Thursday, July 8, 2004 By Brett Vito / Staff Writer One of Brandon Irabor’s best memories from his high school track career at Denton is winning medals and meet titles across the state with friend and teammate Ryan Roberson. Brandon Irabor The experience is one both hope to build on in the next few years, this time on the college level at North Texas. Both recently signed national letters-of-intent to compete for their hometown university. "UNT will be a great place to run," Irabor said. "Ryan and I used to talk about going to college together. That’s a big part of my decision, having one of my best friends with me." The Denton duo is part of a class of 10 recruits for the men’s team that lost several of its top performers after last season. Two UNT recruits are ranked among the 40 high school seniors nationally in their event. Jose Zubia of Midland Lee finished fourth in the Class 5A 800 meters in a time of 1:52.14 at the state track meet last season and is ranked 23rd nationally in the event. David Schwein of Corpus Christi Carroll has qualified for the state meet twice in the Class 5A 400 meter dash and is ranked 35th nationally in the event. He finished fifth in the 2003 National Jr. Olympics and has a top time of 47.74. Ryan Roberson "This is the biggest class of recruits we have signed on the guys’ side since I have been here," said UNT coach Rick Watkins, who is entering his 12th year with the team. "The future of our program is in these guys’ hands." UNT lost 10 seniors from its 2004 men’s team, including several key members of the squad that finished fourth in the Sun Belt Conference meet. Irabor and Roberson are expected to help fill the void "Denton has had some good relay teams the last few years," Watkins said. "They have a lot of experience." Irabor and Roberson are expected to compete in sprint events at UNT and could have a chance to run on one of the Mean Green’s relay teams early in their careers. "It would be exciting to run on a relay team as a freshman," Roberson said. "UNT has a very good program and has sent people to the national meet. I hope I am the next one to go." Roberson posted a time of 21.56 in the 200 as a senior at Denton. Irabor was the district champion in the 100 and finished fourth in the event at the regional meet in a time of 10.88. "This is a great opportunity for Ryan to attend a top-rated university and participate in a strong Division I-A athletic program, said Denton coach Gary Roberson, Ryan’s father. "I have the utmost confidence in the coaching staff at UNT and I expect Ryan to reach new heights in his academic and athletic endeavors." The UNT women lost only a few key athletes, which limited the size of their recruiting class. Michelle Hurn headlines the class. The former Plano East standout is transferring to UNT from the University of Arkansas. Hurn was an All-Southeastern Conference performer in cross country as a freshman at Arkansas. Hurn will join a team that finished second in the Sun Belt outdoor meet in 2004 after winning the league’s outdoor title in 2003. BRETT VITO can be reached at 940-566-6870. UNT track signees Men Brandon Irabor, sprints, Denton Ryan Roberson, sprints, Denton Sean Covington, middle distance, Midland Lee Sean Harriman, middle distance, McKinney North Keith Hill, 400, Frisco Derek Ray, 1600, Brandon, Miss. David Schwein, 400, Corpus Christi Carroll Nathan Smith, sprints, Broken Arrow, Okla. Brandon Woodard, 400, Arlington Sam Houston Jose Zubia, 800, Midland Lee Women Chi Chi Echebelem, sprints, Duncanville Keisha Hornsby, sprints, Manor Raquel Hudson, 400, Arlington Sam Houston Michelle Hurn, 3200, Plano East (Arkansas) Chrystal Mitchell, sprints, South Grand Prairie Brandi Sneed, hurdles, Richardson

. Former Denton standouts Brandon Irabor and Ryan Roberson have signed to run track at North Texas. Plano East-ex Michelle Hurn, a transfer from Arkansas, also is among UNT's newcomers.

Mean Green Volleyball Looking To Build On Recent Success As Upcoming Season Approaches North Texas has begun a trend under head coach Cassie Headrick: Win more matches than the year before. The Mean Green’s victory total has risen in each of Headrick’s four years as head coach and after winning 22 matches last season, the Mean Green’s first 20-win season since 1995, NT will have its work cut out for in 2004 if it’s to follow that trend. Since Headrick’s arrival in 2000, the Mean Green has won 59 matches for its most wins over a four-year span since winning 61 from 1980 to 1984. With the loss of five seniors, including Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year Corina Marginas, the Mean Green will have to capitalize on the building momentum of the last four years and rely heavily on some young talent to step up and fill the holes left behind by the graduating class. "I think this is going to be an interesting year," said Headrick. " With the loss of so many seniors off last year’s roster, we are definitely going to be inexperienced at some key positions and our success will in part be determined by the ability of some young players to develop quickly. I feel that our players are excited to begin the season because of the fact that there are so many unknowns and they are looking forward to the challenge of winning despite their youth. Teamwork is going to be the cornerstone of our success." The return of seniors Anne Pope and Amber Clearman and All-Sun Belt Conference performer Brittney Gregory should make the transition for the younger players easier as they step in and try to help make taking another step toward a Sun Belt Conference title more than just a goal, but a reality. "Our returning players are going to have to step up and lead this young group and I know they are ready for that," said Headrick. "Pope has been a verbal leader for this team since she was a freshman and, along with Clearman, has welcomed the leadership role on and off the court. The younger players have responded to them in some amazing ways. Gregory is ready to blossom and explode in my opinion and her presence is vital to the temperament of this team. The players really respond to her on the court and she has a tendency to bring out the best in her teammates. Her attitude and tenacity is contagious." Pope, Clearman and Gregory provide a strong foundation that North Texas knows it can depend on. All three had the best season of their careers in 2003 and will play even bigger roles in 2004. Behind middle blockers Pope and Gregory, the Mean Green’s play at the net looks to be its strongest asset heading into the upcoming season. Pope started 35 of 36 matches last season, recording career-bests for kills (262), hitting percentage (.214), service aces (17), blocks (89) and digs (96). Her 262 kills and 89 blocks ranked fourth and second on the team, respectively. Already ranked ninth all-time at North Texas for career blocks, the senior standout needs just 201 kills in 2004 to take over 10th place all-time for career kills at the school. Now a junior, Gregory tallied a career-best 459 kills last season that gave her 775 for her career and made her the eighth all-time kills leader at NT. Not only that, her kill total from 2003 is the third most ever by a sophomore at North Texas. She ranked 10th in the Sun Belt Conference in kills last season and returns as the top blocks leader (101) from last year’s squad. Gregory also hit a team-best .295 last season and ranked second on the club in service aces with 37. Clearman brings back some defensive and passing stability after recording a career-best 176 digs in 2003, which was the most on the team among returning players for the 2004 season. She had eight matches with double-figure digs, including four in a row from Oct. 17 - Oct. 31. Minus Pope, Clearman and Gregory, the rest of the roster is made up of freshmen and sophomores with limited playing time but huge potential. The freshmen class is loaded with talent and is praised by Headrick as one of the strongest recruiting classes she’s had. The previous year’s class brought outstanding credentials with them, but saw limited playing time behind the departed seniors that included three of North Texas’ top 10 all-time kill leaders, the school’s all-time assists leader and a starting libero. Among the sophomores, Heidi Johnson and Tara Hooser saw the most playing time last year and performed well when called upon. Johnson, a versatile player who saw action as both a libero and setter, played in 26 matches, including 11 as a starter, last season after redshirting in 2002. Originally a walk-on before being awarded a scholarship, Johnson completed the 2003 season with the second most assists on the team (1.12 apg) and the fifth most digs (2.21 dgp). Among players on last year’s team that return for 2004, she ranked first in assists and second in digs. Hooser played in 25 matches, starting two of them, and 85 games as a true freshman. The 6-0 outside hitter’s 37 blocks were the third most on the team and gives the Mean Green its top three blockers from last year’s team back. She also had 56 kills, which were the seventh most on the team but the third most among returning players. The remaining sophomores, Ashley Hull, Taylor Lawrence and Kaydee Fuller, played in a combined 40 games between them. Lawrence, another versatile player that can line up in the middle or on the outside, saw the most playing time of the group. In 27 matches she recorded 19 kills, a .132 hitting percentage, seven assists, three service aces, 15 digs and six blocks. She showed her potential at times, posting a season-best five kills on a .400 hitting percentage in two games against Prairie View A&M and a season-high .500 hitting percentage (three kills in six attempts with no errors) against Sun Belt Conference runner-up Western Kentucky. Like fellow sophomore Johnson, Hull redshirted the 2002 season. She came back to play in 13 games last season, finishing with six blocks and 10 kills. The 6-1 middle blocker made the most of her playing time, averaging the third most blocks on the team with 0.46 per game. Fuller, a walk-on, played in just one game last season, but has had a chance to learn the offense and looks to increase her role in 2004. The latest signing class includes Ashley Bass, Brooke Engel, Jessica Hulsebosch, Katy Prokof, Erica Wendell and walk-on Brittney Hays. All six are Texas high school products that excelled at their respective schools and in club play. With the loss of All-Sun Belt Conference setter Kristin Sheppard, Bass could come in and fill the starting position right away. She enrolled at North Texas in January after forgoing her senior season at L.D. Bell High School in Bedford, and was able to work out with the Mean Green during the spring. She is expected to compete with Johnson for the starting setter spot. The tallest setter on the team at 6-0, Bass was a three-year starter at L.D. Bell and was named First Team All-District as a junior and the district’s Setter of the Year as a sophomore. Engel is a 6-0 outside hitter from New Braunfels that was a three-year letterwinner at Canyon High School. She was a First Team All-District selection as both a junior and senior, while named Second Team All-District her sophomore season. Hulsebosch had an outstanding senior season at Klein High School in Spring, Tex., earning First Team All-District recognition after recording 220 kills, 197 digs, 37 blocks and 19 service aces. She is expected to play libero with the Mean Green and should strengthen the team’s passing game. She played club ball for Texas Tornados 18 Nike Team, which ranked as the No. 1 18’s team in the state in 2004. Prokof will be a dangerous threat from the outside hitter position, evident by her numbers at Waxahachie High School. As senior, she recorded 332 kills, a .333 attack percentage, 50 blocks, 190 digs and 32 aces in 94 games. Those number were good enough to earn her the District 15-4A MVP in 2003. The school valedictorian, Prokof was also an All-District selection her junior and sophomore seasons. Erica Wendell, a 6-1 middle blocker out of nationally ranked New Braunfels High School, brings possibly the best accolades of any recruit during Headrick’s tenure. The high school standout was listed as one of the top 250 recruits in the nation by PrepVolleyball.com when she signed with the Mean Green and LoneStarVolleyball.com listed her as a 2003 Honorable Mention Outside Hitter among the nation’s top high school talent. Wendell was a First Team All-District, All-Greater San Antonio Area and All-State selection as a junior and senior. Hays was a three-year letterwinner at Paloduro High School in Amarillo, where she earned Second Team All-District honors as a senior. "This is by far the most athletic class we’ve been able to recruit here," said Headrick. "We lose alot with the departure of our seniors, but we’re replacing them with high caliber athletes. This class comes in with a lot of experience and should be able to contribute right away. We were able to steal them away from some other good schools, and it makes me very excited about the future of this volleyball program." The 2004 schedule looks to be challenging and will pit the Mean Green against tough competition. The schedule is highlighted by home matches against TCU on Oct. 26 and SMU on Nov. 10. The Horned Frogs and Mustangs each won 20 matches last season and went a combined 43-23 last season. In addition to the Mean Green’s Metroplex rivals, six other teams on the schedule won at least 20 matches and 14 had a .500 or better record. In nonconference play, NT will face two schools that advanced to the NCAA Tournament in Kansas (22-11) and Valparaiso (27-8). While those two matches will be played on a neutral court in a tournament setting, the Mean Green will catch Sun Belt Conference Champion and NCAA Tournament qualifier New Mexico State once at home (Nov. 5) and once in Las Cruces (Oct. 3). "Having such an overall young team next season, we feel this schedule will really be a challenge to us," said Headrick. "Unfortunately, we were unable to schedule as many home matches as we would have liked, but the competition level will be tough and we are going to see what we are made of right away." The Mean Green will open the season at Tulsa on Sept. 1 before playing in the Oral Roberts Tournament (Sept. 3-4), which is the first of three regular-season tournaments on the NT schedule. The Mean Green will also compete in the Texas Tech Tournament (Sept. 10-11) and St. Louis Tournament (Sept. 17-18). "Our nonconference tournaments should allow us to develop and grow as a team before starting conference play," said Headrick. "Unfortunately, there is one less weekend of nonconference play this year, which I think would really be an and advantage to a young team and without that weekend we were unable to host the Mean Green Classic. We will hopefully re-establish our tournament again next season." North Texas’ will host Texas Southern on Sept. 14 in its first home match and will host Louisiana-Lafayette on Sept. 24 in its first Sun Belt Conference match.

I emailed a copy of this article to RV today.

It has been posted separately that UT lost the championship baseball Game to Cal St F..but just wanted to point out their lack of class ..according to the article I read on the game, The UT baseball team refused to take the field after the game to accept the 2nd place trophy. I would love nothing better than NT beating UT in football this year.......do you get the ideal I am not a Longhorn fan? Part of it steems from the NT UT football game that we won...my wife and I were at that game and the Longhorn fans were terrible, cussing us etc. Something we will never forget.

Volleyball: UNT announces 2004 volleyball schedule 08:44 AM CDT on Saturday, June 26, 2004 The University of North Texas volleyball team released its 2004 schedule on Thursday. UNT’s schedule features home matches against TCU and SMU and should be challenging, as the Mean Green will be pitted against some tough competition in the upcoming season as it looks to build on last year’s 22-win campaign. North Texas is set to face TCU on Oct. 26 and SMU on Nov. 10. Te Horned Frogs and Mustangs each won 20 matches last season and went a combined 43-23 last year. In addition to the Mean Green’s Dallas-Fort Worth rivals, six other teams on the schedule won at least 20 matches and 14 had a .500 or better record. In nonconference play, NT will face two schools that advanced to the 2003 NCAA Tournament in Kansas (22-11) and Valparaiso (27-8). While those two matches will be played on a neutral court in a tournament setting, the Mean Green will catch Sun Belt Conference Champion and NCAA Tournament qualifier New Mexico State once at home (Nov. 5) and once in Las Cruces (Oct. 3). "Having such an overall young team next season, we feel this schedule will really be a challenge to us," said North Texas head coach Cassie Headrick. "Unfortunately, we were unable to schedule as many home matches as we would have liked, but the competition level will be tough and we are going to see what we are made of right away." The Mean Green will open the season at Tulsa on Sept. 1 before playing in the Oral Roberts Tournament (Sept. 3-4), which is the first of three regular-season tournaments on the schedule. The Mean Green will also compete in the Texas Tech Tournament (Sept. 10-11) and St. Louis Tournament (Sept. 17-18). "Our non-conference tournaments should allow us to develop and grow as a team before starting conference play," said Headrick. "Unfortunately, there is one less weekend of nonconference play this year, which I think would really be an and advantage to a young team and without that weekend we were unable to host the Mean Green Classic. We will hopefully reestablish our tournament again next season." Although North Texas is not hosting the Mean Green Classic in 2004, it will hold the program’s first Mean Green Alumni Game under Headrick. The game is scheduled for Sept. 21 at 7 p.m. and will feature former standouts such as all-time kill and dig leader Corina Marginas and all-timem assist leader Kristin Sheppard. North Texas will host Texas Southern on Sept. 14 in its first home match and will host Louisiana-Lafayette on Sept. 24 in its first Sun Belt Conference match. 2004 NORTH TEXAS VOLLEYBALL SCHEDULE Date Day Opponent Site Time Sept. 1 Wed. at Tulsa Tulsa, Okla. 7 p.m. Sept. 3-4 Fri.-Sat Oral Roberts Tournament Tulsa, Oklahoma Sept. 3 Fri at Oral Roberts Tulsa, Okla. 7 p.m. Sept. 4 Sat. vs. Kansas Tulsa, Okla. 10 a.m. Sept. 4 Sat. vs. Loyola-Chicago Tulsa, Okla. p.m. Sept. 10-1 Fri.-Sat Texas Tech Tournament Lubbock Sept. 10 Fri. vs.UTEP Lubbock 10 a.m. Sept. 10 Fri. vs. UT-Pan American Lubbock 5 p.m. Sept. 11 Sat. at Texas Tech Lubbock 2 p.m. SEPT. 14 TUE. TEXAS SOUTHERN DENTON 7 PM Sept. 17-18 Fri.-Sat. St. Louis Tournament St. Louis, Mo. Sept. 17 Fri. at St. Louis St. Louis, Mo. noon Sept. 18 Sat. vs. Valparaiso St. Louis, Mp. 2 p.m. Sept. 18 Sat. vs. St. Louis St. Louis, Mo. 7 p.m. SEPT. 24 FRI. LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE* DENTON 7 PM Sept. 26 Sun. at Middle Tennessee* Murfreesboro, Tenn. 1 p.m. Oct. 1 Fri. at Denver* Denver, Colo. 8 p.m. Oct. 3 Sun. at New Mexico State* Las Cruces, N. M. 2 p.m. OCT. 8 FRI. SOUTH ALABAMA DENTON 7 PM OCT. 9 SAT. NEW ORLEANS* DENTON 1 PM Oct. 12 Tue. at Stephen F. Austin Nacogdoches 7 p.m. OCT. 16 SAT. FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL* DENTON 7 PM Oct. 22 Fri. at Arkansas-Little Rock* Little Rock, Ark. 7 p.m. Oct. 23 Sat. at Arkansas State* Jonesboro, Ark. 7 p.m. OCT. 26 TUE. TCU DENTON 7 PM Oct. 29 Fri. at New Orleans* New Orleans, La. 7 p.m. Oct. 31 Sun. at South Alabama* Mobile, Ala. 1 p.m. NOV. 5 FRI. NEW MEXICO STATE* DENTON 7 PM NOV. 7 SUN. DENVER* DENTON 1 PM NOV. 10 WED. SMU DENTON 7 PM Nov. 12 Fri. at Louisiana-Lafayette* Lafayette, La. 7 p.m. NOV. 14 SUN. WESTERN KENTUCKY* DENTON 1 PM Nov. 18-20 Thurs.-Sat. Sun Belt Conference Championships New Orleans, Louisiana *Sun Belt Conference match All Times Central

UNT signee named top JUCO player 01:15 AM CDT on Wednesday, June 2, 2004 By Brett Vito / Staff Writer A detour through the junior college ranks paid off for Isaac Hines in impressive fashion earlier this month. The North Texas men’s basketball signee committed to Lamar University out of Dallas Molina High School before transferring to Collin County Community College for what turned out to be two of the best seasons of his career. Hines was recently recognized for his play in the junior college ranks when the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches named him the Texas Junior College Player of the Year. The organization has long recognized the top players and coaches in the state and added a junior college section to its slate of awards this year. “It’s a big honor for me,” Hines said. “I developed a lot at Collin. The coaches there all have experience at the Division I level and helped me improve.” Hines led Collin County to a No. 2 national ranking at the end of the regular season and was named the North Texas Junior College Athletic Conference Player of the Year. The Express’ starting point guard averaged 11.7 points, 8.0 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 3.4 steals a game as a sophomore. Hines was also a second-team NJCAA All-American. Texas has a reputation for being a hotbed for junior college basketball. The state’s top programs have produced NBA stars such at Spud Webb and Mookie Blaylock (Midland College), Larry Johnson (Odessa College) and Sam Cassell and Steve Francis (San Jacinto). “It’s a big honor for Isaac to be picked when you talk about the number of junior colleges and players in the state,” UNT coach Johnny Jones said. “It’s unbelievable for us to get a player of that caliber.” Hines originally planed on playing for Lamar, but saw his career take a turn when he broke his wrist the first day of official practices during his freshman year. Hines sat out the season and decided to start fresh at a new school. Transferring to another Division I school would have forced Hines to sit out another year, so he decided to go to a junior college. The decision paid off when Hines developed into one of the top junior college guards in the country. “Isaac is a winner and does so many things on the court that do not show up on the stat sheet,” Collin County coach Jim Sigona said. “He is a true point guard and those guys are hard to find.” Hines said he received numerous scholarship offers during his sophomore year at Collin County, but decided to stay close to home at UNT. Hines is finishing up his two-year degree and working out to prepare for his first season at UNT. “I am ready to go,” Hines said. “I am playing my best basketball right now.” Davis transferring to UNT Former University of Arkansas guard Kendrick Davis said he is in the process of transferring to UNT. The former Sugar Land Clements standout spent two years at Arkansas and will have two years of eligibility remaining after he sits out a season to fulfill NCAA transfer rules. “I felt like Arkansas was not a good fit for me,” Davis said. “I liked the coaching staff, players, the city and North Texas as a whole.” Davis averaged 10.3 points a game as a freshman at Arkansas and was the team’s third-leading scorer. He averaged 5.4 points last season. Davis could help fill the void that will be left at shooting guard after Leonard Hopkins completes his career next season. Hopkins averaged 14.0 points a game to lead the team during the 2003-04 campaign and was a second-team All-Sun Belt Conference selection. The addition of Davis will give UNT’s coaches a jump on building its recruiting class for the 2005-06 season. UNT recently completed its incoming recruiting class that included three junior college players and two high school standouts. The Mean Green signed Hines, Eastern Oklahoma State College center Jeffrey Simpson and Moberly (Mo.) Area Community College power forward Chris White. UNT also added Michael Sturns, a guard from North Crowley High, and Quincy Williams, a forward from Carl Albert High in Midwest City, Okla. The Mean Green are coming off of a 13-15 season in 2003-04. UNT lost to New Orleans in double overtime during the first round of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament. BRETT VITO can be reached at 940-566-6870. His e-mail address is bvito@dentonrc.com

Is it true there are no ships available to the incoming softball coach? I remember two early signings. I had hoped the new coach could bring a couple of her top players off her JC ...seem to remember one was all region team.

I couldn't find us either. emailed to the address on the web site...and it bounced.

Transfer athletics don't sign letters of intent. They are fair game until they enroll in school. KDee is retaking a course at Arkansas this summer at UA's expense. We should all sit on pens and needles until he actually enrolls at NT. It is my understanding that UA recruited two All Americans and he was faced with less playing time as a soph even though he was their 6th man. KDee was ranked by Rivals as a 3 * athlete his sr year in HS. Hines at pt. gd is listed by Rivals as a 3 * player in JC. Hopefully this will be a very productive recruiting class. Jeffrey Simpson while listed at 6-8 is every bit of 6-9.

Mean Green Tennis Signs Aba Butain DENTON (5/26/04) – North Texas head women’s tennis coach Dawna Prevette has announced that Aziza Aba Butain signed a National Letter of Intent to play with the Mean Green next season. Originally from Geneva , Switzerland , Aba Butain attended The Meadows School in Las Vegas , Nevada , where she was a four-year letterwinner with the tennis team. She has picked up a number of accomplishments and honors during her tennis career, including runner-up at state in doubles and singles as a sophomore and junior, respectively. “Aziza is very dedicated and she is a hard worker,” said Prevette. “‘I can’t’ is not in her vocabulary. She has been able to implement variety into her game and I’m excited to work with her next year.” The team captain her senior campaign, Aba Butain finished second in zone singles after having to retire the championship match with an injury. She attempted to compete at state, but was hampered by the injury and received fourth after having to withdraw from the competition. As a freshman, Aba Butain took 4th in zone singles play. Among her tennis awards are the Poncho Gonzales Most Promising Player, Muterspaw National Sportsmanship Award and Pepsi Circus Athlete of the Month. Aba Butain has participated in many tournaments all over the country, including the Easter Bowl and the Supernational Clay Court Championships. In addition, she participated in sectionals, circuits, nationals, zonals and various other team events such as the Billie Jean King Junior World Team Tennis competition. Aba Butain participated in the Tennis: Europe program that was made up of nine juniors of varying ages from across the United States and sent them to England , France , Holland and Germany to play in international tournaments against some of the top juniors in the world. A victory over the No. 1 player in India in an ITF match highlighted Aba Butain’s participation in the program. Her experience also includes competition with Team Nevada , which plays in several national tournaments. In addition to her accomplishments on the tennis courts, Aba Butain has been involved in a number of community services and extracurricular activities at her school. Some of her academic awards include the Cultural Anthropology Honors Student of the Year and the Precalculus Honors Student of the Year. She is the Crafts for Kids Student Ambassador, received the Community Enrichment Award for Southern Nevada in the youth category, a member of the Make-A-Wish Club at her high school, competed on the debate team and participated in band.

UNT set to name Burns new softball coach 09:48 AM CDT on Wednesday, May 26, 2004 By Brett Vito / Staff Writer North Texas will introduce Kelly Burns as the school’s new head softball coach today. Burns spent the last three seasons rebuilding the program at Texarkana Community College and took the Bulldogs to the junior college national tournament earlier this month. "I am extremely excited," Burns said. "It’s a great opportunity at a great institution that has had a lot of success in its athletic department the last few years." Burns will take over a program entering its second season since being reinstated by the UNT athletic department. Stacey Segal coached the team for the majority of its first season before abruptly resigning April 22 with 14 games left in the regular season. Assistant coach Angie Scharnhorst took over for the remainder of the year and led UNT to a win over Western Kentucky in the first round of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament on May 13. Scharnhorst has since left the program. "The program needs stability," Burns said. "I am very big on the mental aspects of the game and staying in control." That approach paid off for Burns at Texarkana. She took over the program that posted a 4-20 record in 2001 and immediately helped the team improve. Texarkana went 11-13 in Burns first year and 15-11 in her second year. Texarkana went on to post its best season under Burns this last year when the Bulldogs advanced to the national tournament and finished with a 21-5 record after losing consecutive games at event. "She has done a great job of turning the program around and getting it going in the right direction," Texarkana athletic director and baseball coach James Mansinger said. "She will handle the situation at UNT fine." Mansinger said Burns’ personality and her ability to recruit as two of her best assets. Burns will take over a UNT team that showed signs of developing during an up-and-down campaign. The Mean Green captured the Mean Green/Wells Fargo Classic Tournament title and won seven straight games in late March. UNT finished with a 22-57 record despite that run of success. UNT did not have any seniors on its roster last season. Junior outfielder Stephanie Cranmer was a first-team All-Sun Belt Conference selection, while freshman pitcher/outfielder Katy Maxey was a second-team selection as a designated player. Burns will also have a recruiting class in place. Each member of Segal’s final recruiting class has signed a national letter of intent. Burns played at UT-Arlington before finishing her career at Texas A&M in 1993. She is from Garland and recruited the Dallas area heavily during her time at Texarkana. "The foundation is there to be successful," Burns said. "North Texas is in the Dallas area, which has a lot of quality players." UNT fielded a softball team from 1985-88 before disbanding the team. The school reinstated the program in 2002. "We have nowhere to go but up," Burns said. "I am looking forward to being a part of that." BRETT VITO can be reached at 940-566-6870.

I would believe the acceptance was delayed until after the national tournment. A coach just does not quit her team before such an event.

NORTH TEXAS Burns to take over as softball coach DENTON – Kelly Burns will take over as head coach of the softball team today. Burns spent the last three seasons at Texarkana Community College, and she led the Bulldogs to the national tournament and a 21-5 record last season. Burns takes over a UNT team that just completed its first season of play after a 15-year hiatus. Stacey Segal coached the team, which was 22-57 overall, for most of the season before abruptly resigning April 22 with 14 games left. Brett Vito

Season Stats: not counting the NO Bowl game Scott Hall 225 plays, 72 yds rushing, 1580 yds passing, Total yards 1652 yds, av 137.7 yd Andrew Smith: 53 plays -23 yds rushing, 187 yds passing, 164 yds total, av 23.4 yds Passing stats: Scott Hall Efficiency 159.77 , 165 attemps 98 completions 5 interceptions completed 59.4 % Andrew Smith: Efficiency 68.59, 35 attemps, 13 completions 4 interceptions completed 27.1 % One stat that is not in the NO bowl media guide is the number of fumbles Scott and Andrew made.

Info from two postings on Scotty's board by the two NT BB knowledgeable people.

NT signed two HS players: Quincy Williams Carl Albert HS in OK6-7, 17.6 ppg, 9.5 rebounds, blocked 76, 39 steals and 39 asst/ Class 5A all State , by Daily Oklahoman Michael Sturns North Crowley HS, FW...ranked # 22 in Texas by TX Hoops 6-4 guard.18.3 ppg3.7 assists, 4.9 rebounds and 3.6 steals. Both were preseason HM all American by Street and Smith Both are very good signings for NT. Isaac Hines JC was rated 3 *** by rivals, pt. gd 24 ppg, 7.,1 rebounds, 5.1 steasl and 4.4 assists. 4 time all City (Dallas) with 481 career steals which ranks 2nd most all time in the nation behind Jason Kidd.162 steals as a SR in HS.. All tournament in the Global games...which included players from KS, GA Tech, SMU's Bryan Hopkins and Miss State Lawrence Roberts. I don't know that much about the 6-9 (not 6-8) JC kid from OK. or the 6-6 280 pd FW from Moberly CC...their stats in JC don't excite me, but I have never seen them play....certaintly that the 280 kid can go a black flip.. The OK FW chose NT over TCU, UH, NMSU and IUPUL-who is this? The 6-6 kid had great stats in HS in Alabama..USA today Alabama HS player of the year, the states Mr. BB in HS. He is evidently very strong can bench 330 lbs and not may opposing players will push him around thats for sure.

Basketball: UNT men have one scholarship left 09:15 AM CDT on Saturday, May 1, 2004 Coach Johnny Jones has an additional scholarship available following the NCAA’s decision to rescind the 5-8 rule that limited the number of scholarships teams can award. The rule limited teams to awarding a maximum of five scholarships in a year and eight over a two-year period. The rule was designed to prevent coaches from constantly changing their rosters. UNT has only used 12 of the 13 possible scholarships it can award. Jones had already awarded scholarships to five players for next season and would not have been able to give out a sixth under the old rule. "There are a lot of guys who will be available and some kids might be looking to transfer," Jones said. "We won’t rush into anything." Jones said he supported the NCAA’s decision to change the rule. "I am glad that they got rid of it," Jones said. "The rule created a lot of problems. I understand the intent of the rule, but a lot of people were punished for what a few people were doing."

Mean Green Volleyball Signs Klein HS Standout Jessica Hulsebosch DENTON (4/15/04) – North Texas volleyball head coach Cassie Headrick has announced that Jessica Hulsebosch, a 5-10 outside hitter/libero from Klein High School in Texas, signed a National Letter of Intent to play with the Mean Green. Hulsebosch had an outstanding senior season at Klein HS, earning First Team All-District recognition and the high school’s MVP award. The team captain in 2003, she recorded 220 kills, 197 digs, 37 blocks (16 solo) and 19 service aces. She is listed among Who’s Who In Sports and has a career-high 22 kills. As a junior, she was a Second Team All-District selection and helped lead Klein to the final four in the state tournament with a 33-9 record. Her sophomore campaign she was named Honorable Mention All-District. “Jessica has been a hard worker,” said Klein High School head coach Cindy Miksch. “She made varsity her sophomore year and played several positions for us. She is a hard worker with a positive attitude and will do anything you ask of her.” Hulsebosch currently plays club ball for Texas Tornados 18 Nike Team, which is currently ranked the No. 1 18’s team in the state. She has played club ball for six seasons, qualifying for Junior Nationals in 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004. “Jessica has been a leader of our team this entire season,” said Texas Tornados 18 Nike Team head coach Chuck Schneider. “Her maturity and focus help our team achieve success. Her volleyball skills are strong, as well as her attitude and character. North Texas is getting a tremendous player and a wonderful person.” “Jessica played outside hitter for her Klein High School team but plays Libero only for her club team,” said Headrick. “Having such a young team next year, we are in definite need of ball control and that is what attracted us to Jessica. Jessica is a leader on a very successful club team and her experience is going to immediately be a great help here at North Texas . She is taller than many liberos in today’s game and we feel that allows for her to reach many balls that shorter athletes may be unable to reach. She also has experience hitting on the outside, so that will allow us to have a third outside hitter if needed in injury situations.” Hulsebosch is the fifth in-state player to sign with the Mean Green for the 2004 season. She joins Ashley Bass ( Bedford ), Brooke Engel ( New Braunfels ), Katy Prokof (Waxahachie) and Erica Wendell ( New Braunfels ) in the class. Bass is a 6-0 setter from L.D. Bell High School , Engel a 6-0 right side/outside hitter that attended Canyon High School , Prokof a 5-11 outside hitter that competed at Waxahachie High School and Wendell a middle blocker for nationally-ranked New Braunfels High School . “Jessica is part of an incoming class that we are very proud to bring to the court next year and feel is one of the strongest recruiting classes ever for this volleyball program,” said Headrick.

DeGrate, Blanton Capture MVP Honors At Basketball Banquet The 2004 North Texas Basketball Banquet was held Thursday at the Super Pit, featuring master of ceremonies George Dunham. Video highlights from each team’s season were shown and head coaches Johnny Jones and Tina Slinker spoke as well. Coach Jones presented the following awards to members of the Mean Green men’s basketball team: Leadership Award – Jerome Rogers Hustle Award – Will Smith Offensive MVP – Leonard Hopkins Defensive MVP – Shawnson Johnson MVP – Chris Davis Coach Slinker presented the following awards to members of the Mean Green women’s basketball team: Most Improved Player – Mia Ajekwu Hustle Award – Natalie Mireles Best Attitude – Karolyn Haskin Offensive MVP – Jill Medlock Defensive MVP – Erika Bobo MVP – Kim Blanton

A good source says NT has not recruited Marvin Beatty, nor offerred a ship. Don't understand why he would indicate a commit to NT.

Basketball: UNT lands solid point guard in Hines Collin County star chooses Mean Green 08:51 AM CDT on Thursday, April 8, 2004 By Brett Vito / Staff Writer Isaac Hines had plenty of choices when it came time to decide where to continue his college basketball career. The former Collin County Community College point guard received offers from Gonzaga, Arizona State and Louisiana Tech, among others. None of those situations was as enticing as the chance to play for North Texas. Hines orally committed to the Mean Green this week and plans on signing a binding national letter of intent in the coming days. "I wanted to be part of making a good team a great one," Hines said. "Playing for UNT is a good opportunity for me. I liked coach [Johnny] Jones, the staff and the players." Hines, 6-1, 175, averaged 12 points, 7.3 rebounds and 5 assists a game during his sophomore year at Collin County. The Express finished the 2003 regular season ranked second in the National Junior College Athletics Conference Division I poll and advanced to the finals of the Region V Tournament. Hines was the Player of the Year in the Northern Texas Junior College Athletics Confer-ence and a second-team NJCAA All-American. JUCO Junction, a Web site the covers junior college basketball recruiting, rated Hines as a three-star recruit. "Isaac is a winner and does so many things on the court that do not show up on the stat sheet," Collin County coach Jim Sigona said. "He is a true point guard and those guys are hard to find." Hines could fill an immediate need for UNT, which has been recruiting the former Dallas Molina standout for several months. The Mean Green lost starting point guard Scott Roniger early in the season when he left the team for personal reasons. Jerome Rogers stepped into the starting role and led the Mean Green to the Sun Belt Conference Tournament before graduating. UNT’s coaches cannot comment on Hines until he signs a letter of intent. "I feel like I can be the missing piece that they need to be a great team," Hines said. "UNT is definitely a program on the rise." Hines is expected to be part of a dynamic UNT backcourt next season. Shooting guard Leonard Hopkins averaged 14 points a game to lead UNT in scoring. Freshman guard Calvin Watson moved into the starting lineup midway through the season and finished the year averaging 8.3 points a game. The duo helped lead UNT to the Sun Belt Conference Tournament, where the Mean Green fell in the first round to New Orleans, 91-89, in double overtime. The Mean Green finished with a 13-15 record, its second season with double figure wins in three seasons under head coach Johnny Jones. UNT failed to win 10 games in any of the four seasons before Jones’ arrival for the 2001-02 campaign. Hines is familiar with a few of the players who have helped UNT begin to turn the corner the last three seasons. Hines played against Mike Jones when UNT’s senior forward played at McLennan Community College and faced Hopkins during his high school career. Hines averaged 24 points, 7.1 rebounds, 5.1 steals and 4.4 assists a game at Molina High. He finished his high school career with 481 steals, a total that ranked second all-time among high school players behind New Jersey Nets guard Jason Kidd. Hines signed with Lamar before transferring to Collin County. "Isaac can flat out defend," Sigona said. "I think he will have a chance to come in and help UNT right away." BRETT VITO can be reached at 940-566-6870.

Here is the DMN blurb....Doesn't mention he was player of the year in this conference. IMHO he will be our starting Pt. Gd and the offense will be built around him. Ranked 3-*s. I'm sure the DRC will have an expanded article on this committment. Congrats JJ and team NORTH TEXAS JUCO star commits to Mean Green DENTON – Former Collin County Community College standout Isaac Hines has orally committed to play for the Mean Green basketball team. The former Molina standout was a second-team National Junior College Athletics Conference All-American as a sophomore last season at Collin County. Hines led the Express to the final of the Region V tournament. Brett Vito

could not find stats for his schoo but stats for the JC division do not show him among the top 25 or so they list on scoring or on rebounds. Not impressed at this time...but all info not in for proper analysis. Hope this is not a fall back selection.l