Search the Community

Good article on the three basketball transfers that sat out last season. http://www.meangreensports.com/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/052416aal.html

http://www.loyolaramblers.com/sports/w-baskbl/mtt/grace_goodhart_970802.html http://www.hudl.com/athlete/2221102/grace-goodhart HIGH SCHOOL 2014-15 McDonald's All-American Nominee ... Named Most Valuable Player of the Texas 3A State Championship game after leading Sunnyvale High School to a state title following an appearance in the regional final during her junior year ... Capped off storied career as a Raider by averaging 17.1 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.5 steals en route to being selected as the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches' (TABC) Class 3A State Player of the Year ... Also received multiple All-State and All-Region honors from multiple outlets and organizations during her high school career ... Played on the club level for Dallas Heroes Elite and coach Mariqus Alexander ... TABC Academic All-State honoree as a senior ... Two-time Academic All-District selection.

Two wins in a row, both on the road, bringing the women to a 5-5 record. The cardiac kids had to yet again come out from an 11-point deficit. About a third of the way into the season, this year's squad has already topped last season's number of wins. So far, things are looking good. One last out of conference game yet to play. I'd say there is a fair chance the women could notch a third win in a row, last time that would have happened would be the 2012-2013 season against Troy, ULM, UALR, South Alabama, and FIU (5 wins in a row).

Adam Boedeker, our man on the scene at Denton Guyer, forwarded a pretty interesting tidbit today. New UNT women’s basketball coach Jalie Mitchell has offered Lauren Heard, one of the big-time stars at a school known for cranking out college athletes. Heard will be a junior at Guyer this year. She’s also the younger brother of Jerrod Heard, the former standout Guyer quarterback who looks like he has a good chance to start at Texas this year. Read more: http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/2015/06/unt-offers-guyer-standout-et-cetera.html/

I just left the Dallas Caravan and wanted to share a couple of thoughts. I also took a couple of pictures and will post them here in this thread later. Overall, it was a nice event. I would put the attendance at around 40+. They had Dave Barnett as MC and he introduced Rick Villarreal, as well as John Nitardy who is heading up the Mean Green Club. The coaches present were Danny Mac, Tony Benford, Jalie Mitchell and volleyball coach Andrew Palileo. RV spoke about some of the good things that happened last sports year and mentioned the SMU win at home being a highlight. Benford talked about how they were looking forward to this season and how J-Mychael Reese was going to be a difference maker. I talked to him prior to the start and he seems to be really pleased with his two upcoming additions. Jalie just really impressed me in person, she is young as a head coach but extremely wise beyond her years. She speaks and holds herself in a very impressive manner. She acknowledged that next year would be challenging, but when she recounted the players she is bringing up next season you can't help but be excited. Mac was vintage Mac...very funny lines, energetic. The guy should be a motivational speaker he really knows how to fire up a crowd. He spoke very highly of Assistant Coach Mike Simmonds who he expects to have a very competitive line next year despite losing 3-4 starters.I I also thought it was neat to have Georgio there. Dave Barnett said some nice things about his excitement about taking the job. I have to say, Dave is going to be really good. Overall, a nice venue and well run event that stayed on track time-wise. Hard not to get pumped up about the future when you hear these coaches. Appreciated the AD for putting together a 1st class event for us and hope that in future years more will take advantage of it.

Several people have asked over the last few days if the terms of Jalie Mitchells first contract as the head coach at UNT are available. Good question. Sometimes it takes a bit for contracts for head coaches to come out because of one key point. The board of regents has to approve contracts that exceed $1 million for the duration of the deal. When I asked about the deal yesterday, I was told that the board had yet to approve the contract. Mike Petersen made just short of $200,000 a year in base salary last year. Read more: http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/2015/04/tuesday-afternoon-notes-a-few-basketball-football-tidbits-on-the-financial-end.html/

Former Weatherford College basketball player Kasondra Foreman has accepted a position as assistant womens basketball coach with the University of North Texas. A 2012 UNT graduate, Foreman has been on the coaching staff at Northwestern State University for the last two years with a special emphasis on recruiting and guard development. She will coach under Jalie Mitchell, UNTs newly-named head womens basketball coach. Mitchell was the assistant coach that recruited Foreman to UNT in 2010. Kasondra is family to me and Im excited to bring her home as an assistant coach, Mitchell said. Her ability to relate to players and sustain relationships will play a vital role in our recruiting efforts. She is very driven and her postseason experience will help us as we prepare to get to that point ourselves. In 2014, Foremans first season on the Northwestern coaching staff, the Lady Demons won a program-record 21 games and reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time. They followed with another NCAA berth in 2015. They won the Southland Conference Tournament in 2014 and 2015, with a perfect 7-0 record in conference tournament games those seasons. Read more: http://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/community/weatherford-star-telegram/wt-sports/article19794879.html

"It wasn't a situation where I asked her to leave and come with me," Mitchell said. "I was surprised. She had actually done a good job. If anybody knows Nekia, they know she's a crowd favorite wherever she plays. I was pretty shocked. "I think it's just a relationship. There's a mutual trust," Mitchell said. "I think what she's looking for, she can come to North Texas and still pursue the same goals and dreams that she had when she went to Texas." Mitchell, who is one of the best women's basketball players to play at North Texas, believes Jones has the potential to make a similar impact for the Mean Green. "She makes me a little nervous," said Mitchell, who finished her career as the school's all-time leading scorer and has her jersey number retired. "She might put in some years and break my (scoring) record." Read more: http://www.beaumontenterprise.com/sports/article/Ex-Ozen-star-Jones-transfers-to-North-Texas-6213705.php

EDITOR’S NOTE: Tina Slinker is North Texas’ winningest women’s basketball coach with 241 victories in 19 seasons at the school from 1989 to 2008 and is now the athletic director at The Hockaday School in Dallas. New UNT head coach Jalie Mitchell, a member of the school’s Hall of Fame, played for Slinker from 1998-2002, when the Mean Green posted a 77-39 record and advanced to the Women’s NIT in 2001 and 2002. UNT has not posted a winning season in its past nine under four coaches since Slinker guided the Mean Green to a 19-win season in the 2005-06 campaign. I have spent 26 years being involved in and now following the women’s basketball program at North Texas. I am writing in hopes of accumulating support, not that she needs it, for newly named head coach, Jalie Mitchell, one of UNT’s finest and someone who can re-establish alumni support and lead the program in a positive and productive direction. Mitchell needs your support and understanding of the task involved. For the past seven years since my contract was not renewed, I have followed the program and thought a great deal about why it continues to struggle. I understand better today, than ever, that it was certainly time for a change and remain hopeful that the program can regain the respect it once had. Read more: http://www.dentonrc.com/sports/sports-headlines/20150411-tina-slinker-support-for-new-coach-wanted1.ece

She earned all-conference honors all four years at North Texas and was a part of the winningest senior class in program history, compiling a 77-39 record -- including a 42-4 mark at the Super Pit -- and making back-to-back WNIT appearances in 2001 and 2002. Mitchell's No. 44 is one of two numbers that has been retired by the Mean Green, and her spectacular playing career culminated in 2007 when she was inducted into the North Texas Hall of Fame. "This is a great day for the program, the athletic department and the entire University of North Texas," Athletic Director Rick Villarreal said. "We were able to bring back one of our own who has played at the highest level, worked with and learned from some of the most talented coaches in the country and has proven herself as a premier recruiter across the nation." Previously, Mitchell had been an assistant coach for four seasons under head coach Karen Aston, beginning with the 2011-12 campaign with North Texas. In that campaign, the team went 15-16, which is its best record of the last nine seasons. When Aston left the Mean Green to coach the Longhorns in 2012, Mitchell followed. In her three seasons at Texas, the team combined for a 60-41 overall record. The Longhorns made the NCAA Tournament field the last two seasons, including a Sweet 16 appearance in 2015 -- their first since 2008. Mitchell began her collegiate coaching career in 2008 as an assistant coach with the Mean Green under Shanice Stephens. She spent two seasons at North Texas under Stephens before taking on the same position at UNC Wilmington for the 2010-11 season. Mitchell helped the Seahawks finish with a 24-9 record and reach the second round of the WNIT, both program bests. "In addition to her coaching and recruiting skills, Jalie will bring to us an emotion, a passion and a commitment to the university that she doesn't have to think about because it's embedded in her," Villarreal continued. "At the end of the day, this hire was about her ability to bring in quality players and push them to maximize their talents in order to build the kind of program we all want. She brings the added ability to connect to the Dallas market, not just with student-athletes, but also with alumni who share her memories and dreams." WHAT THEY'RE SAYING... "This is a terrific hire for North Texas, and I am so thrilled for Jalie. She is a rising star in our profession and truly cares not only about winning, but also developing young women. During my time with her over the past four seasons, her commitment was always to the student-athlete first. Jalie is a tremendous recruiter and someone who will embrace helping players achieve their goals, may it be academically or athletically. I am so appreciative of her commitment to helping Texas become successful, and more importantly, I am so proud of her, personally and professionally." -- Karen Aston, Head Coach, University of Texas "Jalie Mitchell is going to make a fantastic head coach at this level. She is an incredible recruiter and she can connect with student-athletes on a level that not many coaches can get to. I think this is a great opportunity and I'm extremely proud of her going to North Texas, a place where she has so much passion for that program. The president and athletic director showed great foresight and commitment by bringing in a young, passionate individual like Jalie. I'm looking forward to what she will bring to North Texas women's basketball." -- Cynthia Cooper-Dykes, Head Coach, University of Southern California "Jalie is not only one of the greatest players to ever play at North Texas, but one of the greatest people I have coached throughout the years. Her leadership, vision and loyalty to North Texas women's basketball will be demonstrated in her everyday process. Jalie is a class act and I am proud of her and excited for the future of the program." -- Tina Slinker, former Head Coach, University of North Texas, 1990-2008 Click here to view the article

She's a top notch recruiter. She's the recruiting lead at Texas, one of the premier programs in the country. After Peterson, this program needs a big time infusion of talent and Jalie can give us that. Being from Duncanville gives her strong ties in DFW. We have plenty of good talent right here in the metroplex. We don't need to travel far to find some of the best players in the country. She's done it here at North Texas in a really big way. A major UNT success story. She was a great student athlete and loves the Mean Green. I would argue she is one of the best student athletes we have ever had. She embodies all that is great about UNT and will reflect that on recruits and their parents. Our alumni will be proud to finally have one of our own leading a Mean Green team. I think it's a story the media will be interested in and will generate some very positive publicity. Everyone who knows her will tell you she is a tireless worker. It's going to take some time to rebuild the program and a lot of hard work. Her energy and enthusiasm will serve us well. Jalie was around North Texas when we didn't have near the facilities or infrastructure we have today. She is uniquely qualified among the available pool of coaching candidates to tell the UNT story.

http://www.texassports.com/coaches.aspx?path=wbball&rc=517 Jalie Mitchell coached at Texas for three seasons on Karen Astons staff before accepting her first head-coaching job at North Texas on April 9, 2015. North Texas is her alma mater, where she holds the career scoring record and served as an assistant for the Mean Green for three seasons before arriving at Texas. Mitchell was included into the North Texas Athletic Hall of Fame in 2007 and is one of just two Mean Green womens basketball student-athletes to have their number retired. Mitchell was on the ground floor of the recent resurgence of the Longhorns program, helping bring two top-10 recruiting classes to the Forty Acres and assisting a pair of NCAA tournament runs, including a trip to the Sweet 16 in 2015. Her responsibilities at Texas included scouting personnel and special situations, and assisting the development of both post and guard players on the court. During the 2013-14 season, she served as recruiting coordinator.

From a pretty respectable publication: This post has been promoted to an article

A host of people within the college basketball community, including a few with ties to the North Texas Hall of Famer, are indicating that Jalie Mitchell has begun to emerge as a serious candidate — and maybe the leading candidate — for the UNT job. Mitchell is arguably the best player in UNT basketball history and has worked at the school twice as an assistant coach, including a one-year stint under Karen Aston. Aston is highly regarded at UNT after working at the school as an assistant early in her career before her brief tenure as the Mean Green’s head coach. Read more: http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/2015/04/momentum-appears-to-be-building-for-mitchell-with-unt-job.html/

North Texas is in the midst of its search for a new women’s basketball coach, one athletic director Rick Villarreal said will move quickly on Sunday night. Here’s our story from today’s paper. Rick Villarreal said that he has been in contact with coaches and has others he is interested in speaking with soon. Here are a few of the names to keep in mind. I don’t have confirmation that any of these coaches have spoken with UNT, but their names have either come up in connection with the search or make sense. Jalie Mitchell, assistant coach Texas — Mitchell is the obvious name to keep in mind. She is arguably the greatest player in UNT history and has had her number retired. Read more: http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/2015/03/a-few-names-to-keep-in-mind-with-the-unt-search.html/