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The ribbon was cut for the Ernie Kuehne Basketball Practice Facility on Saturday in front of about 60 people, including the Mean Green men’s and women’s basketball teams. The new facility is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week for the two teams to practice. The gym holds five basketball goals, hardwood floors and locker rooms for the women’s and men’s teams. The building’s $3 million cost is already paid off largely in part to Ernie Kuehne, the project’s largest donor and a member of the UNT board of regents. Kuehne gave $1.4 million to the project and all $3 million were raised in 30 days. Kuehne said getting his education at UNT was a big part of his success and that he wanted to leave the university better off than when he got there. “I believe that a university can’t raise itself unless it raises its athletic program,” Kuehne said. “Athletics is a great part of the college experience. We have to be in a position where we can compete. You can’t compete if you’re playing with a short deck.” UNT President V. Lane Rawlins, who plans to retire at the end of the year, said that much like the academic faculty needs to be equipped for its job, Mean Green coaches and players do, too. “Our coaches and our players have to have tools,” Rawlins said. “And this is a major tool for the kind of program that we’re trying to build.” Read more: http://wordpress1.cws.unt.edu/?p=3911

Sophomore forward Tony Mitchell fell to his knees after time expired in last year’s Sun Belt Conference championship game. Confetti and the Western Kentucky University’s celebration covered the floor around him as former Mean Green men’s basketball coach Johnny Jones comforted his star player. The 74-70 loss brought an end to the almost fairytale season for UNT. The team faced the adversity of losing then-freshman guards Chris Jones and Jordan Williams because of academic issues. Several injuries forced walk-ons like the now-graduated Tyler Hall and bench players like senior forward Niko Stojiljkovic to make more out of their minutes. The team made it to the conference final, leading most of the way. Fans watched as the 13-point lead dwindled with the clock. Read more: http://wordpress1.cws.unt.edu/?p=2185