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After watching @matthewbrune_ and @cjhmitchell 's Green Room podcast was curious where our future basketball tournaments were going to be. The great news is the future tournaments will be in Fort Worth at Dickey's Arena for the foreseeable future. Both hosts seem to feel it will be an upgrade in venue and experience. As a metroplex westsider and Fort Worthian I'll take Fort Worth over Frisco any day!! https://fortworthbusiness.com/entertainment/acc-basketball-tournaments-returning-to-fort-worth-in-2023-and-beyond/

I like everyone am so thrilled about this major turnaround in men's basketball. The CBI has given us a glimpse of what could be an AMAZING future for the program. Here's my question, we know that we basically only lose Temara (who is not playing in the tourney) and we add the Russian (6-10) and Jahmiah Simmons (6-4) both listed as forwards. We know Umoja Gibson (shooting guard) will be back after his injury. We know Jalen Jackson the point guard out of SA is committed to the 2019 class. He is evidently the heir apparent to Woolridge. We also know that we OWE a ship to Draper period. He is so damn deserving... So assuming if through attrition or whatever, we have 1 or 2 (not likely) spots left to give, at what position would you think we need to land to best set ourselves up for the 2019 season? Should it be high school or juco or best available? Put yourself in Mac's shoes and let's try to predict what (if anything) he will do. PS - I am sure I am missing some details on the scholarship numbers etc here so feel free to correct as needed! GMG

QUICK HITTERS Ryan Woolridge's nine assists gives him 205 dimes on the season. He is now just three assists shy of the tying Walter Johnson's single-season record of 208 in the 1976-77 season. UNT hit 14 3-pointers on the night to extend its single-season program record to 290 made 3-pointers on the season. The 14-for-20 performance marks the fourth-best three-point percentage in a game (73 percent) in program history. The 14 makes ties for the fifth-most in program history and is the most since December 2007. North Texas used some big runs to control the night, as a 14-2 run early on was capped by back-to-back 3-pointers from Jorden Duffy and Michael Miller. Toward the end of the first half, UNT went on a 14-0 run over four-and-a-half minutes to build 42-20 lead. UNT opened game on 13-2 run, Jacksonville State didn't have first field goal until nearly six minutes into the game. At one point in the first half, UNT made 14 of 15 field goal attempts to help spur a 57-point first half in which UNT shot 70 percent from the field and made 10 of 14 shots from beyond the arc. The last time UNT scored 90 or more points against Division I opponents in three straight games was 1997-98. It marks first time since the 1990-91 season that UNT has beaten three straight Division I opponents by scoring 90 points or more. The win marks the Mean Green's third three-game (or more) winning streak of the season, which is the most since 2010-11, when there were also three such streaks. UNT had five players score in double figures - Roosevelt Smart, Jorden Duffy, DJ Draper, Zachary Simmons and Ryan Woolridge - marking the first time since an overtime loss to Western Kentucky on Feb. 15 that the Mean Green have had five or more players reach double figures. The Mean Green shot 71 percent from the charity stripe and are now 11-0 this season when shooting better than 70 percent from the foul line. Read more: http://www.meangreensports.com/sports/m-baskbl/recaps/032118aaa.html

What do we need to do to make this first season a success under Grant McCasland? Especially on basically a home court?

The boys are back in the saddle again! This show we talk about a bowl eligibility clenching win on the road against La. Tech in Ruston by a score of 24-23. UNT alums @Evan, @Harry and @BeyondTheGreen give their hot sports thoughts on the Homecoming return of Coach Darrell Dickey and the Mean Green's goal of capturing the Western Division Crown. Recruiting expert @TheReal_jayD joins us for his latest recruiting analysis and we dive into what could be a pretty exciting basketball season with fan favorite @BillySee58. Audio Link: GOMEANGREEN BARBERSHOP PODCAST #189

It starts later in the show as we discuss football in the first segment and recruiting after that but @BillySee58 gives a nice preview on McCasland and the BBall team this year that is worth a listen if you are trying to get caught up: GOMEANGREEN BARBERSHOP PODCAST #189

http://www.meangreensports.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/102917aaa.html Oct. 29, 2017 Box score HOUSTON – Freshman Zachary Simmons scored the game-winning basket with 18 seconds left to lift North Texas men’s basketball on the road at Houston Baptist, 84-81, in an exhibition Sunday at Sharp Gym. With the Mean Green trailing by one point 81-80, Simmons was able to muscle his way inside and score with 18 seconds left. Houston Baptist tried to answer but North Texas forced a turnover to seal the victory with three seconds left. Sophomore guard Roosevelt Smart made two free throws to ice the game. The new look team finished with four players in double-figures, including 20 points from Smart and 19 points from freshman Umoja Gibson. Sophomore A.J. Lawson finished with 18 points and nine rebounds. Defensively, North Texas created a lot of loose ball opportunities and came away with 11 steals, including six from sophomore guard Ryan Woolridge. Woolridge filled up the stat sheet with 12 points, five assists, six steals and three rebounds. In the second half, no team had a lead bigger than eight points thanks to nine lead changes and 10 ties. Smart scored 11 of his 20 points in the second half to help North Texas come away victorious. North Texas led 47-43 at halftime thanks to 17 points from Gibson. Lawson added 11 points and Smart hit three three-pointers. The Mean Green used a 15-3 run in the half to build a 10-point advantage. Gibson sparked the rally with 10 of the 15 points. Houston Baptist kept the game close by closing the first half on an 11-2 run to cut the deficit to four. The Mean Green finished the game shooting 36.9 percent from the field (24-of-65) and 42.1 from beyond the arc (8-for-19). Up Next The Mean Green will open the 2017-18 season on Nov. 10 against Eureka College at 5p.m. at the Super Pit. Quick Hitters -Starting five: sophomores A.J. Lawson, Ryan Woolridge, Roosevelt Smart, freshman Umoja Gibson, junior Tope Arikawe -Smart and Gibson combined to shoot a perfect 11-for-11 from the free throw line -Lawson and Simmons each grabbed a team-high nine rebounds -The Mean Green went to the foul line 43 times -North Texas forced 20 turnovers from Houston Baptist

@Cooley You have a well deserved reputation for your knowledge and understanding of basketball. I and others are interested in terms of your thoughts in regards to Tony Benford and this 2016 squad as well as future prospects?

Jeff Luster has joined the UTSA staff as director of operations, effective immediately. Thompson’s staff consists of associate head coach Dan O’Dowd, assistants Robert Guster and Wai, plus Luster, who had been at North Texas the past five years as director of operations. read more: http://blog.mysanantonio.com/utsa/2015/08/wai-promoted-to-assistant-coach-in-utsa-mens-basketball/

One who knows that all too well is former Arizona State basketball coach Evans, now the associate head coach at the University of North Texas. As the coach of the University of Mississippi Rebels from 1992-98, he found that other schools often used the flag as a recruiting tool to steer prospects away from his program. Evans was at a Mississippi football game when a fan dropped a confederate flag. It landed right in front of the African-American basketball recruit he was hosting. "He picked it up and handed it back to them," he said. That's an experience not written about in the how-to-recruit coaching manual. If there was a man to handle the delicate subject, it was Evans. As a young basketball assistant for New Mexico State, Evans used to recruit Mississippi beginning in the late 1960s. He could stay only at hotels owned by Blacks, and avoided traveling at night to be safe. Two decades later, he became the school's first African-American basketball coach and turned around the program. It secured its first Associated Press Top 25 ranking under him and landed in the NCAA Tournament twice after having made only one appearance in school history. During his six seasons, Evans successfully maneuvered the challenging landscape. During recruiting trips, he would bring up the Confederate flag before an athlete's parent had a chance to address it. When interviewed, he often was asked how he felt about the Confederate flag or "Dixie," a song often considered the anthem of the Confederacy that is played during Mississippi football games. He would express his opinion while acknowledging it meant different things to different people. His two children attended the university and his son, Damon, who still resides in the Valley, was one of the first African-Americans to be accepted into the school's Sigma Chi fraternity. Overall, Evans said, he found the Oxford, Miss., community warm and welcoming to his family. Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/2015/06/24/confederate-flag-debate-sports-world-andre-ellington-rob-evans/29229417/

The question posed to Vic Trilli seven years ago struck him as odd. Interviewing for the athletic director job at Newman, Trilli, then the athletic director at Garden City Community College, answered in the best way he could. “They wanted to know, if I took the job, if I was even going to move to Wichita full-time,” Trilli said. “And I think that kind of was indicative of the state things were in at the time (at Newman). “I just said ‘Hey, if I’m here, I’m in. Like, I’m all in.’” Trilli has been that and more since he took the job at Newman in Sept. 2008, overseeing the school’s transition to NCAA Division II and a run of success from the school’s signature progams — men’s and women’s basketball — that has spread to other sports. For his efforts, Trilli was rewarded with a second, five-year contract that begins July 1 with the added position of Vice President of Student Affairs. It follows similar deals struck at Wichita State for Eric Sexton and at Friends for Carole Obermeyer. Before Trilli was hired, Newman went through five athletic directors in six years. “There wasn’t a lot of trust between the coaches and the athletic director,” Trilli said. “And that was understandable.” The new contract comes after — and in part because — Trilli applied for the open athletic director spot at Hutchinson Community College this spring, which triggered a social media movement among student-athletes using the hashtag #AthletesForTrilli. “That made me a little nervous, because I didn’t understand quite where it was coming from,” Trilli said. “And ultimately, I have to answer to (Newman President) Noreen Carrocci about my job and anything that has to do with me. The Hutch job was intriguing because of the construction on the Sports Arena, hosting NJCAA Tournament and the support of the community … that’s big-time. Read more: http://www.kansas.com/sports/college/state-college-sports/article24811765.html Read more here: http://www.kansas.com/sports/college/state-college-sports/article24811765.html#storylink=cpy

North Texas will begin spring practice on Tuesday, when the Mean Green will look to replace several key players after a 4-8 season. The players UNT is depending on to help it improve come from a variety of sources, from incoming junior college players to high school signees who have arrived in the last few years. A few others will be veteran players looking to make an impact for the first time or move into a major role after arriving as a part of UNT’s 2012 class. A few players from that class have already become key players, including wide receiver Carlos Harris, a high school signee, and Marcus Trice, an Oklahoma transfer. Both were cornerstones of the Mean Green’s Heart of Dallas Bowl team. Read more: http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/2015/03/a-look-back-at-unts-2012-signing-class.html/

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. --- When Tony Benford arrived at North Texas two seasons ago to coach the Mean Green's men's basketball team, he scanned the rosters of his soon-to-be Conference USA rivals. "I looked at my assistant coaches and said, 'Wow, there are lot of high-major guards in this league,' " said Benford, who had been an assistant at Marquette. "They can be playing in the Big East; that's how good they are." Conference USA has indeed become a guard-dominated league. Look no further than the preseason all-conference team, where seven guards were voted to the 10-player unit. "We've got more teams committed to getting up and down the floor in Conference USA," Charlotte 49ers coach Alan Major said on Wednesday at the conference's media day. "And you've got to have great guards to do that." Major noticed that style of play two summers ago after Charlotte left the Atlantic 10 and was preparing for its return to C-USA, where the 49ers played from 1995-2005. It included three, sometimes four, guards on the floor and smaller, more athletic forwards than what Charlotte was used to seeing in the A-10. Read more: http://www.thestate.com/2014/10/16/3748106_charlotte-49ers-fit-profile-of.html?rh=1 Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/2014/10/16/3748106_charlotte-49ers-fit-profile-of.html?rh=1#storylink=cpy

Former Texas A&M point guard J'Mychal Reese has decided to transfer to North Texas and will start school July 7. Reese made an official visit Tuesday and announced his decision the next morning via twitter. "Also wanna thank UNT for this opportunity. God is good!!" the former Bryan all-state point guard tweeted at @j_mych. North Texas was the only school visited by the 6-foot-1 Reese, who was dismissed 10 games into his sophomore season on Dec. 22 before A&M's game against Oklahoma. Reese missed the first four games of the season for violating team rules, then averaged seven points and 16 minutes a game over six games. Reese had previously met North Texas head coach Tony Benford, who was an associate head coach at Marquette for four seasons under former A&M assistant Buzz Williams. "He wanted to get somewhere that kind of suited him, suited his style," said his father John Reese. "He's had a relationship with Coach Benford for awhile. Coach Benford coached him at a camp several years ago, so they have a little bit of history." Read more: http://www.theeagle.com/reese-to-transfer-to-north-texas/article_312af13c-b0f1-5462-bc92-c9c5fc141ecb.html

Holy Cross Hosts Signing Ceremony for Class 5A Player of the Year, Greg White-Pittman, Nephew of NBA Coach Robert Pack WHO: Greg White-Pittman, Holy Cross Guard, Class 5A Player of the Year and Nephew of Former 13-year NBA Veteran/Assistant NBA Coach Robert Pack WHAT: Holy Cross to Host Official Signing Ceremony WHEN: Thursday, May 15, 2014 12:00 Noon WHERE: Holy Cross School, Gymnasium, 5500 Paris Ave. WHY: White-Pittman Commits and Signs with University of North Texas NBA Coach and 13-year NBA Veteran, Robert Pack said, “I’ve watched Greg mature and develop through hard work and determination for many years. I love that he’s not satisfied and is ready to meet this challenge head on! I’m very proud of him and I look forward to watching his continued growth in a green machine uniform for years to come.” When White-Pittman takes his talents to Denton this fall, he will wear the number two on his jersey, to motivate him throughout his college career. “Despite all of my athletic honors and scoring a 22 on the ACT, I only received two offers,” said White-Pittman. “I know I have a lot of work to do to advance to the next level. But, I am excited about what the future holds for me at UNT!” Read more: http://alymediarelations.weebly.com/see-whats-happening-in-the-world-of-aly-media-relations/white-pittman-signing

I got this info from someone who knows him extremely well: - A steal for North Texas this late - A bit of a tweener in that he is right about 6-2 - being committed to Tulane for so long (a year?) hurt Greg in terms of the higher level schools that were interested in him early expected him to go to Tulane. By the time he and Tulane parted ways many of the bigger schools had moved on. - parting with Tulane was mutual - definitely a 2 that can play point if needed to. - goes to the basket like a madman. Will likely lead the team in FT attempts as he is tenacious in driving to the basket. - a floor leader -- sees the floor extremely well. Excels on the run. - We're going to love him as a player. A leader.

UNT post player Kelvin Gaines is leaving UNT to pursue a professional career. read more: http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/2014/04/kelvin-gaines-leaving-unt-for-pro-career.html/

Chris Jones can remember the popping sound that came from his right foot as he dove after a loose ball on the floor at E.A. Diddle Arena more than a year ago. At the time, Jones thought he needed a new tape job. North Texas’ starting point guard found out later he needed a lot more than some tape. He needed time — nearly half a season’s worth — to recover after breaking a bone in his foot. And that was just for starters. Jones also needed time to overcome the depression he sunk into and rediscover the form he showed early in his career, when he emerged as one of UNT’s most valuable players. Read more: http://www.dentonrc.com/sports/colleges/north-texas-headlines/20140123-men-s-basketball-jones-finds-footing-again-in-unt-attack.ece

Looks like the schedule downgrade may hit us as well. Brett has a story that he is updating linked here: http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/2014/01/unt-c-usa-officials-examining-unt-scheduling-issue.html/

DENTON — The University of North Texas basketball team will open conference play on Thursday with a four-game winning streak. On their team are two college graduates with playing eligibility left. “I got my Bachelor of Science in criminal justice,” said UNT center Kelvin Gaines. “It’s kind of a long name: it's Interactive virtual Digital Communications,” North Texas guard Vertrail Vaughns said of his degree. Gaines is from Florida and played at Cincinnati before transferring to Denton. Vaughns went to Mesquite High School and played at George Mason. Because Gaines and Vaughn are college graduates, they were able to transfer to North Texas and start playing basketball right away. They did not have to sit out a year. So now, they're going to school here and working on their Masters. “My academic advisors at Mason told me about it,” Vaughns said. “If you’re a grad student, then you can go and play right away." Read more: http://www.wfaa.com/sports/College-grads-with-eligibility-left-help-UNT-basketball-239177831.html

Brooks "Bubba" Jennings, who has served in various capacities under Bob Knight, Pat Knight and Billy Gillispie, will begin his 12th year as a part of Texas Tech basketball staff under head coach Chris Walker. Jennings was one of the most decorated players in Texas Tech history, winning the coveted Francis Pomeroy Naismith Award as the nation's most outstanding collegiate basketball player under six-feet tall following his senior season. He started every game he ever played in at Texas Tech (117). An honorable mention All-America and Academic All-America selection in 1985, Jennings led Texas Tech to the Southwest Conference championship en route to begin named SWC Player of the Year, SWC Athlete of the Year, and Texas Tech Basketball MVP. Drafted by the Dallas Mavericks, Bubba went on to play professional basketball in Europe for the London Docklands Crystal Palace. Upon graduation, Jennings truly left his mark on the Texas Tech record book. He left Texas Tech as the school's second all-time leading scorer and currently ranks ninth on the list. He led the Red Raiders in scoring as a sophomore, junior and senior, but also twice led the squad in assists and steals. He currently still ranks in the Top 10 in nine statistical categories at Texas Tech. After graduating with his degree in physical education in 1985, Bubba joined Coach Myers' staff as a graduate assistant before moving to New Mexico to begin his own high school coaching career. During his nine years at Artesia High School in Artesia, New Mexico, his teams garnered two state titles in basketball as well as a state championship in golf. Jennings continued his coaching career in Lubbock, where he led Coronado High School to back-to-back district and bi-district championships. He was also recognized for his coaching efforts as city coach of the year and District 3-5A Coach of the Year. Originally from Clovis, New Mexico, Jennings not only played on a New Mexico State Championship team (AAAA), but he was also selected to the Class 4A All-State Team in 1979 and was named New Mexico Basketball Player of the Year in 1980. Selected as a high school All-America and Academic All-America by the NHSCAA in 1980, Jennings set New Mexico state records for the most points in a game (75) and the most points in a season. He was inducted into the Panhandle Sports Hall of Fame in 1980. Bubba's wife, Jackie, grew up in Arlington and is also a Texas Tech graduate. She recently established her own Lubbock business, "The Mud Room." Bubba and Jackie have three children, Cooper (23), Kadie (20), and Brooks III (15). read more: http://www.texastech.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/jennings_bubba00.html

Sources indicate that Bubba is working at a bank in Lubbock and is enjoying it. He likes living in Lubbock. That said, the right coaching opportunity would get his attention. He maintains very close contact with Tony Benford.