Article from DRC

Eagle-96 · November 21, 2003

Basketball: Depth at post is concern for UNT as season begins

09:02 AM CST on Friday, November 21, 2003

By Brett Vito / Staff Writer

Justin Barnett felt like he had more to give during his first two years as a member of the North Texas men’s basketball team.

The Mean Green’s upcoming season might very well depend on the accuracy of the sophomore center’s suspicions.

UNT will open its season Friday night with a game against Northwestern Okla-homa State, and Barnett will be in the starting lineup as one of the few healthy post players the Mean Green have left on its roster. Barnett will get help eventually from a series of other players who are either out with injuries or are waiting to become eligible.

How Barnett performs be-fore then could have a major impact on the way a UNT team hoping to recover from a disappointing season fares. The Mean Green are coming off of a 7-21 campaign and lost their top player in Chris Davis.

"I am very pleased with the way we are playing right now," UNT coach Johnny Jones said. "The underclassmen have done a good job of carrying this basketball team throughout the early part of the season."

Several of UNT’s young players should play critical roles for the Mean Green this season, when the team will be without Davis for the first time in four years. The guard finished his career as the second-leading scorer in school history and was among the top 10 players in the Sun Belt Conference in scoring, rebounds and assists last season.

Jones said UNT will feature a more balanced scoring attack this season, one that will depend on several new players to step into key roles. Guard Marqus Mitchell and forward Michael Jones both scored in double figures in each of UNT’s exhibition games. Both were all-region players in junior college last season.

"We will depend on the new players somewhat," Mitchell said. "We will fill some roles that they didn’t have players for in the past, but we will depend a lot on the veteran guys who have played and know what it takes to win in this league."

Michael DeGrate, one of the few holdovers from last season’s team, should be one of the Mean Green’s top players. DeGrate averaged 8.7 points and 4.2 rebounds a game last season.

Leonard Hopkins’ return will give UNT another guard capable of scoring. The junior was averaging 12.7 points when he injured his foot in the ninth game of last season.

The injury kept Hopkins out the rest of the year.

Hopkins’ return gives UNT a wealth of guards and small forwards. Where UNT is shorthanded is in the paint. Senior forward Will Smith is out for 3-4 weeks with a knee injury and LSU transfer Shawnson John-son will not be back until January.

Johnson will regain his eligibility at the end of the first semester. His return will be delayed by hernia surgery.

UNT’s injuries will leave Barnett as one of the few players capable of playing in the paint early in the season. That prospect would have been daunting the last two years, when Barnett struggled with back and foot injuries.

Those injuries have not been a problem so far this season, partly because Barnett came back to school in better shape than ever before.

"I was hoping to play an increased role this year," Barnett said. "I worked hard this summer to get into better shape. I was disappointed in the way I played last year. I am hoping to do more to help the team."

Barnett averaged 2.6 points and 3.1 rebounds a game last season. UNT’s coaches are confident they will get much more from the 6-10 sophomore.

Jones calls Barnett one of the team’s most improved players. Barnett took a redshirt year his first year at UNT and then battled injuries last year.

"It may have been a blessing that Justin took a redshirt year," Jones said. "It helped him mature. He has great feet, large hands and does an excellent job in the paint. He is becoming a more skilled player."

Barnett will need to be at his best early in the season when UNT hopes to turn its fortunes around with a solid start. A few wins early in the season could build UNT’s confidence and make the Mean Green an even better team when Smith and Johnson return later in the year.

"It’s very important for us to get off to a good start," Jones said. "We have some tough games early, but if we play well and get some chemistry going they are games we are capable of winning."

North Texas men’s roster, schedule

ROSTER

Player Pos Ht Cl

Michael DeGrate F 6-8 Sr.

Will Smith F 6-7 Sr.

Jerome Rogers G 5-10 Sr.

Marqus Mitchell G 6-0 Jr.

Michael Jones F 6-7 Jr.

Ron Harris F 6-7 So.

John Franklin G 6-0 Sr.

Scott Roniger G 6-2 So.

Leonard Hopkins G 6-3 Jr.