NT Basketball notes

[NT80]

UNT notebook: Rogers to carry load at point guard for UNT

07:56 AM CST on Wednesday, January 7, 2004

Jerome Rogers will face a monumental task as the North Texas men’s basketball team’s point guard the rest of the season.

The senior spent the first few games of UNT’s campaign splitting time at the point with sophomore guard Scott Roniger, who has since left the team.

The Mean Green has been scrambling to find a solution for its lack of depth at the point guard spot ever since.

For now the best solution appears to be to play Rogers early and often.

The senior played 35 minutes in UNT’s loss to Indiana on Dec. 29 and then played 36 minutes in a loss to Arkansas on Saturday.

Rogers will likely continue to carry a heavy burden when UNT (4-7) hosts Texas-Pan American (4-9) on Thursday. The game is UNT’s final contest before conference play and its second against the Broncs this season. The Mean Green beat Pan American 87-81 in overtime on Dec. 17, its last win before entering its current four-game slide.

UNT will open Sun Belt Conference play Saturday at home against New Mexico State.

"Jerome is going to have to get into condition," UNT coach Johnny Jones said. "He played 36 minutes against Arkansas, but when you start looking at the timeouts that are called, media timeouts and dead-ball situations, guys have a chance to get a breather. We have no solution right now. He is going to have to learn to play a lot of minutes."

UNT looked at other solutions when Roniger left the team, including starting junior guards Marqus Mitchell and Leonard Hopkins together in the backcourt.

The duo started UNT’s game against Indiana.

Jones said Mitchell is more comfortable at the shooting guard spot and moved back to that position after UNT’s loss to Indiana. Rogers moved into the starting lineup for the first time and responded with a solid game when the Mean Green faced Arkansas.

Rogers scored 12 points, handed out two assists and committed just one turnover.

Rogers said he is ready to face the challenge of playing added minutes.

He may not have much of a choice. John Franklin, a senior walk-on who played at Garland Lakeview Centennial, is the team’s only other option when it comes to a true point guard.

Franklin has played in just two games this season, but could see more time as the season progresses, Jones said.

The prospect of playing Rogers more is not an entirely uninviting proposition for UNT. He is UNT’s third-leading scorer with an average of 8.9 points a game and has 24 assists on the season, a total that is second only to the 32 Roniger posted before leaving the team.

Women’s basketball

UNT faces key series

The North Texas women’s basketball team will begin Sun Belt Conference play with a tough stretch of games on the road.

The Lady Eagles play at New Mexico State in their league opener Saturday before traveling to face Denver and Florida International. The series presents a challenge for UNT, not to mention an opportunity.

A solid performance early in the season could put the Lady Eagles in position to make a run at the league title at the end of the season. UNT (4-8) plays its last five conference games at the Super Pit.

UNT appears to be in position to do just that after the Lady Eagles broke free of a midseason funk by beating Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Friday.

Men’s basketball

Mean Green faces key series to open SBC play

The North Texas men’s basketball team will open a key stretch of its season when the Mean Green (4-7) takes on Texas-Pan American on Thursday.

The game marks the beginning of a four-game home stand for the Mean Green that will include its Sun Belt Conference opener against New Mexico State on Saturday. UNT will also play Denver and Florida International during the home stand.

UNT has lost its last four games, three of them on the road.

"We are excited about the opportunity to be at home," UNT coach Johnny Jones said. "The road has been very difficult for us and our record has been indicative of that. At the same time we have had a chance to grow as a team by playing some very competitive teams in some tough environments. That will be beneficial to us when we get into conference play."

Player of the week

Kim Blanton has been a model of consistency for the North Texas women’s basketball team over the past few weeks.

The senior forward has scored in double figures in five straight games and helped the Lady Eagles end a seven-game losing streak this past week with a win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Friday

Blanton scored 10 points against the Islanders and added six rebounds. Blanton made 5-of-9 shots from the field, helping UNT break free from an extended shooting slump.

Blanton’s consistent play has helped her improve her scoring average to 11.3 points a game, a total that ranks second on the team. She is also averaging a team-high 6.5 rebounds per contest.

For her efforts, Blanton is the Denton Record-Chronicle’s UNT Player of the Week.

Athlete profile

Full name: Will Smith

Nickname: Will

High school (city): Lincoln (Dallas)

Family: Mother Theresa Smith, sister Tenesha Keeton

Sport, statistics: Basketball, 5.2 points, 4.6 rebounds and .7 assists per game

Major: Applied Arts and Sciences (Criminal Justice)

When I graduate, I plan to: Become a probation officer

I am sick of athletes who: Are only concerned with their individual stats rather than team improvement

If I could get four tickets to any sporting event in the world, it would be: The NBA All-Star game

My favorite sports movie is: Above the Rim

My favorite pro sports team is: The Orlando Magic

The people who had the most influence on my life is: My mother and sister

The best summer I ever spent was: Playing with an AAU traveling team after my junior year in high school

My goal for this year is to: Graduate, make my mother proud and get a job in the criminal justice department

My dream for this year is to: Win the conference title

If I could say one thing in the newspaper, it would be: I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.

7-day slate

The following events are on tap in the next week at UNT

THURSDAY – Texas Pan American at Men’s basketball, 7 p.m.

SATURDAY – Women’s basketball at New Mexico State, 8:05 p.m.; New Mexico State at men’s basketball, 7 p.m.