Justin Howerton article

Marty · November 9, 2004

Going green -- Howerton to sign with UNT

BY BILL SPINKS

HERALD DEMOCRAT

HOWE -- For his college basketball career, Justin Howerton has decided to forgo midnight yells and the Dixie Chicken in favor of live music and Fry Street.

The 6-foot-9, 225-pound senior center at Howe High School has dropped his verbal commitment to play for Texas A&M and has instead committed to North Texas. Howerton will sign with the Mean Green on Wednesday, the first day of the NCAA's early signing period.

"It's close to home, and his parents and family can watch him play," said Howe head coach Tim Rose, who had suggested to Howerton that he visit UNT after his visit to A&M. "It's a decent program that's up and coming. I think he'll like the coaches there, too."

Howerton averaged 16 points, 11.5 rebounds and four blocks as a junior, and helped lead the Bulldogs to the Class 2A Region II tournament and to a 29-7 record, tying a school mark for wins.

Howerton, who had also considered TCU, Texas State and Stephen F. Austin, originally had committed to new coach Billy Gillispie's Aggies in August. But Howerton, after learning that the Aggies weren't planning to use him right away, had a change of heart.

Howerton competed this past summer in AAU basketball with the Dallas Mustangs, traveling all across the U.S. for major tournaments.

The Mustangs were one of the top five AAU 17-year-old teams in the nation this past summer, with eight Division I players in all. Others on the team included Dallas Lincoln's Byron Eaton, who is headed to Oklahoma State; and Lincoln's Gary Flowers, whose list includes Cincinnati, Georgia Tech and Kansas State as well as OSU.

"It was the best thing in the world for me," Howerton said. "They were playing my style of play; as long as I could keep my feet in place, I could play. The competition was great."

For his size, Howerton is an exceptional athlete. He competed in long jump during track season, and briefly tried football this year, starting two games as a tight end and defensive end before leaving Howe's football team to concentrate on his hoops career.

Howerton joins Kevin Brooks and Collin Mangrum as the only three returning starters for Howe, but Rose has a capable crop of replacements from a junior varsity that won 23 games last season.

"We had a good run last year, and we're trying to build upon that," Rose said. "Our expectations are high, and we've set our goals high. Our kids expect to have a good year, and that's a good thing."

Howe's pre-district basketball schedule reflects those expectations. The Bulldogs, who open against Class 4A Frisco Centennial next Tuesday, will host preseason Class 2A No. 5 Peaster on Nov. 30.

The Bulldogs will compete against mostly 3A schools in a tournament in Pilot Point and are also entered in the Whataburger Tournament in Fort Worth, which features 14 state-ranked teams.

"It's a good opportunity for our kids to go and play against the level of competition you have to play at in order to move farther than we did last year," Rose said. "If we're fortunate enough to play some of those teams in the playoffs, maybe we'll have more success

UNTLifer · November 9, 2004

Any other signings that will occur tomorrow that we haven't heard about, or has JJ used all of his available scholarships?

OldTimer · November 9, 2004

NT has only 12 ship players at this time with at least a couple of seniors so they have more ships to offer. No info on additional prospects. It has been in the papers and posted that Dez Willingham has chosen SMU over NT and TCU....based on prior head coach association...which is probably why he left KState in the first place.