DRC Men BB MG takes on Denver, huge test

[OldTimer]

Men's basketball: Mean Green take on Denver

UNT posts face huge test in Pioneers’ Nicholson

09:09 AM CST on Thursday, January 13, 2005

By Brett Vito / Staff Writer

For the past few weeks, North Texas men’s basketball coach Johnny Jones has been able to count on at least one of his post players to come up with a solid performance each and every time the Mean Green have played.

Freshman Quincy Williams, junior newcomer Jeffrey Simpson and junior veteran Ron Harris have all had their moments while helping the Mean Green pick up five wins in their last six games.

The group’s continued success could be critical for UNT heading into a Sun Belt Conference game tonight against Denver and Yemi Nicholson, one of the top post players in the league.

"Yemi will present some problems for us just like he has every other team in the league," Jones said. "He is the one they try to go to quite often. He played well against us last year."

Nicholson is averaging 16.1 points and 7.3 rebounds a game to lead Denver in both categories. The junior scored 18 points in a win over the Mean Green last year, despite the presence of 6-9 center Shawnson Johnson.

Johnson was a third-team All-Sun Belt Conference selection and one of the top defensive players in the league as a senior.

None of UNT’s post players has developed into the dominant defensive player Johnson was last season, but they have shown signs of progress over the last few weeks.

Simpson posted one of his best defensive games of the season in a win over New Mexico State last week when he blocked six shots and grabbed four rebounds to go along with six points. The six blocks Simpson posted rank fourth in school history for a single game.

Williams posted the only double-double by a UNT player this season when he had 15 points and 10 rebounds in a win over Tennessee-Martin on Dec. 30,while Harris grabbed 10 rebounds and scored six points in the same game.

The trio helped UNT dominate inside during its game against NMSU.

"It gives us confidence," Williams said of UNT’s performance against NMSU. "We forced their post players out of the paint and made them catch the ball where they were not comfortable. We will have to try to do the same thing this game."

Williams will have the first chance among UNT’s players to fulfill that role now that he has moved into the Mean Green’s starting lineup in place of Justin Barnett. The junior center was lost before the holiday break with a hand injury.

Williams has shown signs of becoming a dominant player but has not been consistent. He has scored at least 14 points in two of UNT’s last four games and posted two points in the other two.

A consistent performance from inside from Williams, Simpson and Harris could be the key to the Mean Green’s game against Denver and their chances to complete for the Sun Belt title.

UNT starting guards Leonard Hopkins and Calvin Watson are averaging 18.3 and 13.8 points a game, respectively, to lead the Mean Green.

Simpson’s historical six-block performance against NMSU was an encouraging sign that UNT is starting to find a solid presence inside to complement its guard play.

"Jeffrey did a good job and stepped up," junior guard Isaac Hines said. "The coaches talked to him about what he needed to do and he came prepared. It makes other teams work harder to score when Jeffrey is blocking shots inside. It’s definitely a sign of what is to come from him."

BRETT VITO can be reached at 940-566-6870.