DRC today: NT signs 7 on 1st day

[OldTimer]

Basketball: UNT signs seven on first day

09:18 AM CST on Thursday, November 10, 2005

By Brett Vito / Staff Writer

Ben Bell waited until the very last moment before providing the North Texas men’s basketball team a pleasant surprise in the days leading up to the opening of the NCAA’s early signing period on Wednesday.

The San Jacinto Junior College point guard had an offer from Louisiana Tech and interest from South Florida and LaSalle, but passed on those opportunities to sign with the Mean Green.

Bell was one of four players who signed with UNT, including a pair of frontcourt players from Mineral Area Community College in Missouri.

The UNT women also got a head start on their recruiting class by signing three players, a group highlighted by Waxa-hachie post player Torrian Timms and high scoring guard Brittney James of Orange.

“North Texas really wanted me to come there and they needed a point guard for my junior year,” Bell said. “I am the guy for the job. I decided to go to UNT a day or two ago.”

The news helped cap what UNT coach Johnny Jones believes is a solid recruiting class. Jackson was also recruited by UNLV and Utah State, while Muse was also recruited by Wyoming.

The trio finished off a recruiting class that also includes Collin Mangrum, a guard from Howe, and Arizona State transfer Keith Wooden. Mangrum orally committed to play for the Mean Green earlier this year, while Wooden has already arrived at UNT, where he is sitting out this season due to NCAA transfer rules.

TexasHoops.com ranks Mangrum No. 38 among the top 100 seniors in the state.

“We are continuing to upgrade our recruiting,” Jones said. “We have gotten into some recruiting battles with schools that have tradition and are winning them. That’s a great sign for our program.”

UNT completed its recruiting for the 2006 class with its early signees. The Mean Green are now scheduled to have 14 scholarship players for 13 slots for the 2006-07 season.

“We feel like things will take care of themselves,” Jones said. “You have to guard against players transferring or getting injured. We have to make sure we are protected.”

UNT finished at 14-14 last season, its third campaign out of four under Jones when the team has finished within two games of the .500 mark.

Jones believes UNT took a step toward moving toward the top of the Sun Belt Conference while also filling several potential holes in its roster for future seasons.

Jackson and Muse could help fill the void left by the departure of senior centers Jeffrey Simpson and Justin Barnett, while Bell appears to be a potential replacement for point guard Isaac Hines.

“North Texas is going in the right direction,” Bell said. “They already have a lot of talent there. This class is just the missing pieces.”

UNT women’s coach Tina Slinker also felt like she filled future voids with her three-player class. Texashoops.com ranks Timms No. 48 among seniors, while 6-2 post Mimi Goodman was named to Arkansas’ Class 4A all-state team last season.

Slinker said she wanted to bring in a few post players to develop behind Mia Ajekwu and Talicia Sanders, who are entering their junior and sophomore years, respectively.

The most intriguing player in the class could be Brittney James, who has proven to be one of the top small school players in the state.

The 5-7 guard averaged 25 points and 10 steals last season when she was named to the TABC Class 3A all-state team.

“I guess she might have slipped under the radar because she is a really good player,” Slinker said. “She can score and fits our up-tempo style.”

UNT’s coaches watched James play over the summer in AAU competition and were convinced that she could make the jump from a small Texas high school to Division I.

UNT women still have two scholarships available and plan to add a few players to complement James and the rest of their signees.

“We would like to get one more post player and see where we are after we get into the season and where our next need is,” Slinker said. “It’s kind of nice to have that extra scholarship to play with.”

BRETT VITO can be reached at 940-566-6870. His e-mail address is bvito@dentonrc.com

UNT signings

Men

Collin Mangrum, G, 6-4, Howe

All-state as junior when he average 15.6 points

Curtis Muse, C, 6-10, Mineral Area CC

Preseason All-American in Street & Smith magazine

Jonathan Jackson, F, 6-8, Mineral Area CC

Ranked eighth in blocks in NJCAA Region 16 last season

Ben Bell, 6-3, G, San Jacinto JC

NTJCAC Freshman of the Year last season

Women

Mimi Goodman, 6-2, P, Batesville, Ark.

Class 4A all-state in Arkansas last season

Brittney James, 5-7, G, Orange

Class 3A all-state selection averaged 25 points a game last season

Torrian Timms, 6-0, P, Waxahachie

No. 48 among seniors in Texashoops.com rankings, averaged 11 points last season.