Coach Jones

[WIFE2HOT4U]

Coach Jones made an interesting comment in the post game interview.

Something to the effect of "This loss is no moral victory. We came here to

win." (Stole this of the BB topic)

LISTENING DD?

Texas A&M Escapes With 72-70 Home Win Over North Texas

I like that attitude!

[UNTLifer]

Yes, and I also heard him thank all of the fans for coming out and supporting the team following the win last Saturday evening. Another novel approach to winning over the fans and selling the program.

[EagleMBA]

Johnny Jones is a class act all the way. Win or lose, we couldn't expect to have a better BB coach right now. I hope the ball bounces his and the team's way this season, for a change. I would not like to see him come under pressure for not making progress.

[UNTSportsGuy]

the progress is being made with this team. if you have watched it over the last few years, his old teams would have quit, but this team kept fighting.

the only progress not really being made is that almost NO STUDENTS attend basketball games.

[Guest e-bone]

I like JJ a lot, I think he is doing a good job and I hope that he is the coach to turn this program into a winner. However, it makes me laugh to see people say that they hope he doesn't come under pressure for not making progress, and that they like his approach of winning over fans and selling the program(from someone who admits he didn't attend basketball games before he moved out of the area).

Now let me play devil's advocate. Guess what (and remember that I like JJ, just playing devil's advocate), he has won exactly 0 conference championships, has a 16-29 conference record, has no big OOC victories, and couldn't get out of the first round of the Sun Belt tournament last year played on our home court. Also, considering the abysmal attendance, it doesn't seem that his approach to selling the program is going too well. And people don't want any pressure on him for not making progress? Dickey's track record is much better than JJ's, yet people want DD out and don't want any pressure on JJ to make progress. Amazing.

Again, I think that JJ is moving this program in the right direction and want to see him take this program to the next level. But it amazes me how people can call for DD to be fired and not do the same for JJ, or even give him a pass and not want any pressure to be put on him.

[Guest e-bone]

Coach Jones made an interesting comment in the post game interview. 

Something to the effect of "This loss is no moral victory.  We came here to

win."  (Stole this of the BB topic)

LISTENING DD?

Texas A&M Escapes With 72-70 Home Win Over North Texas

I like that attitude!

←

Do you really like that attitude or are you just saying that to prove a point against DD? If you really do in fact like that attitude, then show that you support JJ and start attending some basketball games. Otherwise, don't pretend to support JJ and the basketball team just to put DD down. It is disrespectful, both t JJ and the team, as well as the fans who do go out and support them.

Edited December 7, 2005 by e-bone

[untbowler]

I think the big difference is DD has had 8 years to try and win over fans and gain support, it seems more fans are coming out despite the fan attacks to the media.

JJ on the other hand is entering his 5th year following a coach who though likable drove the program into the ground, 3,4, 5 win seasons.

My 2 cents which means squat but pumping it out there.

[risinggreen]

When we get the big guys in here next year, we could have something special. The guards (and Simpson) are looking great and we just need some more experienced size inside. Hope the fans start to take notice.

[NM Green]

Please do not get the two programs mixed up. Where do we live? What is king? You cannot compare what happens at Fouts with what happens in the Super Pit.

When I lived in NM the Lobos football team was starting to gel under Rocky Long; however, the bball team was in shambles after Bliss left. A talk show host use to remind folks out there what drove the bus at UNM. In Lobo Country it is all about the Hoops. Football is something to root for and attend during the "offseason." Football is the appetizer to the main course - 17,000 plus in The Pit in the winter. Now times in NM may have changed with a series of bowl trips until this year, but the expectations for basketball should be and always will be higher in ABQ.

Fast forward Denton. Hoops are our dessert after a trip to New Orleans. I love watching the Mean Green on the internet but football is what I save money up for to make the haul across the pond.

Attitude is everything. JJ's attitude toward OOC games is not much different than Dickey's in results; however, in words, mentality and influence on the team the attitudes are worlds apart. Dickey could have that support and earn more patience with a twist of his words and actions.

Just my humble opinion from having lived in Hoops country and growning up in Texas.

GMG

[Eagle1855]

Id love to see every one of our coaches take this type of attitude. And I dont buy that we cant be a basketball school too, in fact, we have a better chance of building a dominating bball program in fewer years than we do a football program.

Shoot for excellence in every sport with every team we field!

[UNTLifer]

and that they like his approach of winning over fans and selling the program(from someone who admits he didn't attend basketball games before he moved out of the area).

←

"They" would be me, and I did attend a few basketball games of JJ's while still living in the area and was planning on attending the Houston game before it was moved to Denton.

My point is that JJ has taken over a program that was run into the ground by Trilli and tried to turn things around. I was critical of JJ losing in the first round of the tournament last year and for, what I thought, were poor in-game decisions.

The point of my post was to state that I enjoy the fact that JJ thanks the fans, asks that more attend and portrays (sells) the program in a positive light.

e-bone, feel free to use my name next time. You are not hurting my feelings. I find your attitude amusing.

Plus, you usually complain about football information being posted on the basketball board. Funny, you don't seem to be complaining about a Coach Jones thread on the football board.

Edited December 7, 2005 by UNTLifer

[Zeke]

I think it all comes down to winning. If DD ran through conference and only lost to KSU and LSU he probably could have took a dump in our lawn and we would have given him a pass.

Fan recognition is always important, but if winning isn't a part of the equation - it doesn't really matter.

[UNTSIG]

e-bone is dillusional. he knows it. the guy just loves to argue. has there ever been anything that he would agree with anybody on this board about. the football program and the basketball program here are totally different. yes Johnny Jones has not won a conference championship but Sun Belt basketball and Sun Belt football are two totally different games. You don't take over the program from Vic Trilli and start winning big out of conference games but here is the difference...he does win the OOC games that he is supposed to win. we are not asking him to beat Duke and we are not asking Darrel to beat UT but we are asking them to 1) have the attitude that we should win and 2) keep it close and win games against OOC opponents that we should compete against and that has what JJ has done and DD has not! by the way- if you win over the fans then you are selling the program...who else are you selling the program to besides the fans? that statement makes no sense

[ipEAGLE]

JJ seems like a great guy... a win over A&M would have been big.

Edited December 7, 2005 by ipEAGLE

[MGW]

I enjoy the fact that JJ thanks the fans, asks that more attend and portrays (sells) the program in a positive light.

←

Good post.

[Cooley]

The difference in my expectation of the basketball program to football is based on the level of play and history of the Sun Belt Conference (in each sport)

The Sun Belt is still a start up league for most of its football member schools. (Many just moved up from D1 AA) The Sun Belt’s basketball schools have a richer history and tradition of being more successful, while always being D1.

Prior to going to the WAC, New Mexico State was no lightweight in hoops. Western Kentucky is very competitive nationally. Lafayette, Little Rock, New Orleans etc play a much higher-level game than the Belt Football squads. Hence, a higher rank basketball conference.

Don't get me wrong; the fat lady will be clearing her voice on JJ soon if we aren't approaching 20 wins. I think he has had some questionable signing in his classes. As others have stated, his overall demeanor to the fans and community is so much better that he may be given a pass.

Bottom line, we just want to see annual progress in all programs!

[UNTSportsGuy]

Some of you seem to forget that JJ's team last year played an Elite 8 team in Alabama tough on the road. For the most part JJ's teams have been competitive against the big schools, except for Texas last year.

[EagleMBA]

I didn't MEAN to say that JJ should get a pass if he doesn't make progress, e-bone. What I was saying was, I think so well of his program (and think he has had some lousy breaks in previous seasons) that I would HATE TO SEE HIM NOT make progress. I feel that he WILL be under some pressure if the team record and performance is sucky this year; I just personally would not want it to come to that. JJ is the real deal.

[WIFE2HOT4U]

Sometimes......

Perception is more important than reality - no moral victory

I like the perception JJ is giving - optimistic

If the "3" ball would have fell......it came down to 1 shot and the team never

gave up.

[UNTX]

the only progress not really being made is that almost NO STUDENTS attend basketball games.

I've attended a ton of NT basketball games over the last 15 years. What we have in the stands are in fact very few students, plus some Denton people. And thank God for the local Denton folks who do show up, because there wouldn't be 300 there on average if not for them. I see so many of the same faces every time I go to a basketball game.

What bugs the hell out of me, is that I see very few of the people I routinely see at the football games at the Super Pit. I understand that most of those who support NT athletics, and maybe the majority of the people on this board, are primarily interested in football. It's just a huge shame that that's the case. I say that because if we could get even 15% of our 2005 average football attendance figure of 18K+ to come to games at the Super Pit; we might be able to average over 4000 per game in basketball in total with that additional support.

It just shouldn't really be that hard for fans to have a presence in that place! The fact that we can't average even 4000 a game is simply rediculous.

[EagleMBA]

You WILL see me routinely at football games. YES, I love basketball, too (raised in Indiana, nuff said). You will NOT see me routinely at UNT basketball games. Reason: the tipoff time. I just cannot make it to Denton during the week. The only games you will see me at are Saturday games. I'll bet this is a major factor in the disparity between football and basketball attendance.

This is not just an excuse. Work demands, distance and traffic problems make it impossible to get to Denton by 7:00pm during the week...period.

[UNTSportsGuy]

It isn't the alum that bother me about showing, it's the poor student turnout. Don't tell me that if you go to the game that you can't go out, because I know that you can. The excuses I hear besides, "I don't like basketball" really get old.

[FirefightnRick]

It isn't the alum that bother me about showing, it's the poor student turnout. Don't tell me that if you go to the game that you can't go out, because I know that you can. The excuses I hear besides, "I don't like basketball" really get old.

←

From my perspective I too cannot understand the poor student turnout. Ther are 10 to 15,000 students in and around the university. There are over 5,000 living on campus. Why dont' they show up? Is promotions still that poor on campus for BB games? I don't know? I never missed a home game in the 4 years I was at NT. Of course, back then, you felt you were missing out on something special if you didn't go. Our team was fun to watch and scored a lot of points. The promotions were good, half time shows were good and the Pit band was fantastic then.

But for an alumn who has to drive an hour and a half to get there it's tough to stay 2 hours then turn around and go back an hour and a half to go home. I come when I can. The Super Pit has some special memories for me. It's fun to go to the games and see other members of the Mean Green family.

Rick

[ADLER]

Everybody needs to evaluate why football attendance is picking up and then apply the same logic to basketball games.

The football games have become an "event" on campus. Everone wants to go because there will be tailgating, socializing, and beer. Currently basketball games offer none of those. Like our football games were during the Helwig days, there's nothing else offered besides the game itself.

[Coach]

Coach Jones always thanks the fans for coming out in every post game show.

I agree with Adler, the AD offices should do more to promote and enhance basketball games and not leave it all up to the Pit Crew.