DRC Sturns to return to NT's BB team

OldTimer · June 23, 2006

Sturns to return to UNT men's basketball team

05:44 PM CDT on Thursday, June 22, 2006

By Brett Vito/Staff Writer

Michael Sturns will be back with the North Texas men’s basketball team this fall, head coach Johnny Jones confirmed on Thursday.

Sturns, the Mean Green’s fourth-leading scorer, was dismissed from the team in early February for not conforming to team standards. The 6-4 junior guard has since met a series of requirements to rejoin the team.

The former North Crowley standout played in 19 of UNT’s first 20 games in the 2005-06 season.

Sturns missed the Mean Green’s game at New Orleans on Feb. 4 with a hand injury and was dismissed from the team after UNT returned from a road trip that also included a game at Louisiana-Lafayette.

Sturns averaged 9.7 points a game as a sophomore and was a key contributor off the Mean Green’s bench. He scored in double figures nine times and posted a career-high 20 points in a win over UT-Permian Basin on Dec. 28.

For complete coverage of Sturns’ return to UNT, see Friday’s edition of the Denton Record-Chronicle. Also, updates to this story will be added to www.dentonrc.com early Friday.

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

June 23, 2006

He's a great talent so hopefully he will have is act together.

GrandGreen · June 23, 2006

Good news I hope, but I thought NT was at the ship limit. Has someone else left the program? Sturns has most natural athletic ability of all the players imo. This could also the the answer as to who could be the back up point guard.

Edited June 23, 2006 by GrandGreen

June 23, 2006

Assuming that all show that are supposed to in the fall, this has got to be the tallest North Texas team ever. We've had a few seven footers in our history but overall this is going to be a tall group. The average height of the entire squad is 6-6 1/2;

Going up:

Bell 6-3

Mangrum 6-4

Sturns 6-4

Davis 6-4

Young 6-5

Watson 6-5

Edwards 6-6

Jackson 6-8

Williams 6-8

Stewart 6-8

Wooden 6-9

Muse 6-10

Howerton 6-10

That's 13 scholarship players plus Flemings (6-7) waiting in the wing. Only Davis, Young, and Watson are seniors so we should be in good shape for 07-08 as well. The 15th spot will likely go to either junior Jared Ruffin or sophomore Cody Ray.

GrandGreen · June 23, 2006

Assuming that all show that are supposed to in the fall, this has got to be the tallest North Texas team ever. We've had a few seven footers in our history but overall this is going to be a tall group. The average height of the entire squad is 6-6 1/2;
Going up:
Bell 6-3
Mangrum 6-4
Sturns 6-4
Davis 6-4
Young 6-5
Watson 6-5
Edwards 6-6
Jackson 6-8
Williams 6-8
Stewart 6-8
Wooden 6-9
Muse 6-10
Howerton 6-10
That's 13 scholarship players plus Flemings (6-7) waiting in the wing. Only Davis, Young, and Watson are seniors so we should be in good shape for 07-08 as well. The 15th spot will likely go to either junior Jared Ruffin or sophomore Cody Ray.
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It must be NT tallest team but what I wouldn't give for someone like little old 5'10'' in high heels Joe Hamilton. IMO, he was the best player to ever play for the Green. If the 15 you are referring to is ships, there are only 13 allowed in men's basketball.

June 23, 2006

I agree that size isn't everything; Joe Hamilto was truly an outstanding player as was Weasel Johnson who would have to tiptoe to reach 6'. Spud Webb would have been another one but Tommy wouldn't honor the scholarship that Bill Blakeley had given him. But to excel at that size you have to be extremely quick.

My personal favorite North Texas basketball player was Kenneth Lyons. Most of the outstanding players at North Texas have been in the 6-6 to 6-8 range...Lyons, Bud Hopkins, Jim Mudd, Jesse Ratliff, Willie Davis, Tony Worrell, John Savage, etc.

It seems to me that taller players are becoming far more athletic than they were in my time. I just think that it's a plus to have some tall players that you can put out there because your opponent is going to have some and a 5'10" guard can't cover them.

greenjoe · June 24, 2006

Huge talent. But he seemed to play out of control most of the time.

June 24, 2006

Huge talent. But he seemed to play out of control most of the time.
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He was much improved last season, and he will need to improve again in that respect next season as it seems he will have to share part of the ball handling responsibility.

foutsrouts · June 28, 2006

If Sturns can get it together, it might be interesting to see him and Flemings on the court at the same time in '07/'08. A couple of exceptional athletes.