College Basketball: King Of The Boards

untwillrise · January 4, 2007

UALR forward Jones-Jennings a terror in paint

11:37 PM CST on Wednesday, January 3, 2007

By Brett Vito/Staff Writer

North Texas has faced taller frontcourt players this season. Quicker ones, too.

But when it comes to collecting rebounds, there isn't anyone who can come close to matching Arkansas-Little Rock forward Rashad Jones-Jennings in the Sun Belt Conference, or anywhere else for that matter.

The 6-8 senior comes into today’s game against the Mean Green leading the nation with an average of 12.7 rebounds a game.

"He has great strength and a knack for the ball," UNT junior forward Quincy Williams said. "When you are big and have a knack for the ball, good things happen."

That has been particularly true for Jones-Jennings against the Mean Green. He grabbed 19 rebounds in a win over UNT in the regular season last year and came back to score 17 points and pull down seven rebounds in a win over the Mean Green in the conference tournament.

The Mean Green (11-3, 2-1 Sun Belt) is hoping to turn its fortunes today in the second half of a double header with the UNT women.

The UALR men (7-8, 2-2) hold a 7-1 series lead over UNT since the Mean Green joined the Sun Belt for the 2000-01 season.

"They have been a good team with good players the last few seasons," UNT head coach Johnny Jones said. "We have been right there with them in some tight games."

UNT's hopes to break through for its first win over UALR since the 2003-04 season will rest in large part with a Williams, junior center Keith Wooden and sophomore center Justin Howerton.

The Mean Green will use all three players against Jones-Jennings.

Wooden watched from the sideline last season while sitting out as a transfer when the Mean Green played UALR and will get his first opportunity to face Jones-Jennings today. UNT is hoping that Wooden, who stands 6-9, and Howerton, a 6-10 sophomore who has gained experience since last season, will make a difference against Jones-Jennings.

"We were not as physical in the post area in the past," Jones said. "This year we added a guy will help us to a better job of containing him in Keith. We can send three players against him and hope to get in his way enough that he does not have a record night getting rebounds against us."

The key could be matching Jones-Jennings physical nature and aggressive approach under the basket. At 231 pounds, Jones-Jennings has the ability to push smaller players around.

"He goes to the boards hard every time," Wooden said. "We have to put a body on him, keep him from getting to the basket, getting rebounds and easy baskets. I am a big body and can bang down low. It will be a good matchup."

Containing Jones-Jennings could help the Mean Green extend a solid start to the season. UNT reached the 10-win plateau faster than any Mean Green team since the 1976-77 season this year.

"It's a good measuring stick for us to play against a guy who is leading the country in rebounds," Williams said. "It will show us how far we have come."

The UNT women will look to extend a streak of their own against UALR. The Mean Green (4-7, 1-0 Sun Belt) has won two of its last three, including its Sun Belt opener against New Orleans.

UNT was scheduled to play Western Kentucky on Saturday, but the game was postponed after the Mean Green was unable to travel to Kentucky due to storms in the Dallas area.

"I feel a lot better about the way we are playing," UNT head coach Tina Slinker said. "We are starting over in conference play and are 1-0."

Junior guard Amanda Quattrocchi became a starter just before the Mean Green's recent streak and tied her career high with 11 points in UNT's win over Northwestern State in its last game.

Sophomore guard Sanetra Jackson, UNT's leading scorer with an average of 12.6 points a game, injured her finger in practice on Wednesday and might not start against the Trojans.

Freshman guard Kim Sitzmann is averaging 15.0 points a game for UALR (10-4, 3-1) and its head coach Joe Foley, who is looking for his 500 th career win today.

Foley has a career record of 499-136, most of which he compiled at the NAIA and Division II levels. He is in his fourth season at UALR.

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