Slinker Gives Mean Green Future Hope

[Green Mean]

Brett Vito: Slinker gives Mean Green future hope

11:52 PM CST on Saturday, February 3, 2007

Out of the darkness appeared a little ray of hope for North Texas women's basketball coach Tina Slinker on Wednesday.

For at least one night, the Mean Green overcame all of the struggles that have hounded them this season and knocked off a pretty good Troy team that had seemingly found itself the last few weeks with a starting lineup of five Australians.

The win probably won't turn the Mean Green's season around or lead to an extended run in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament. It's a little late for that, considering the hole the Mean Green dug early on in the year.

What it could spark is a solid finishing run this season, one that could help keep one of the class acts in the UNT athletic department around for at least another year and maybe a couple to finish out her career.

It would be a shame if Slinker were to go out on anyone's terms but her own over the next couple of years.

And yes, I know that is not a popular opinion at this point.

Plenty of fans would like to see Slinker follow former UNT head football coach Darrell Dickey out the door after this season. They have expressed their opinion — loudly at times.

Slinker's team is 6-15 on the year after a loss Saturday at Western Kentucky, and she appears to be on the hot seat.

She should be to a certain extent. Coaches are paid to win games, and UNT hasn't been winning them at a very rapid rate this year.

Slinker's 224-263 career record isn't the best around, and 18 seasons is a long time to go without an NCAA Tournament bid.

What those numbers don't show is that Slinker has actually coached one of the more successful teams at UNT the last nine seasons.

UNT went to the NIT in the 2000-01 and 2001-02 seasons. The Mean Green won division titles in four of the last eight years, including the Sun Belt's West Division last season.

Over the last nine years, Slinker has posted a 139-109 record.

Slinker's job was on the line last year after she finished 14-14 in the 2004-05 season and went a third straight year without a winning record. The Mean Green responded with a 19-9 campaign and a Sun Belt Conference West Division title that earned Slinker a two-year extension.

UNT athletic director Rick Villarreal said at the time Slinker deserved a chance to build on her best season in a while.

Since then it has been downhill for the Mean Green.

Mia Ajekwu, arguably UNT's best player during its run to a division title last season, quit the team. Key recruit Mamie James, an NJCAA honorable mention All-American last season at Tyler Junior College, hasn't play a minute this season because of a congenital back condition that wasn't detected until preseason practices began.

UNT hasn't adequately replaced James and its top three scorers are sophomores who lack experience.

Those obstacles have proven to be too much for Slinker's team to overcome — at least thus far this season.

The Mean Green has lost five games by seven points or less and tumbled toward the bottom of the conference standings.

To a certain extend the coach takes the blame. UNT needed to sell Ajekwu on playing her senior season. It needed to develop a consistent leading scorer but didn't until recently when sophomore Amber Jackson stepped forward.

Despite those struggles this season, Slinker is still one of the most productive coaches the Mean Green has had the last nine years — not to mention one of the best representatives of the university.

And with all of her key players coming back next season and Colorado transfer Yari Excalera about to become eligible, UNT's appears to be ready to turn the corner.

After what Slinker has accomplished the last few seasons, she deserves a chance to see if she can help the Mean Green capitalize on that potential.

BRETT VITO

[MeanGreenBuzz]

... Fine let her play out her contract and retire so we can hire the MUTS coach.

[KRAM1]

... Fine let her play out her contract and retire so we can hire the MUTS coach.

I agree...she has been here long enough to produce how many championships??? How many do we have????? I can't remember the last time she or a member of her staff was out in the community working on support for her team. We need a coach and someone interested in working within the community.

[e-bone ver2.awesome]

How do either Slinker or Vito have a job doing what they do?

[GreenBat]

How do either Slinker or Vito have a job doing what they do?

I'm not sure about Slinker, but Vito does a pretty good job, given the circumstances he works under. What is it that he isn't doing that he should be? I know what Slinker isn't doing, WINNING!!!