Drc Article On Jj Contract

[OldTimer]

Men's basketball: UNT’s success could keep Jones long-term

08:49 AM CST on Friday, March 9, 2007

By Brett Vito / Staff Writer

North Texas head coach Johnny Jones is in the midst of a frantic few days that will culminate in the Mean Green’s second NCAA Tournament appearance in school history next week.

Johnny Jones

Once UNT’s run is done, he will have another important date on his schedule, a meeting with athletic director Rick Villarreal to discuss his contract.

The deal Jones signed in 2003 runs through the end of next season.

“We will definitely look at his contract, but everything has to go through a certain process we will follow,” Villarreal said. “Now is not the time to concentrate on it.”

Jones took over a program that had won no more than seven games in any of the previous four seasons and immediately led UNT to a 15-14 finish in his first season in 2001-02.

UNT slipped to 7-21 the next year, but finished 14-14 twice and 13-15 once in the next three seasons before Jones’ breakout campaign this year.

The Mean Green (23-10) has already set the school record for wins in a season and won the Sun Belt Conference tournament title earlier this week to earn the league’s automatic NCAA Tournament bid.

The Mean Green’s only other appearance in the national championship tournament came in 1988.

Jones will receive a $10,000 bonus for winning the Sun Belt tournament title.

“I knew coming here would be a challenge, but I thought it was something that could work,” Jones said. “You have to start somewhere. I didn’t feel like this was a starter’s job, but a place where you could be for a number of years if you could have some success.”

Jones appears as if he will be with the Mean Green for a while longer.

“We will sit down and talk about his future, his goals and our goals, make sure we are on the same page and make sure he is a part of what we are doing at the university,” Villarreal said.

UNT to be on selection show

UNT will host a watching party for the NCAA Tournament selection show on Sunday, when CBS will have a crew present to show the Mean Green’s reaction to where it is placed in the field of 65.

The party will take place at the Mean Green Athletic Center and will begin at 4 p.m.

The UNT ticket office will be open from 6-9 p.m. following the selection show to process ticket orders from UNT fans.

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