May 5 Vito Blog; Nt Basketball

[NT80]

May 05, 2007

Agent: Jones' contract ready for regents

John Hamilton, the agent for UNT men's basketball coach Johnny Jones, said Friday that the contract he has been working on with the school is done and ready to be presented to the board of regents on Thursday.

Hamilton wouldn't go into detail about what is in the contract, other than to say it is a five-year deal.

UNT turnover nothing unusual

I received a couple of questions recently about why UNT has had so much turnover lately among its assistant basketball coaches.

It's nothing all that unusual in mid-major programs and most of the moves at UNT lately make sense if one looks at it closely. The UNT men lost Chuck Taylor, while the women lost Angela Ortega. Both are leaving to work with old friends. Ortega is joining former UNT assistant Karen Aston at Charlotte, while Taylor is joining his old boss Ronnie Arrow at South Alabama.

Taylor will likely end up moving up to a higher position in the pecking order of assistants at South Alabama, while Ortega will be taking on a new challenge at Charlotte, a school where basketball is king. Ortega will also have security on a new staff that will be in place for at least a few years, something that isn't guaranteed at UNT.

If one looks around most mid-major leagues like the Sun Belt, turnover is just a way of life among assistant coaches. Slinker's staff has been more stable than just about any one could find at a school like UNT. Jones has had more turnover, and will need to find another coach who can be an effective recruiter to replace Taylor.

Jones is in a good position to do just that after making the NCAA Tournament after last season. Just don't expect UNT's replacement coaches to be in place forever. That's just the way life goes in the Sun Belt.

[ADLER]

Ortega will be taking on a new challenge at Charlotte, a school where basketball is king. Ortega will also have security on a new staff that will be in place for at least a few years, something that isn't guaranteed at UNT.

Edited May 6, 2007 by ADLER