Johnny Jone Article

[NM Green]

I was sifting through the Private Clubs magazine for October and came across a nice piece on Johnny Jones and his elevation of the Mean Green program. He was included in there because he is a member of one of the Clubcorp Clubs - Oakmont.

Page 73 www.privateclubs.com

Nice pub! I am getting excited about BOTH upcoming seasons!

GMG

[NM Green]

CLUBS & MEMBERS

PRIMED FOR SUCCESS

When Johnny Jones became head basketball coach at the University of North Texas in 2001, he wanted to create a tournament-level men’s team. “There were a lot of naysayers who said it couldn’t be done here,” says Jones, a member of Oakmont Country Club near Dallas. “But I think if you believe, and you trust wholeheartedly in what you’re doing, good things will happen.” Plenty of good things happened during Jones’ first five seasons — including becoming one of the top five most-winning coaches in the school’s history. Then last spring, he upped the ante as he led the team to the NCAA Tournament. “I knew at the beginning of the season that we had the right combination of individuals to take it that far,” he says. “If we stayed healthy, the chemistry was right, and we played well at the right time, I knew we could make it.” Driven by Jones’ fast-paced style, North Texas’ “Mean Green” has retooled its image. Where once the school worked to recruit players, now it’s flooded with interest from hopeful hoopsters. “Once you’ve played at [tournament] level, you want to go back. Now that our players have been there, they know what it takes.” — Paula Felps

Photography by Associated Press/Alex Brandon.

Photo found at http://www.privateclubs.com/CL_Clubs_Members/cm3_Primed.html