DRC..NT Notebook..Kenneth Lyons meets with

[OldTimer]

UNT notebook

12/04/2002

By Tim MacMahon

UNT-ex Lyons wants to share in Davis? success

North Texas men?s basketball coach Johnny Jones brought along a special guest to his weekly press conference Tuesday morning.

Kenneth Lyons, the program?s all-time leading scorer, joined Jones. Lyons, who played for the Mean Green from 1979-83, stopped by the basketball coaches? offices in the morning to introduce himself.

?It was a pleasant surprise for him to stop by,? Jones said. ?We?re excited that he?s around. We?re delighted that he?s here today and definitely want him to be a part of the program.?

Lyons hasn?t been to a game at UNT in a long time, but he said that would change this season. He wants to witness UNT senior swingman Chris Davis? chase of his scoring record.

Davis, whose name has been mentioned to Lyons by friends and neighbors on several occasions recently, is 485 points shy of tying the record.

?It?s going to be a challenge for him,? said Lyons, a 6-7 post who scored 2,291 points in his career at UNT. ?I would love to come down and give my input to Chris, encourage him and try to be a service. Mean Green blood runs in my veins.?

Lyons, who was selected in the second round of the 1979 NBA Draft by Philadelphia, had tryouts with the 76ers, Mavericks and Warriors, making the final cut on a couple of occasions. He played professionally in Italy and Venezuela before retiring from the game. He is now living in Dallas with his 10-year-old son and working as a network engineer.

Jones seeks answer to second-half woes

The Mean Green has been outscored by an average margin of 14 points in the second halves of its three games this season, and coach Johnny Jones admits being puzzled by the problem.

Jones said he called several of the people he respected most in the coaching profession for help, but they didn?t have an answer, either.

?It?s nothing I can really put a finger on.? Jones said. ?We?ll try to change a few things to maybe get their energy up.?

The potential solutions include beginning the second half with a more aggressive defensive scheme, Jones said.

Starting jobs aren?t safe

Coach Johnny Jones was not happy with his team?s effort and intensity in the waning moments of an 84-58 loss Sunday at No. 19 Indiana.

As a result, he said no player should feel comfortable in their roles, including the starters.

?The guys who have the best practices will start,? Jones said. ?Minutes will be given in accordance to effort in practice.?

Player of the Week

Senior forward Angel Lewis was named the most valuable player of the Southwest Texas Century Tel Classic because of dominating defensive performances in the Lady Eagles? two wins.

Lewis, who had 15 points and 10 rebounds in the two games, harassed UM-KC star Katie Houlehan into an 0-of-11 shooting performance. She also held Alcorn State standout Keairre Levy to eight points, 11 below her season average.

For her efforts, Lewis was named the Denton Record-Chronicle UNT Player of the Week.

TIM MACMAHON can be reached at 940-381-9572. His e-mail address is tmacmahon@dentonrc.com.

7-DAY SCHEDULE

FRIDAY: Men?s basketball vs. Weber State, 5 p.m., Rock Hill, S.C.

SATURDAY: Men?s basketball vs. Winthrop/Morris Brown, TBA, Rock Hill, S.C.; women?s basketball vs. Illinois, Tucson, Ariz., 2 p.m.

SUNDAY: Women?s basketball vs. Arizona/UC Riverside. TBA, Tuscon, Ariz.

TUESDAY: TCU at men?s basketball, 7 p.m.

[NT80]

I like the fact that JJ isn't satisfied with some of the team's recent play and is trying several things to improve them. Coaches that refuse to change or try new things, stagnate!

[EagleMBA]

From the first time I watched him coach a game, he had me. JJ is the real deal. He will do whatever he has to do to get his guys to perform on the floor and win games. Let's hope he whips them into shape this weekend so that we have a chance to win next Tuesday.

By the way, I watched some of that TT-TCU game on TV earlier this week. Any impressions? I thought TCU looked undisciplined; it was like watching a playground team. Do you think they will play like that, or was it Knight's defense that made TCU look like that?