Drc Bell No Longer A Surprise..men/woman Bb Article

OldTimer · October 24, 2007

Bell no longer a surprise:

By Brett Vito / Staff Writer

MOBILE, Ala. -- Point guard Ben Bell will be back in a familiar role running North Texas’ offense this season while also taking on a new duty as one of the Mean Green’s leaders.

UNT lost several key veterans from last season’s team that advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1988, including senior guards Calvin Watson and Kendrick Davis.

“Ben didn’t necessarily take a backseat last year after he came in, but allowed himself to fit in,” UNT head coach Johnny Jones said during the closing session of the Sun Belt Conference’s media days. “This year he has assumed more of a leadership role, which was needed. How he finished last year is how he started this year.”

Bell averaged 10.8 points in the Mean Green’s five postseason games last season and was named to the All-Sun Belt tournament team. The former Irving MacArthur standout often deferred to Davis and Watson last season, but is expected to take on a more prominent role this year along with fellow seniors Quincy Williams and Keith Wooden.

UNT is undergoing a dramatic transformation in preseason practice. The Mean Green has five new recruits and a sixth player sitting out this season, Arizona State transfer George Odufuwa.

Former South Florida standout Collin Dennis will be eligible after sitting out last year as a transfer. Those changes will leave Bell as one of the few players UNT has who is in a familiar role.

Bell started all 34 games last season for the Mean Green after transferring to UNT from San Jacinto College.

James coming on for UNT women

Brittney James has picked up where she left off after becoming one of the top players for the UNT women late last season.

The sophomore guard averaged 12.2 points a game in seven starts late last season and finished with more points than any UNT freshman since the 1998-99 campaign.

“It happened the way you would want it to, the way she came on toward the end of the season,” UNT head coach Tina Slinker said. “It makes it more natural for her to continue that process. She has the ability to be a lead scorer. We just don’t want to put too much pressure on her.”

James posted her best game of the season in February when she scored 27 points while leading the Mean Green to a 71-67 overtime win over Louisiana-Monroe.

“What makes Brittney unique is her mentality on the court,” Slinker said. “She is real mature in that way. She doesn’t let things affect her. … She plays through hard times, which is a real special quality.”