DRC yesterday..Men BB: Lean Green

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Men basketball: Lean green

UNT’s season quickly turned into trip back to Sun Belt cellar

03/07/2003

By Tim MacMahon / Staff Writer

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — This is certainly not how coach Johnny Jones imagined his second season at the helm of the North Texas men’s basketball program would go.

The Mean Green had reason for hope after returning four starters from a team that broke its recent tradition of bad basketball by finishing 15-14 a year ago, an 11-win turnaround from the previous season. Early-season wins over Weber State and Winthrop — teams that went on to win their respective conferences’ regular-season titles — added to the optimism.

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But it’s been a quick trip back to the cellar for the Mean Green, which is in the midst of its fifth 20-loss season in the last six campaigns. UNT (7-20, 2-13) has lost seven straight and 13-of-14 entering Friday’s first-round matchup against Arkansas-Little Rock (17-11, 8-6), 8 p.m., at Western Kentucky’s E.A. Diddle Arena.

"There are a lot of areas we could point to, but we don’t look for excuses," Jones said. "We look for results. Unfortunately, we haven’t had good results this year."

There are a slew of statistics that are indicative of UNT’s struggles. The Mean Green ranks last in the Sun Belt in several categories, perhaps the most important being scoring defense (78.0 points per game) and turnover margin (minus-3.6). UNT’s average margin of defeat (7.9 ppg) is more than twice as much as any other team in the league.

Another number that makes Jones shudder: 55, the total amount of games UNT players missed this season because of injury or illness.

"We’ve had a whole lot of bad luck," said senior swingman Chris Davis, who is doubtful to become the school’s all-time leading scorer after being sidelined two games by the flu last month. (He needs 58 points.)

The Mean Green’s most costly injury occurred when shooting guard Leonard Hopkins’ season ended because of a broken foot suffered late in a Dec. 23 loss at Colorado.

Hopkins, UNT’s second-leading scorer, was the only player on the team besides Davis who could consistently create off the dribble. Without Hopkins, the Mean Green’s offense is stagnant and predictable, running solely through Davis.

Other key players to miss significant time because of injuries were starting center Will Smith and reserve point guard Scott Roniger. Smith, UNT’s most experienced post player and best interior defender, was sidelined the entire month of January because of a sprained ankle and foot infection. The season ended for Roniger, whose 3-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio is easily the best on the team, when he tore his meniscus Dec. 21.

As a result of the injuries and ineffectiveness of several players who were forced into larger roles, the Mean Green has had 13 different starting lineups.

"We’ve had a chemistry problem," Jones said. "Last year, we kind of got set in a pattern with our rotation. We haven’t been able to do that this year. We’ve had to scramble and try to find guys."

The few players in the rotation that have been healthy all season — forward Michael DeGrate and guards Lee Green and Jerome Rogers — failed to live up to expectations.

DeGrate, a junior college player who was supposed to make a significant immediate impact, is averaging 8.6 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. While he is an excellent jump shooter, DeGrate has played passively and been prone to foul trouble.

Green and Rogers are shooting 37 and 35 percent from the floor, respectively. They have combined to record as many turnovers as assists.

"It’s been a disappointing year, but I know we’re better than our record indicates," said Davis, whose scoring average (19.0) and shooting percentage (43) have dropped significantly from last season. "The season’s not over yet, though."

TIM MACMAHON can be reached at 940-566-6870.