Mens BB gets JC Pt. Gd commi Marquis Mitchell

OldTimer · April 2, 2003

UNT notebook from DRC article today

Junior college guard commits to Mean Green

04/02/2003

By Tim MacMahon / Staff Writer

State Fair (Mo.) Community College point guard Marqus Mitchell orally committed to North Texas after visiting the campus last week.

Mitchell, a 6-0, 185-pound native of Baton Rogue, La., cancelled scheduled visits to Southwest Missouri State, Montana, Manhattan and Baylor.

Oral commitments are non-binding. Mitchell said he will sign with UNT on April 16, the first day recruits can do so.

"I just felt comfortable when I was around the guys [uNT players] and the coaching staff," Mitchell said. "That sold me. I feel like I’m the missing link to making them a better team than they were last year."

NCAA rules prevent UNT coach Johnny Jones from commenting on recruits until they have officially signed their national letters of intent.

Mitchell was a first-team All-Region XVI selection as a freshman and sophomore at State Fair. He averaged 13 points per game on 55-percent shooting (40 percent from 3-point range) last season. He also averaged 3.5 assists and 3.5 steals per game.

As a freshman, Mitchell was asked to be more of a scoring threat and averaged 16.5 points.

"He’s an explosive, explosive guard," State Fair assistant coach Derek Witt said.

"He’s about 6-0 and can touch the top of the square [on the backboard]. He’s just a big-time athlete."

Witt added that Mitchell is an excellent on-the-ball defender who has the ability to score in spurts. According to Witt, Mitchell once scored 23 points in a span of three minutes.

Basketball banquet coming up

The Mean Green and Lady Eagles will host a banquet from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. April 15 at the Super Pit. Admission is $20 for a reserved seat, $150 for a table of eight or $200 for a table with a coach or player.

To order tickets or for more information, call 940-565-2527.

Athlete of the week

Sophomore pole vaulter Ryan Lancon set a new collegiate personal best at the UTA Invitational with a vault of 16-2.75, which is the fourth-best jump in school history.

Lancon, the defending Sun Belt outdoor champion, eclipsed his previous best college vault by nearly three inches. He cleared 16-6 as a high school senior. For his efforts, Lancon is the Denton Record-Chronicle UNT Athlete of the week.

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

UNTLifer · April 2, 2003

"He’s an explosive, explosive guard," State Fair assistant coach Derek Witt said.
"He’s about 6-0 and can touch the top of the square [on the backboard]. He’s just a big-time athlete."
Witt added that Mitchell is an excellent on-the-ball defender who has the ability to score in spurts. According to Witt, Mitchell once scored 23 points in a span of three minutes.

I hope these quotes aren't too exagerated. The leaping ability is a possibility, but 23 points in 3 minutes!? I hope it is true, but it sounds to good to be.