Okay.... Now that we know he's staying....

agw0038 · April 9, 2012

Now that we know Tony is going to stay for at least another season. What do you guys think our starting lineup will look like? What should our expectations be for next year's team?

Is this a make or break season for us?

Do Johnny and Tony both leave us next season no matter what?

Green Dozer · April 9, 2012

Now that we know Tony is going to stay for at least another season. What do you guys think our starting lineup will look like? What should our expectations be for next year's team?

Is this a make or break season for us?

Do Johnny and Tony both leave us next season no matter what?

If Johnny does not go now, he for sure won't go next season. His son, as it stands now, goes to Guyer next year.

Edited April 9, 2012 by Green Dozer

agw0038 · April 9, 2012

If Johnny does not go now, he for sure won't go next season. His son, as it stands now, goes to Guyer next year.

so in a scenario where we have this awesome year; we make it to the sweet 16; Tony is turns into a lottery pick.... You think JJ stays anyway?

I really hope thats the case. I think if he has another really good season, especially with Tony bringing added attention to the team, he's out of here.

Green Dozer · April 9, 2012

so in a scenario where we have this awesome year; we make it to the sweet 16; Tony is turns into a lottery pick.... You think JJ stays anyway?
I really hope thats the case. I think if he has another really good season, especially with Tony bringing added attention to the team, he's out of here.

.

Yes, he stays. His son is a better than average basketball player (I have been told). so I do not see him leaving for a few years. Plus, he has a daughter that will be going to Guyer in a couple of years. Besides, we should have a good run even after Tony leaves. We will have Odoh for the next two years, and hopefully we have Chris and Jordan for the next 3. And I think Clark Overlander will be a pleasant surprise, even if it is off the bench. And believe it or not, if some people can't have their dream job, they are thankful for what they do have, and a half million dollars goes a long way in Denton, Texas.

Greenhorn · April 9, 2012

I would like to see chris jones, jordan williams, and tony mitchell as the 1 2 3. Mix in roger franklin, forrest robinson, and the juco transfer at the 4,5 and you are looking at a salty line up.

agw0038 · April 9, 2012

I would like to see chris jones, jordan williams, and tony mitchell as the 1 2 3. Mix in roger franklin, forrest robinson, and the juco transfer at the 4,5 and you are looking at a salty line up.

That would be an awesome lineup. My only question is, can Tony dribble well enough to play the 3? (assuming thats were you would like to see him). You need to be able to slash pretty well to play that three position. We know he can hit an open three but what do you think about him taking somebody off the dribble?

Greenhorn · April 10, 2012

That would be an awesome lineup. My only question is, can Tony dribble well enough to play the 3? (assuming thats were you would like to see him). You need to be able to slash pretty well to play that three position. We know he can hit an open three but what do you think about him taking somebody off the dribble?

He looked to me to have pretty good ball control. It is definitely an area he can work on to become an elite basketball player and not just elite athlete. If I was coaching him during the off season I'd give him some time at the 2, because the experience playing there would only help his skills at the 3. He's just so athletic that if he can start hitting jump shots of the dribble not many teams will have a player to D up on him.

emmitt01 · April 10, 2012

1-Chris Jones

2-Alzee Williams

3-Jacob Holmen

4-Tony Mitchell

5-John Odoh

(3 and 4 being interchangeable)

First two off the bench Jordan Williams and Roger Franklin

Edited April 10, 2012 by emmitt01

emmitt01 · April 10, 2012

Crap, forgot Patton. Plug him int Holmen's spot and bring in Holmen, Roger and Jordan like a line change.

ntmeangreen11 · April 10, 2012

Wow, what a difference a day makes. I'm excited about the starting five, I just wish we had a true PF that way TM could play his natural position and dominate.

1- Chris Jones

2- Alzee Williams

3- Jordan Williams/Jacob Holmen

4- Tony Mitchell

5- John Odoh

As good as the starting five looks, this bench will be deep

Brandon Walton, Roger Franklin, Jacob Holmen/J Williams, Justin Patton, Niko, F. Robinson/Trey Norris(probably won't see much time) and Overlander.

Best team we've ever had?

golfingomez · April 10, 2012

Right now TM and Alzee have starting spots... I see JJ playing with the lineup until 2013

THOR · April 10, 2012

i just hope that jones and williams get their class situation in order and get back to being solid students and can play ball next year...if so...it's going to be great!

emmitt01 · April 10, 2012

Wow, what a difference a day makes. I'm excited about the starting five, I just wish we had a true PF that way TM could play his natural position and dominate.

1- Chris Jones
2- Alzee Williams
3- Jordan Williams/Jacob Holmen
4- Tony Mitchell
5- John Odoh

As good as the starting five looks, this bench will be deep

Brandon Walton, Roger Franklin, Jacob Holmen/J Williams, Justin Patton, Niko, F. Robinson/Trey Norris(probably won't see much time) and Overlander.

Best team we've ever had?

No! Not the best team ever. When I was young and we played with peach baskets we had an amazing team!!! We won back to back to back to back city titles!!! Don't believe me? Look up in the rafters at the pit...ignore those pesky 2007 and 2010 banners though.

UNTflyer · April 10, 2012

Now that we know Tony is going to stay for at least another season. What do you guys think our starting lineup will look like?

Something like this...

553876_10100779591579260_23932973_51451464_1815379828_n.jpg

UNT90 · April 10, 2012

1-Chris Jones
2-Alzee Williams
3-Jacob Holmen
4-Tony Mitchell
5-John Odoh
(3 and 4 being interchangeable)

First two off the bench Jordan Williams and Roger Franklin

Need a shooter. I think you gotta start Walton to keep teams from packing in a zone on you. In this lineup, your best 3 point shooter would be Mitchell. Hopefully, The #1 spot player has used his academic suspension to not onle brush up on grades, but his outside jumper, also.

You also forgot the other academic casualty, who was starting to figure it out before the report card came. If he can also improve his outside jumper, this thing has A LOT of options.

My statrting 5 would be:

1) Academic suspended one (assuming he makes grades)

2) Walton

3) Academic suspended one (assuming he makes grades)

4) Mitchell

5) Odoh

I would even say start Patton in Odoh's place against smaller lineups, shifting Mitchell to the 5. Alzee picks up minutes at the 1 and the 2. Overlander is strickly a situational shooter his 1st year. Niko will be lucky to get 3 minutes a game (kinda hurts, as I thought he improved quite a bit throughout last year). Forrest? Well, that depends how much he has worked on his game and his confidence/aggresiveness over the off season. Holman about 10 minutes a game somewhere. Franklin about the same as Holman.

Bottom line? Lots of talent and lots of lineup options, assuming 3 guys decide they want to make grades.

*I only use Patton's name because his problems began long before he came to UNT.

CMJ · April 10, 2012

I think we're gonna go with a variety of starting lineups for the first ten games of the season before the staff decides on one to stick with.

greenminer · April 10, 2012

If Walton can throw a few more airballs, start him at the 2 and stick CBL in the chat. Then I'm good as gold.

GrandGreen · April 10, 2012

This could be an incredible team if everyone shows up. I still maintain Mitchell is a 4 not a 3, the best rebounder in the conference does not need to be playing outside. His NBA money is going to be generated by his rebounding not his outside moves. He needs to work on an inside game. He can always flow outside like this year.

As far as a starting lineup other than Mitchell I think anything could happen. Jones was the best point in the Belt last year and should regain that position. Alzee Williams is the best defender on the team and showed he has an offensive game to go with it, got to put him at the 2. Oduh is the center, he apparently is a very good rebounder, offense doesn't matter much; so if he can play defense he should be a starter. That leaves Patton, Holmen, J. Williams and Franklin fighting it out for the 3. I think Patton may be the best all around player of the bunch.

My projected starters:

Center Oduh 6'10 Junior - Raw but may be the missing piece to this team

Forward Mitchell 6'8 Soph. - Should become the greatest player ever at NT

Wing Patton 6'7 Senior - Believe he may be the best all around big other than Mitchell, but will have to show it early to play

Wing A. Williams 6'4 Junior - Most consistent player on team last year

Point Jones 6'2 Soph. - Led Belt in scoring and assists before he became disqualified

That lineup is potentially great but even better is the depth off the bench. I think any of these guys could start for most NT teams and in fact all 4 started for NT last year.

Wing Walton 6'2 Senior - Became much better as year progressed, good shooter, tough player

Forward Franklin 6'5 Senior - A tweener who was at times, one of NT best last year, see him losing time to Patton

Wing Holmen 6'8 Senior - Great offensive tournament, always been up and down

Wing J. Williams 6'6 Soph.- Crazy athletic, if he gets his shoot down could easily be one of the best in the Belt

Deep Bench I don't see a lot of playing time for this group because of the depth of this team, but anyone of them could develop

Forward Niko S. 6'9 Senior - Surprised he didn't get more minutes last year, inconsistent but not afraid to take it to the basket

Center Robinson 6'10 Soph - Maybe because of injury but didn't show much last year, good outside shoot but too timid around the basket

Wing Outlander 6'4 Freshman - Mystery played out of position in high school, can he be that zone buster from the outside

Point Norris 6' Soph. - Showed some quickness and has potential but didn't show a lot after Jones left the team

Censored by Laurie · April 10, 2012

If Walton can throw a few more airballs, start him at the 2 and stick CBL in the chat. Then I'm good as gold.

And with that...

I'd start Chris Jones and Brandon Walton in the back-court...I don't want to see Walton for extended minutes most nights, but we need someone capable of stretching the defense and lord knows he'll shoot from anywhere. Also, unless Trey Norris takes some major strides this off-season, Alzee's ability to play both guard spots makes him an ideal candidate as 6th man...something in the mold of Dominique Johnson. Both Alzee and Jones should see 25-30 minutes a night, Walton 15 or so and scraps for Norris and Overlander...maybe a few for Jordan Williams at the 2, but not many.

Tony Mtichell will be a 3 in the NBA. I don't give a damn though until he's wearing a Mav's uniform. On this team, Tony is our 4. Without having seen Patton play, I think I'd start Franklin at the 3, Mitchell at the 4 and Odoh at the 5. Franklin can guard most team's 3s which will keep Mitchell and Odoh inside where they can swat shots 5 rows deep...but Franklin also is best 12 feet and in, he plays more like a 4 on offense which would allow Tony to drift to the perimeter a bit more. A bench primarily of Patton/Holman/Jordan Williams gives you a variety of options from the 3-5...with some situational minutes for Niko at the 5. I still have hopes for Robinson, but he desperately needs strength (namely leg and core) and confidence. I think he's a trash minutes player this season, but a break-out candidate in '13-14 if he puts the work in now.

MeanGreenTexan · April 10, 2012

Now that we know Tony is going to stay for at least another season. What do you guys think our starting lineup will look like? What should our expectations be for next year's team?

Is this a make or break season for us?

Do Johnny and Tony both leave us next season no matter what?

Starting 5 (game 1):

PG - CJ

SG - Alzee

Swing - Jordan

PF - Holmen

C - Mitchell

I think Patton is still a variable since we haven't seen how he fits into JJ's system. If he has a nice offseason, he may crack the starting 5 at either swing or PF.

JJ is loyal to Holmen though, and Holmen shows flashes. I think he starts.

I don't think Odoh will crack the starting 5 (at least to start the season) but will see heavy minutes.

I know Overlander is a nice shooter, but we have a nice shooter returning in Walton (shot selection needs to be a priority for him this offseason).

Don't know what you mean by "make or break", but I do think we get over the hump if everyone stays healthy and eligible. This team, on paper, should be an 11 - 13 seed in the tourney and a very good upset option (re: Ohio's sweet 16 run).

Tony is as good as gone after this season, as he should be.

If JJ is not gone this year, that means that LSU chose to fill their open HC position with someone else. It would take a great program to lure him away if that is the case, as he has turned down SEC jobs in the past :ph34r:

TheTastyGreek · April 10, 2012

This team, on paper, should be an 11 - 13 seed in the tourney and a very good upset option (re: Ohio's sweet 16 run).

Remember, a lot of your seeding is based on what your conference mates are able to do in OOC games. Last year, even when Middle Tennessee was sitting on 20+ wins and just 2 losses, they were projecting as a 13 or 14 seed. And last year was, disgustingly, an uptick year for the Belt as a whole.

This year, we're playing 20 conference games. Everyone only has 8-9 OOC games, and they'll almost all be finished by mid December. If the league doesn't start hot, fast... It might be hard for even a 3 or 4 loss team to get above the 13 line.

When you consider how terrible some of our conference mates traditionally are in starting the season, and that schools like ULM that have to sell 3-4 games to make budget would need to sweep their non-paycheck games just to break .500 in OOC... Even with a more talented league overall, the new scheduling might make next season a terrible conference RPI year.

GrandGreen · April 10, 2012

If JJ is not gone this year, that means that LSU chose to fill their open HC position with someone else. It would take a great program to lure him away if that is the case, as he has turned down SEC jobs in the past :ph34r:

MeanGreenTexan · April 10, 2012

Remember, a lot of your seeding is based on what your conference mates are able to do in OOC games. Last year, even when Middle Tennessee was sitting on 20+ wins and just 2 losses, they were projecting as a 13 or 14 seed. And last year was, disgustingly, an uptick year for the Belt as a whole.

This year, we're playing 20 conference games. Everyone only has 8-9 OOC games, and they'll almost all be finished by mid December. If the league doesn't start hot, fast... It might be hard for even a 3 or 4 loss team to get above the 13 line.

When you consider how terrible some of our conference mates traditionally are in starting the season, and that schools like ULM that have to sell 3-4 games to make budget would need to sweep their non-paycheck games just to break .500 in OOC... Even with a more talented league overall, the new scheduling might make next season a terrible conference RPI year.

This is true. However, (best case scenario) if NT can make some noise in the preseason NIT and/or maybe knock off 1 or more big 6 teams in OOC, and only lose 5 games or less in conference, then I think the selection committee will recognize the talent and place them accordingly, despite the Sun Belt's league RPI.

glick1980 · April 10, 2012

This is true. However, (best case scenario) if NT can make some noise in the preseason NIT and/or maybe knock off 1 or more big 6 teams in OOC, and only lose 5 games or less in conference, then I think the selection committee will recognize the talent and place them accordingly, despite the Sun Belt's league RPI.

We need to absolutely dominate the conference slate, while only losing a few big OOC games. To have a chance to get a good seed, we need to be like 28-5 with some good wins and no bad losses. MTSU screwed itself by losing its last regular season game to WKU and then losing its first SB tourney game to ASU. Those are to horrible losses at the end of an otherwise great season.