Worst basketball team i've seen in 35 years

[oldguystudent]

I can't figure out why I don't so vehemently dislike Benford as much as I did Dodge.

Maybe I've mellowed with age (unlikely), maybe it's that I have no understanding whatsoever of how basketball strategy works outside three hours of intentional fouls and free throws in the last two minutes of every game ever played (likely), maybe it's that I don't much follow basketball win or lose (more likely), or maybe it's that he doesn't seem to be pulling the wool over a bunch of adoring fanboys who would keep him here until he keels over dead of old age (most likely).

I guess that when it comes to basketball, I'm the consummate t-shirt fan. I'll show up if the team is upsetting the likes of Texas Tech and LSU, but I'm really, really not interested in watching us get beat down by SLC teams. Doesn't so much anger me as it did in football. It just...makes me incredibly disinterested.

[Harry]

Sorry but this team is not worse than that final Trilli team.

[CMJ]

Sorry but this team is not worse than that final Trilli team.

I don't know if it's as bad as ANY of Trilli's teams.

[GrandGreen]

I don't know if it's as bad as ANY of Trilli's teams.

Trilli's early teams played the most difficult oc schedules of anyone, so it is hard to compare with Benford's schedule. Trilli's later teams were almost devoid of talent as he couldn't recruit anyone after his dismal start and his good players including the great Chris Davis and Hopkins were injured a lot.

I think Trilli had some young very good talent starting out, but his poor coaching combined with Helwig's crazy scheduling doomed him and the team. His last teams who struggled and barely beat a no ship team had little talent and no depth. The current NT team is much more talented but plays about the same.

[Travis]

Trilli's early teams played the most difficult oc schedules of anyone, so it is hard to compare with Benford's schedule. Trilli's later teams were almost devoid of talent as he couldn't recruit anyone after his dismal start and his good players including the great Chris Davis and Hopkins were injured a lot.

I think Trilli had some young very good talent starting out, but his poor coaching combined with Helwig's crazy scheduling doomed him and the team. His last teams who struggled and barely beat a no ship team had little talent and no depth. The current NT team is much more talented but plays about the same.

hmmm. I am confused... didn't several of his players transfer to Texas and Oklahoma State... start and get massive playing time there? Sounds like he had talent... just couldn't coach it.

man, that sounds familiar.

[greenminer]

Not sure where you get your data, but I highly doubt it. Benford was primarily a recruiter and had been around a long time, which is strange for a hot property. Stephens I doubt had any kind of national presence. Your qualification on salary available certainly doesn't jive with a national top 5 candidate even from the assistant ranks,

He was tabbed among the top-three assistants in the BIG EAST by FoxSports.com in 2010-11. Following each of his two seasons at Nebraska, Benford earned well-deserved recognition as he was ranked among the top-35 assistant coaches in the nation by Basketball Times magazine and HoopScoopOnline.com (currently ranked in top-25). The list compiled the 100 top assistant coaches among the over 330 basketball schools at the Division I level.

I preferred Kaspar or Forrest and I remember RV saying he'd stay away from assistants, but this Benford guy - up front - was not a bad choice. There are several of our more vocal bball supporters who have said they were okay with this initially.

Marquette bio

[TIgreen01]

Sorry but this team is not worse than that final Trilli team.

Give Benford the same amount of time Trilli had, and I'm sure the comparison would be more valid.

Aside from the bigger picture stuff like running an offense and a defense, our fundamentals are crap. That was already on the way down last year, though. New this year is the embarrassing free throw shooting percentages!!

[UNTFan23]

Give Benford the same amount of time Trilli had, and I'm sure the comparison would be more valid.

Aside from the bigger picture stuff like running an offense and a defense, our fundamentals are crap. That was already on the way down last year, though. New this year is the embarrassing free throw shooting percentages!!

For the season we are shooting .667 ( 204/306 ). Last year we were .708 ( 524/740) so we haven't fallen off that much. Our last season with JJ we were .719 ( 662/921 ). I think what makes the FT shooting seem so much worse is that is where we won a lot of our games.

Perhaps what is most interesting is that there has been a significant drop in the number of attempts (and therefore a decrease in FTs made). This is likely attributed directly to the style of play changing.

[GrandGreen]

hmmm. I am confused... didn't several of his players transfer to Texas and Oklahoma State... start and get massive playing time there? Sounds like he had talent... just couldn't coach it.

man, that sounds familiar.

Yes, generally when someone transfers they no longer play for team. Note the later teams reference.

Trilli recruited some very good players his first couple of years, but at the end he was into high risk players and non-starting jucos. His first class had the top tree scorers in the area and the highest scorer in the state. Chris Davis, Jamel Brown, and Dexter Tennell. Brown didn't qualify and Tennell had some big time issues. He also signed Eskin the player who transferred to Texas and became a terrific 6th man. Jason Miller who was signed the next year transferred to OSU and played little.

[wardly]

I would like to know the name of one experienced coach that was "dying " to get this job.[ not someone who is a figment of our collective imaginations]It's my understanding that current head coaches were not exactly beating down the door to apply for this opening]

[UNT90]

I would like to know the name of one experienced coach that was "dying " to get this job.[ not someone who is a figment of our collective imaginations]It's my understanding that current head coaches were not exactly beating down the door to apply for this opening]

Frashilla. But we were too cheap to pay him.

[Army of Dad]

Kaspar

[UNT90]

Is anyone else completely terrified of the other 4 names in RV's desk drawer?

[wardly]

I had hoped for the name of a real prospective head coach, not an unfounded rumor such as Frashilla.,for example.

[CMJ]

I had hoped for the name of a real prospective head coach, not an unfounded rumor such as Frashilla.,for example.

No coach is gonna admit to being interested after they hire someone else.

[UNT90]

I had hoped for the name of a real prospective head coach, not an unfounded rumor such as Frashilla.,for example.

He wasn't a rumor. There were meetings with him. We weren't willing to pay his asking price.

And Casper had several impressive people leave messages for RV to call them so they could give Casper a recommendation (Greg Popovich being one of them). Rumor has it the calls were not returned. Casper then left SFA for Texas St.

If you don't think he was interested in a more high profile job at UNT (his alma mater), you have had one to many cocktails.

In hindsight, he would have been the perfect coach for an athletic team that couldn't shoot. We would have given up 10 less points a game with Casper as head coach.

Instead, we gambled (after being told those days were over) on the cheapest option who had interviewed for every head coach opening the previous 3 years without getting a job.

Now we know why.

What did all those other programs see that we missed and do you really have confidence in the 4 remaining names in RV's desk drawer?

Edited December 22, 2013 by UNT90

[the green rokemi]

I had hoped for the name of a real prospective head coach, not an unfounded rumor such as Frashilla.,for example.

Not a rumor when espn, the company FF works for releases he's up for the job. Absolutely stupid we didn't hire him

[wardly]

Even if its true we met with Frashilla,there are only so many beans in the pot. What some schools do is ask rich alumni to make up difference between what school can afford and what it will take to hire a top coach. Every one in life has a budget,even universities.I don't know anything about Casper, and was personally dead set against hiring another assistant, but our present coach didn't come cheap. Perhaps Casper's people called Mac Brown's office by mistake.Bottom line: unless we belly up to the bar and buy contract out, we are stuck.I have had 2 floor seats #1& 2 for years, and was so disgusted by last year's play that I gave them up, so basically we are in violet agreement as to the position we find our self in.

[UNT90]

Even if its true we met with Frashilla,there are only so many beans in the pot. What some schools do is ask rich alumni to make up difference between what school can afford and what it will take to hire a top coach. Every one in life has a budget,even universities.I don't know anything about Casper, and was personally dead set against hiring another assistant, but our present coach didn't come cheap. Perhaps Casper's people called Mac Brown's office by mistake.Bottom line: unless we belly up to the bar and buy contract out, we are stuck.I have had 2 floor seats #1& 2 for years, and was so disgusted by last year's play that I gave them up, so basically we are in violet agreement as to the position we find our self in.

Casper was head coach at SFA and only lost 3 or 4 games last year before taking the Texas St job this year. There was no mistake to whom those calls were placed. Casper's name just wasn't on the magical drawer list, and apparently a career assistant who had been passed over for a head coaching gig time and again name's was on that list.

Brilliant.

[PlummMeanGreen]

What happen about, "it's all about facilities"? We had great basketball facilities for about 30 years and just a few decent teams; that's poor leadership from the administration and bad hiring on the athletics department side. Now our once " best in Texas" facilities are seriously ageing; we all better get this fixed or we're in trouble...

North Texas had "THE" premier on campus basketball venue in the Southwest in the Super Pit's first 10 years of operation that once even hosted 3 NCAA regional tournaments. Hosting those was a pretty big deal back in that era. During those 3 regionals, the teams (and coaches) who came to Denton was a who's who of NCAA basketball back in that day.

Have said it before to those who want to keep celebrating our (now) 3 year old "new" football stadium, but we don't need history to repeat itself with Apogee as we've done with the Super Pit with so few quality teams (and with DMac I really don't think it will).

Bottom line is....................you have to put good varsity teams inside all these venues in the Mean Green Village and the Super Pit (an amazing, totally ageless facility) because without quality coaching, recruiting and good basketball teams you can build all the venues you want but the job will still only be half done.

GMG!

Edited December 22, 2013 by PlummMeanGreen

[Graddean]

I guess it could be worse. Grambling lost this weekend to Lyon College (NAIA from Arkansas.

My fear is we wind up with a .500 season of 4-5 point victories and 20+ point losses. Then what happens?

[UNTFan23]

I guess it could be worse. Grambling lost this weekend to Lyon College (NAIA from Arkansas.

My fear is we wind up with a .500 season of 4-5 point victories and 20+ point losses. Then what happens?

I think you're being too optimistic. I don't see how we finish at or above .500 for the season.

[UNT90]

I think you're being too optimistic. I don't see how we finish anywhere near .500 for the season.

Fixed.

We needed to win 12 OOC games to be near .500 at the end of the year. Conference is going to be brutal.

[wardly]

With an average attendance of only about 3,500 per game, what "name " coach would want the job?

[greenit]

Dave Bliss.

Wait, maybe I misunderstood the question.