The UNT men’s basketball team was already going to be really, really good.
It just got a whole lot better.
T.J. Taylor, the former Oklahoma and Marquette guard who has been looking for a new home over the past few weeks, posted on his Twitter account this afternoon that he is going to enroll at UNT.
He even went all LeBron James when announcing his decision:
“I Terrance Taylor will be taking my talents to the University Of North Texas for my last 3 years of college basketball.” #blessed #MeanGreen
For those of you that follow along on the blog, this has seemed more and more like a foregone conclusion over the last several days. I traded messages with Taylor heading into his visit to UNT and he seemed to like the idea of playing for the Mean Green.
Multiple UNT sources said that visit went well. Taylor committed a short time later.
So what does this mean for UNT?
For one, it gives UNT another shooter to go along with Brandan Walton. That was the one key piece that seemed to be missing heading into next season. Taylor is also a pretty good defender and a guy who can handle the ball.
If one thinks about it, UNT is going to have a lineup full of high-major talent next year:
PG — Chris Jones (I have been told he’s good enough to play in just about any league in the country), P.J. Hardwick (decommitted from Mississippi State)
SG — TJ Taylor (former OU/Marquette signee), Brandan Walton (JUCO top 150 recruit), Alzee Williams (solid player for UNT last year)
SF — Jacob Holmen (one of UNT’s best players at the end of last season), Jordan Williams (had high-major offers out of high school), Justin Patton (former leading scorer at Grambling)
PF — Tony Mitchell (enough said), Roger Franklin (Oklahoma State transfer)
C — Keith Coleman (former Nebraska signee)
That is the type of lineup that puts UNT in the conversation for being among the top mid-major teams in the country and the type of team that can make an NCAA tournament run.