Mean Green

North Texas win over Denver on Saturday was encouraging for several reasons: Keith Wooden scored a career high 20 points, Michael Sturns was solid off the bench again and Quincy Williams had a double-double just to name a few.

The lost aspect of the win that might have been even more important was the way Kendrick Davis played in his second game back from a wrist injury that kept him out nine games.

Davis right fit back into the Mean Green's rotation, dropped in 18 points on 6-of-8 shooting in 26 minutes and threw his body around with abandon.

In other words KD is back.

Jones said as much after the game when he declared his senior guard back in form.

UNT might not have needed Davis at times during its run to an 11-3 record, but it will need him later in the year. The senior is a great shooter and scorer, not to mention a leader.

The time could be sooner rather than later with a trip to Arkansas for games against Arkansas State and Arkansas-Little Rock looming this week. UNT will have a much better chance of coming home with two wins or at least a split with KD back at full strength.

Todd Dodge has gone through a hectic few days since he was named the head football coach at North Texas.

Dodge had barely had time to move into his office this week when he took a few minutes to talk about just what transpired from the time he first interviewed for UNT job to moving into his office.

The full story is on the Denton Record-Chronicle Web site at www.dentonrc.com, so I won't rehash what he had to say, but it was interesting to hear Dodge talk about how impressed he was with the reception he has received at UNT. There is no question Dodge had the community behind him in Southlake after his remarkable run there, so for him to gush about the UNT community is telling. This isn't a coach who hasn't had a community behind him before.

It will be interesting to see just how the athletic department is able to capitalize on what seems like a wave of positive emotion now that Dodge is on board.

The UNT men received some good news on Friday when head coach Johnny Jones said that junior forward Keith Wooden will be back for a game today against Denver.

Wooden was suspended a game for a violation of team rules and did not play against Belhaven earlier this week.

UNT likely won't need Wooden to be at his best against a Denver team that is struggling, but a matchup with Arkansas-Little Rock and Rashad Jones-Jennings looms on Thursday.

Jennings is averaging 12.1 points and 12.6 rebounds a game and always seems to play well against UNT. Last season he had 19 rebounds in a win over the Mean Green in the regular season and came back to score a game-high 17 points and pull down seven rebounds in a win over UNT in the conference tournament.

UNT will depend on Wooden, who stands 6-9 and is in his first season with the Mean Green, to help change its fortunes against UALR.

A solid game tonight against Denver would be a good way for Wooden to prepare for his showdown with Jennings.

Be sure to check out www.dentonrc.com for a preview of today's game.

The North Texas women's basketball team had a bad day to say the least on Friday, one that led to its game against Western Kentucky on Saturday being postponed.

UNT went to the DFW airport and ended up sitting around all day through weather delays and even a tornado warning.

A makeup day for the game has yet to be scheduled.

UNT will be back on the road on Thursday at Arkansas-Little Rock for the opening game of a trip through Arkansas that will conclude on Saturday with a game at Arkansas State.

Every day more seems to be falling into place for the North Texas men. UNT not only beat Belhaven on Thursday, it also saw one of its key completitors in the Sun Belt's West Division take a hit.

Arkansas-Little Rock guard De’Andre Eggins has taken a leave of absence from the team to take care of personal matters. Eggins ranks third on the team with an average of 8.7 points a game.

UALR was picked to win the division.

For the full story, check out the UALR Web site at:

http://www.ualrtrojans.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=7400&ATCLID=735087

Check out Friday's editions of the Denton Record-Chronicle for Todd Dodge's thoughts on the immediate future of the program and his plans now that he has moved into his office in the Mean Green Athletic Center.

Most of UNT's hardcore fans have probably already poured over the story and thought over what Dodge had to say, not to mention his plan to hire several high school coaches. There is a faction of UNT fans that wonders if taking on so many high school coaches is a mistake.

I don't think it will be a problem because of the level of coach Dodge will hire. I would expect the staff to include several experienced Carroll coaches and a few other up-and-comers from across the state. The coaches Dodge hires will know the game. They will have been involved in recruiting while coaching high school athletes and they will be hungry.

I would expect UNT's new assistants to wear out the recruiting trail, and don't discount the fact that there are a lot of high school coaches out there who want to see Dodge succeed. High school coaches have a lot of influence over their players.

Dodge's staff will land its share of top players from the area. He just has too much going for him now not to from coming off of a state championship, to the buzz surrounding his jump to the college level to the connections several members of his staff will have after coaching their players on the high school level and seeing the rest of the high school coaches around the state on a weekly basis for several years.

Another night, another win for the North Texas men.

That's 10-3 for those of you keeping score at home.

This time the victim was Belhaven, an NAIA school that failed to keep pace in a 93-66 victory for the Mean Green.

The win seemed like almost a foregone conclusion, but what might have been more important was the Mean Green looked right at home with Kendrick Davis back in the lineup after he missed nine games with a wrist injury. Teams don't just lose their leading scorer for nine games, go 7-2 in that stretch and then fit him right back in -- not unless they have the chemistry great teams all tend to possess.

Ok, I admit it. I am coming close to drinking the green Kool-Aid. You know what I mean -- believing in the Mean Green when it comes to men's basketball. It's been a dangerous prospect over the years. UNT has had quick starts before only to flounder down the stretch.

This team just seems to have something special about it. UNT has guards who can score (Davis and Calvin Watson), solid post players (Keith Wooden and Quincy Williams), scoring off the bench (Michael Sturns) and a point guard (Ben Bell). The fact that Wooden missed Thursday's game because of disciplinary issues and forward Harold Stewart is dealing with off-the-court issues could turn out to be a problem, but if UNT can work though those dilemmas, it could be a good year for the Mean Green.

Who knows? I might be wrong, but at this point UNT's future looks pretty bright.

When Kendrick Davis returns from a wrist injury tonight in UNT's game against Belhaven, the Mean Green will be a slightly different team.

Michael Sturns is playing more off the bench. Rich Young will have spent a significant part of the season as a starter and Collin Mangrum will have more experience.

UNT head coach Johnny Jones said earlier this week that he sees that newfound experience as a benefit, not something that could cause chemistry issues. Jones is convinced UNT will have enough minutes and shots to go around. I would tend to agree. Young and Mangrum both seem to be easy going team players and while Sturns is a little more intense, he does seem to have changed since being kicked off the team for a while last season.

UNT could be one of the deeper teams in the Sun Belt now that Young and Mangrum have developed into solid options at guard along with Davis, Watson and Sturns. Davis and Sturns could also give Ben Bell a break at the point guard spot. That is the kind of depth UNT will need to make a run in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament.

Jones is convinced UNT is on the verge of becoming that much better when Davis returns tonight.

We will start to find out tonight.

The North Texas men's basketball team received some good news on Tuesday. Unfortunately for the Mean Green, it also got some bad news.

Senior shooting guard Kendrick Davis will return Thursday for a game against Belhaven after recovering from a wrist injury that has kept him out since the first week of the season.

UNT won't need Davis for a game against Belhaven, but the Mean Green will fare better in Sun Belt play after the first of the year now that he is back. Davis leads the team with an average of 18.7 points a game.

The bad news is Keith Wooden won't start against Belhaven after violating team rules. UNT was already short a frontcourt player after sophomore forward Harold Stewart left the Mean Green's lineup to attend to some off-the-court issues.

Wooden is expected to play against Belhaven.

What do you think? Will Davis' return put the Mean Green over the top in the Sun Belt's West Division?

Since the announcement that Todd Dodge is taking over as North Texas' head coach earlier this month, there has been a lot of talk about how his son Riley, a junior at Southlake Carroll, will fit into the picture.

Riley isn't the biggest quarterback out there, which will likely chase off some of the bigger programs when it comes to college recruiting.

Count me among those who think the Riley is more than worth taking a chance on any way, especially after he led Carroll to a state title with a win over Austin Westlake on Saturday.

UNT has had a few guys who were supposed to be too small or too slow to play on the college level. One was running back Patrick Cobbs, who is with the Miami Dolphins. Another was wide receiver Johnny Quinn, who has a chance to follow his old friend to the next level.

UNT took plenty of chances on players who were overlooked by other programs despite being productive under its old coaching staff. In Riley Dodge's case, UNT would be well served to carry on that tradition next season.

The only problem is there will likely be more than a few teams out there willing to take a similar risk on Riley. The guy can flat play.

Something tells me playing for his father will be too much for Riley to pass up, though. And he could still wear a green jersey.

Somehow I bet most UNT fans are also hoping Riley comes to UNT. What's your take?

on Saturday -- no big surprise there. The Dragons beat Austin Westlake for their fourth state title in the last five years.

And now the Dodge era at UNT can really begin. Dodge will hire his staff in the next few days and begin recruiting.

I would be interested to hear what the expectations are among the UNT faithful for the next few months. Is it realistic for Dodge to land three players ranked among the top 100 in the area? Could he land five? And what about state-ranked recruits?

How Dodge forms his staff will also be interesting. Former UNT wide receiver Clayton George is on the way, and I would be willing to bet some Carroll assistants will also join the UNT staff. It will be intriguing to see if any current UNT assistants will be retained.

Head coaches on the college level often keep an assistant or two from the old staff that knows the school and the players, which can help smooth the transition. It could also help to have someone who has been on the road recruiting the last few years.

I can't imagine Dodge hiring a staff made entirely of current high school coaches.

Feel free to weigh in. Who would you keep off of the current UNT staff and what are your expectations in recruiting?

North Texas men's basketball coach Johnny Jones said after the Mean Green's landslide win over Jarvis Christian on Friday that sophomore forward Harold Stewart is working on some personal issues and could be back after the holiday break.

Stewart did not play against Jarvis.

UNT didn't need Stewart in its latest win, but he could be a key player during the conference season. Stewart began the season as a starter, but is now backing up Quincy Williams. UNT is deep at guard, but could use an option off the bench at power forward.

UNT is rolling now, having won four of its last five, and doesn't need any distractions.

It should be interesting to see how UNT responds and how quickly Stewart returns.

Sophomore forward Harold Stewart did not dress out for North Texas afternoon clash with Jarvis Christian on Friday. There is no word on press row why Stewart is not playing today. Stewart came into the day averaging 4.7 points and 4.5 rebounds a game.

UNT does not appear as if it will miss Stewart. UNT is up 31-19 with 9:14 left in the first half.

North Texas senior guard Kendrick Davis went through drills with the rest of the team on Thursday, but is not expected to play in the Mean Green's game against Jarvis Christian on Friday.

He will be back soon, though, which raises the question of what head coach Johnny Jones is going to do with his glut of guards. Davis is UNT's top scorer, but Calvin Watson and point guard Ben Bell are also entrenched as starters. Rich Young is a senior and a solid defender and shooter, while Michael Sturns has adapted to his role as a sixth-man off the bench.

Sturns' role has increased while Davis has been out of the lineup.

There should be enough minutes and shots to go around between all five, but it will be interesting to see how head coach Johnny Jones handles the situation. One question was answered at practice when Jones said Sturns will go back to the bench and Young will start against Jarvis.

Jones started Sturns against Western Kentucky on Tuesday because of a scheduling mix up that caused Young to show up late for the bus to the arena.

Jones seems to like Sturns as an option for instant offense off the bench and Young as a defensive stopper in the starting lineup while Davis is out.

I like the move Jones is making with Sturns as a sixth man who can change the tempo of a game instantly by coming into the game at either guard spot or at small forward.

How do you think Jones should handle his rotation? And should he stick with Sturns as a starter?

The news that former North Texas wide receiver Clayton George is coming back to his alma mater as an assistant coach reminded me of a few years ago when a UNT fan or two told me that they wished more of the school's graduates worked in the athletic department in some capacity.

Former UNT running back/defensive back Ramone Archie spent his first season on the Mean Green's football staff in 2006. Who knows if he will be back, but if is retained that would give UNT two former players who are now assistant coaches.

George led UNT in receiving in 1992 and hasn't strayed too far away from Denton in his career as a high school coach.

And while new head coach Todd Dodge is not a UNT graduate, his wife is.

What are your thoughts? Could it make a difference to have a few former UNT players on staff when it comes to selling the school to a new generation of fans and high school recruits?

Late last night, a UNT fan sent me an interesting question when it comes to the Mean Green's quarterback situation heading into its first season under head coach Todd Dodge.

The virtues of Woody Wilson, Matt Phillips and Daniel Meager have been discussed, but he wanted to know about Nathan Tune's chances.

At this point, I wouldn't rule out Tune competing for the starting job. Tune's skills seem to fit what Dodge will want from his new quarterback. The former Celina standout imitated passing quarterbacks as a member of UNT's scout team last season and looked the part most of the time. More than one UNT assistant told me last season that Tune would fit well into a passing offense where he could sit in the pocket and pick apart a defense.

That is just what Dodge's offense demands of its quarterbacks. And at 6-3, Tune has the ideal size for a quarterback in a passing system. Tune came to UNT as a walkon, but quickly earned a scholarship after a solid showing in the Mean Green's first scrimmage of fall practice.

Tune spent last season as a redshirt and will have four years to compete for the starting job at UNT.

The Mean Green traditionally recruited quarterbacks who were both a running and passing threat under Darrell Dickey, but quarterbacks like Tune could become more the norm now.

There will be plenty of competition for the starting job, but at this point there is no reason to rule out Tune.

For those of you who watched practice last season or saw him play in high school, what are your thoughts on Tune?

Yes, it's time for that annual question. It was posed last year when the North Texas men's basketball team played South Alabama with first place in the Sun Belt West Division on the line midway through the year. It came up the year before when the Mean Green started the season 8-4 in non-conference play.

This time around a win over Western Kentucky on Tuesday is the reason why UNT fans are asking: Is this the turnaround the Mean Green has been waiting for under head coach Johnny Jones?

UNT hadn't beaten the Hilltoppers in seven tries before winning 86-85 at Diddle Arena on Tuesday. The win pushed UNT to 8-3 on the season and 1-1 in conference play after what should be its toughest road trip in conference play this season.

UNT spit games on the road at New Orleans and Western and now has just two more two-game road trips the rest of the way.

Considering the caliber of competition UNT has faced and the wins it has posted in non-conference play (Charlotte, Rice and Tulsa) this is the most convincing argument UNT has put forward that it has turned the corner. And remember, shooting guard Kendrick Davis -- arguably the best player on the team -- is coming back in a matter of days.

It's time to weigh in, faithful of the Mean Green nation. Has UNT turned the corner? And do you think the Mean Green can pull of winning the Sun Belt West Division title?

Earlier this week, North Texas men's basketball coach Johnny Jones described tonight's game against Western Kentucky as a test.

There is little doubt about it.

The Hilltoppers are the program that every other team in the league measures itself against. WKU probably has the best arena in Diddle, the most rabid fan base and usually the best team as well.

WKU is expecting a "small crowd" of 5,000 tonight.

While writing an advance for the game earlier this week, those facts made me ponder the question -- Just who has the best overall individual program in the Sun Belt regardless of the sport. One could make an argument for the WKU men's basketball team and the Middle Tennessee women's basketball team. Denver and North Texas could make a claim in women's soccer.

UNT could have made a case in football after winning four straight Sun Belt Conference titles until falling on hard times the last two years.

At this point, my vote goes to the Middle Tennessee women's basketball team. MTSU made the NCAA Tournament again last year and has won first-round games recently. Earlier this year, the Lady Raiders beat No. 8 Georgia on the road.

Feel free to weigh in and more importantly debate what UNT needs to do in any sport to become the elite overall program in the Sun Belt. Most fans I have talked to think new football coach Todd Dodge is the answer for UNT in that sport.

Could UNT be the best of the Sun Belt overall with Dodge running the show the next few years?

Jevan Snead's flirtation with North Texas proved to be a short one. The former Texas quarterback briefly discussed a visit to UNT with his high school coach, but quickly eliminated the Mean Green. The Clarion Ledger reported Monday night that Snead had committed to Ole Miss.

Landing Snead would have been big for UNT, but losing out does raise the question of who will end up starting for the Mean Green the next few seasons. Woody Wilson, Daniel Meager and Matt Phillips will all be back in the fall and all have started at some point in their careers at UNT. Dodge said in his introductory press conference that he would evaluate the quarterbacks he has before going looking to sign a junior college player.

Each will have to learn a new system. Of the three, Wilson seems to be the best fit because of his combination of speed and arm strength. The main criticism of Wilson was that he struggled to get UNT into the right play at the line of scrimmage, which might not be as big of a problem in a no-huddle offense with the play being called at the line of scrimmage by coaches after they get a chance to take a look at the way an opponent lines up.

Feel free to weigh in and debate who would be the best quarterback for the Mean Green next season.

The consensus among national recruiting experts and a few high school coaches I talked to last week was North Texas would receive a huge boost in recruiting when Todd Dodge takes over as the Mean Green's head coach in a few days.

Dodge has a solid reputation in the area and a great relationship with several coaches in Dallas-Fort Worth. Dodge will get a late start in recruiting, but one factor that will make the process easier is UNT returning the majority of its players. Dodge will only have a handful of scholarships to give out, which will allow UNT's new staff to focus in on the team's needs.

UNT must find a few wide receivers with the departure of Johnny Quinn and Joel Nwigwe, but could also use some help on its offensive and defensive lines.

For a look at what Jeremy Crabtree of Rivals.com and a few other high school coaches had to say, see www.dentonrc.com.

As for the blog, feel free to weigh in on what UNT's biggest need is this recruiting season.

The arrival of Todd Dodge at North Texas will bring about several changes throughout the program from offensive philosophy to assistant coaches.

A few UNT fans would like the changes to go even farther. The following is an e-mail I received from Ray Williams, a UNT fan who is no fan of the nickname "Mean Green"

Fell free to weigh in.

Here is what Ray had to say:

Now is the perfect time to solve the identity crisis at UNT. Eagles vs. Mean Green. Clarify right now, at the beginning of the great awakening, that we are the UNT Eagles, and home of the Mean Green defense (when they earn/deserve to be called that).

Eagles, Longhorns, Aggies, Sooners -- all are Div. I-A names. Mean Green is confusing and sounds like a reference to some type sickness. No need to abolish the nickname, just keep it in perspective.

Eagles soar and score points. Putting an Eagle head on the helmets will make it look like we mean business with the big boys. Now is the time to clean this up once and for all. Invite Don Henley and his Eagles band to do a concert for the school to kick Eagle Excitement 2007 off with a bang.

Former Texas quarterback Jevan Snead could add North Texas to the list of schools he is considering transferring to, his former high school coach Chad Morris said Thursday.

Snead lost out on the starting quarterback job to redshirt freshman Colt McCoy at Texas and decided to start over at another college. Snead spent just one season with the Longhorns.

UNT became a possibility for Snead when the Mean Green introduced Southlake Carroll head coach Todd Dodge as its next head coach earlier this week.

Landing Snead would be a great start for Dodge at UNT. The only problem for UNT could be timing. Southlake Carroll is still rolling in the playoffs and Snead is on the road visiting schools this week. Dodge has said his full attention will be on Carroll until the end of its season.

The full story will be in Friday's Denton Record-Chronicle.

Part of the idea behind our new blog is to have some reader input through the comment section on the site. I will post any responses I can on the blog sometime in the next few days.

Let us know your thoughts on Snead.

North Texas has seemingly been everywhere in the last 24 hours from the front page of most of the Dallas-Fort Worth area's sports sections to leading the nightly television sports reports. The Mean Green has been a hot topic on sports talk radio as well.

Everyone seems to want to talk about Todd Dodge being UNT's new head coach.

There couldn't be better news for the school. UNT was in need of some positive publicity after a couple of down years at the end of the Darrell Dickey era.

Dodge has more than fit the bill.

There is just no underestimating what the last few days have done for the athletic department in terms of building enthusiasm, not to mention fundraising and recruiting.

Over the last few days I have heard from dozens of fans who either said they were excited about the program again or that they were coming back after several years away or that they were increasing their financial commitment to the program. There is just no way to overstate how important that enthusiasm and free publicity will be for the Mean Green.

Now that Todd Dodge is officially on board as UNT's head coach, the next and most important step will be to put a staff together. The quicker the better.

Recruiting season is well underway and recruits are committing to other programs by the day. If Dodge's Dragons win this weekend over Allen in the state semifinals, Carroll will be in the playoffs almost until Christmas.

Dodge would be well served to get a few assistants hired who could hit the road or retain a couple of members of the staff who are ready to head out. Dodge said during his press conference that he might keep a couple of current assistants. Kenny Evans has been a solid linebackers coach throughout his career and wants to stay in the area. Considering he is UNT's recruiting coordinator, he would be a logical choice. Running backs coach Ramone Archie would be another logical pick. Archie was an assistant coach at Ryan. Raiders head coach Joey Florence and Dodge are old friends and Archie was only on former coach Darrell Dickey's staff for a short time.

The North Texas men's basketball team received some good news on Monday when trainers determined that senior guard Kendrick Davis could resume shooting next week, the next step in his recovery from surgery on the wrist of his left (shooting) hand.

Davis partially tore a tendon in his wrist when he broke a window in a hallway door of the Super Pit after a loss to UT-Arlington on Nov. 15.

Davis was averaging 18.7 points a game when he was forced out of the Mean Green's lineup. UNT has done more than just get by without Davis. The Mean Green has gone 5-1 since Davis' departure with its only loss coming against Nebraska.

Getting Davis back will be a boost for a UNT team that is 7-2 and on a roll.

UNT could use Davis in a game at Sun Belt power Western Kentucky on Dec. 19, but even if he is not back by then, he will almost certainly return by the time conference play begins in earnest in early January.

A host of coaches with connections to North Texas have applied for the open heading coaching position at Stephen F. Austin, according to a report in The Daily Sentinel of Nacogdoches.

Former UNT head coach Darrell Dickey, who was fired in the middle of his ninth season with the Mean Green, is on the list as of candidates is his old offensive coordinator Ramon Flanigan.

Former UNT defensive coordinator Gary DeLoach, who is now an assistant at UCLA, has also applied.

Bill Maskill of Midwestern State expressed interest in the UNT job and has also applied at SFA as has West Texas A&M coach Don Carthel, who was mentioned as a possible candidate at UNT early on.

SFA is looking for a replacement for Robert McFarland, who resigned on Dec. 2 to become the offensive coordinator at Iowa State.

The North Texas board of regents meeting that was postponed on Friday morning has been rescheduled for 2 p.m. Tuesday. The board will consider a proposal at the meeting to give athletic director Rick Villarreal and university president Gretchen Bataille authority to enter into a contract with a new head football coach.

Several top candidates are still available, including former UNT offensive coordinator Todd Dodge of Southlake Carroll. The Dragons play in the Class 5A Division I state quarterfinals on Saturday. As I mentioned earlier today, the longer UNT waits, the closer Southlake is to the end of its season. Dodge is on record as saying he will not discuss other jobs until after the Dragons are done for the year.

Former NFL quarterback and San Diego coach Jim Harbaugh is also still out there, although Stanford now appears to be interested. Harbaugh grew up near the Stanford campus and his father was an assistant coach at the school. Harbaugh, who had a great deal of success without athletic scholarships at USD, could be a good fit for Stanford.

The North Texas board of regents meeting on Friday was postponed, which could delay the school finalizing a deal with a new football coach.

The board was scheduled to vote on a proposal that would allow athletic director Rick Villarreal and university president Gretchen Bataille to enter into a contract with a new head coach without board approval. University policy states that the board must approve contracts that have a total base salary of $500,000 or more during the length of the contract. For example, a three-year deal with an annual base salary of $200,000 would have to be approved by the board.

UNT officials would not provide a reason why the meeting was postponed and have not rescheduled as of Friday morning.

State law states that the agenda for a regents meeting must be posted 72 hours in advance. Postponing the meeting could push a vote on the proposal back three days.

Moving the meeting back could be a sign that UNT still has some details to work out as far as the contract for a new coach.

Delaying the meeting will also mean Southlake Carroll head coach Todd Dodge will likely coach the Dragons in their Class 5A Division I state quarterfinal game against Colleyville Heritage on Saturday before the board meets.

Dodge, UNT's former offensive coordinator, is considered a leading candidate for the job.

The North Texas board of regents will vote today on giving university president Gretchen Bataille and athletic director Rick Villarreal the authority to negotiate a contract with a new football coach.

That might not sound like an important step, but it is.

If the board is ready to pass along that authority, there is little doubt a coach and a salary range have been discussed in great detail. Once the board passes the item, it could be just a matter of days before the university hammers out a contract with Darrell Dickey's replacement.

Expect an announcement early next week unless UNT has selected former Mean Green assistant Todd Dodge. Southlake Carroll's head coach might want to wait until after the Dragons are out of the playoffs to bid farewell to Carroll.