Mean Green

I have received a few questions about UNT men's basketball scholarships, specifically how many the Mean Green has and who those last spots might go to.

UNT has one scholarship left to give for certain based on the number of players returning from last season. The staff has maintained that it might have one more, but won't say for certain where that scholarship could come from.

Word is one of UNT's players is pondering whether he wants to return to the team. If someone else leaves, UNT has one more spot to use.

What is no secret at this point is that UNT is looking to add a big man to its roster -- either a transfer or a high school player who has not yet signed with another team. It's hard to imagine that there are a whole lot of big men left out there at this point, but word is UNT's staff has its eyes on a few.

UNT needs a frontcourt player or two not for the upcoming season, but for 2008-09 after Keith Wooden and Quincy Williams graduate. The Mean Green will still have Harold Stewart and Justin Howerton. If you ask me, Stewart has all the tools to develop into an all-conference player, but UNT will need more punch after Wooden and Williams are gone. Howerton has improved and could make a big jump as a junior, at least one would hope.

The best solution could be a transfer who would sit out next season. Jones has found success with several in the past and I wouldn't be surprised to see another on the way soon.

Here are a few other items of interest on the hoops front:

Former UNT center Jeffrey Simpson was on campus today after finishing his season in Turkey. Simpson said he might look to go elsewhere next season after having a solid year overseas.

Western Kentucky made a splash Monday with the signing of 6-5 forward Steffphon Pettigrew, The Associated Press' Kentucky boys high school player of the year. Pettigrew averaged 33 points and 13 rebounds for Elizabethtown last season. Xavier, Kentucky, Georgia, Duquesne and Miami also showed interest in Pettigrew.

The following is a link to his profile page on Rivals.com:

http://rivalshoops.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?Sport=2&pr_key=50421

I just got off the phone with North Texas wide receiver Johnny Quinn and his agent, who talked a little about how Quinn ended up agreeing on a two-year free agent contract with the Buffalo Bills.

Quinn said the Bills were among the teams that expressed the most interest in signing him in the months leading up to the draft. Quinn's agent had a contract offer from Buffalo just minutes after the draft ended.

Quinn received a two-year deal with a signing bonus of $3,000 and will report to camp in mid-May.

Quinn's agent said he studied the rosters of all of the NFL teams carefully and liked the chances for UNT's all-time leading receiver best in Buffalo. The Bills did not draft a wide receiver and put a premium on special teams, where Quinn excelled in college.

To read about Quinn's reaction to signing with the Bills and what his agent had to say about the process, be sure to see tomorrow's edition of the Denton Record-Chronicle or check our Web site late tonight.

I spent a few minutes on the phone with North Texas head coach Todd Dodge late this week to finish up work on this season's edition of Dave Campbell's Texas Football and ran into a little tidbit I thought a lot of Mean Green fans would be interested in.

Yes, it's time to talk uniforms. I know it's a topic near and dear to many a UNT fan out there, as I found out last season in the now famous black jerseys incident.

I asked about uniform color because it seems like UNT is changing just about everything involved with the football program from coaches to schemes to attitude.

Dodge said UNT would also change its uniforms to a lighter shade of green to go along with white pants.

So there you have it.

Post your thoughts here. Is lighter better?

As promised, here is a little more of what Tristan Thompson had to say about his decision to attend UNT.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of Thompson's journey through the recruiting process was that UNT wasn't even on his radar until the Mean Green made its run through the Sun Belt Conference tournament and earned its first bid to the NCAA Tournament since 1988.

UNT contacted Thompson a short time after it lost to Memphis. From there Mean Green head coach Johnny Jones closed the deal. Thompson said his relationship with Jones was the biggest factor in his decision, although UNT being close to his home in Angleton and the Mean Green losing three of its key wing players certainly didn't hurt.

Thompson's mother also appeared to be a factor. Thompson said he and his mother hit it off with Jones, who invited both to visit his family.

I also just received an e-mail from Brewster head coach Jason Smith. I didn't get a chance to include his comments in tomorrow's story, but here is what he had to say.

"Tristan was our most consistent scorer during the second half of our season, Smith said. "He is a pure scorer and has a tremendous basketball IQ. After the New Year, he averaged 17 points per game."

UNT's coaches cannot comment on Thompson until his letter of intent rolls off the fax tomorrow, but I also talked to Mike Kunstadt, the editor at Texashoops.com. Kunstadt had Thompson rated No. 18 in Texas in the class of 2006 and said he is the top-rated Texas high school player UNT has landed in at least five years who did not transfer from another college.

Considering UNT would have had no chance at Thompson before going to the NCAA Tournament, the question of whether Jones will capitalize on the Mean Green's bid appears to have been answered.

UNT has commitments from Thompson and Midland College point guard Ryan McCoy, a pair of players Rivals.com has ranked as three-star recruits, and Mesa (Ariz.) Community College guard Adam McCoy. The Mean Green has not had two three-star recruits in a class since Marqus Mitchell and Mark Wilson arrived in 2003. Ryan McCoy was ranked 40th in Texas in the class of 2005, giving UNT two top 40 players from Texas in its current recruiting class as well.

Granted, Wilson was a bust and Mitchell a role player, but you have to like a team's chances for success with players if they are highly regarded. Thompson was a highly recruited player with several other offers and both McCoys passed on other Division I offers.

Word is UNT has one scholarship left -- possibly two -- and will now turn its attention to finding a big man, potentially someone who would sit out the upcoming season and soften the blow the Mean Green takes when Keith Wooden and Quincy Williams graduate after next season.

For more on Thompson and to read exactly what he had to say, see tomorrow's Denton Record-Chronicle story. The following is a link:

http://www.dentonrc.com/sharedcontent/dws/drc/sports/college/stories/DRC_UNT_recruiting_4-28.15ce15fe.html

I just got off the phone with Tristan Thompson and the 6-5 guard from Brewster Academy confirmed that he decided today to commit to the North Texas.

The former Angleton standout had some interesting comments on why he decided on UNT and what he was told his role with the team would be. Thompson is one of the highest rated recruits to commit to UNT in several seasons.

The story will be up on the Denton Record-Chronicle Web site later tonight. Check back in on the blog later for some additional comments.

A few interesting notes came out of the basketball banquet last night, but before we get to those items, here is a tidbit on Tristan Thompson, the shooting guard from Brewster Academy.

Jason Smith, the head coach at Brewster, said Wednesday that Thompson has visited UNT and Akron and might visit Wichita State in the future. UNT has two scholarships left and could hang on to one for Thompson, who appears to be waiting on the Shockers and weighing his options. Wichita State changed coaches after last season and is still in the process of sorting out who will be back next season and how many scholarships it has to give.

It looks like UNT is still in the hunt for the highly regarded guard. If Wichita State does not have any scholarships left to give, Thompson -- a Texas native -- could end up falling into UNT's lap.

In other news ...

As expected, athletic director Rick Villarreal announced that UNT has reached an agreement in principle with head coach Johnny Jones on a five-year extension. The board of regents will have to give the deal the final seal of approval.

...

Jones was available to comment for the first time on Adam McCoy after the banquet and said he expects Mesa Community College standout to help fill the void at shooting guard and small forward following the departure of several key players after last season.

The 6-3 guard shot 48.7 percent from behind the arc last year. Finding another shooter was critical for the Mean Green after it lost Calvin Watson, Kendrick Davis and Rich Young following last season.

…

Freshman guard Collin Mangrum showed up to the banquet with his arm in a sling after having surgery on his right shoulder. Jones said Mangrum will be ready for next season.

For more on the banquet and a list of award-winners, see tomorrow's edition of the Denton Record-Chronicle. The following is a link:

http://www.dentonrc.com/sharedcontent/dws/drc/sports/stories/DRC_UNT_Hoops_0426.bf29ec2.html

North Texas is set to announce a five-year contract extension for head men's basketball coach Johnny Jones at tonight's basketball banquet, an athletic department source said on Wednesday.

UNT is also set to announce that Adam McCoy, a 6-4 shooting guard from Mesa Community College in Arizona, has committed to UNT

McCoy averaged 18.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.3 steals a game last year for Mesa and is from the area. He played for Arlington Oakridge.

McCoy was a second team All-Arizona Community College Athletic Conference selection last season

A new name has emerged on the UNT men's basketball recruiting front following the news that shooting guard Kevin Goffney has committed to Chattanooga.

Adam McCoy, a 6-4 shooting guard from Mesa Community College in Arizona, is on the Mean Green's radar, according to a source close to the situation.

McCoy averaged 18.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.3 steals a game last year for Mesa and is from the area. He played for Arlington Oakridge.

McCoy was a second team All-Arizona Community College Athletic Conference selection last season and appears as if he would fit the Mean Green's needs. UNT is still looking for someone who can play the small forward spot and fill the role left by Calvin Watson. South Florida transfer Collin Dennis seems destined to take Kendrick Davis' spot at shooting guard.

In other basketball news, UNT women's coach Tina Slinker said Tuesday that Ashley Vation has left the program. Vation was a highly regarded recruit when she arrived at UNT, but never really developed and played sparingly the last two seasons.

The following is a link to McCoy's page on the Mesa Web site:

http://www.mc.maricopa.edu/athletics/athletes/mbasket/mccoy.html

Just when it looked like the North Texas football team's offense was going to go out with a whimper in spring practice, Daniel Meager and Casey Fitzgerald got the Mean Green going on Sunday in UNT's annual Green and White spring game.

Meager tossed three touchdown passes and threw for 233 yards, while Fitzgerald caught four passes for 166 yards and two touchdowns.

The duo's performance was the highlight of the scrimmage, which the Mean Green's offense won 48-29. The score was kept with a modified system that awarded the defense for sacks, turnovers and holding its counterparts to three plays on a series.

Meager appeared to tighten his grip on the starting job, but head coach Todd Dodge stuck with his stance that the competition for the position would continue into the fall.

While Meager and Fitzgerald provided most of the highlights in the scrimmage, there were a few other developments of note.

The official attendance was 5,194, which has to be a record for a UNT spring game. It goes to show just how excited people are about the Mean Green now that Dodge has taken over.

Outside of the attendance, the biggest development had to be the play of UNT's offensive line. There were times this spring when the group looked like it might get UNT's starting quarterback killed next season. UNT's line looked much better in the spring game and surrendered just one sack. Esteban Santiago started at guard after spending just a little more than a week on offense and looked pretty good considering he has not played the position on a regular basis since high school.

Dodge said he was pleased with the group and the way UNT's offense spread the ball around to seven different receivers.

While UNT's offensive line did a good job of protecting the quarterback, it didn't open many running lanes. Senior running back Jamario Thomas appeared as if he might be ready to break out on Monday when he ripped off two runs of more than 20 yards. He only had five carries and lost a total of 1 yard on a day when UNT struggled to run the ball (I might have cursed poor J-Mo yesterday by predicting a big afternoon). Backup quarterback Woody Wilson, who is starting to look more and more like he might settle into a role as a runner and trick play specialist, led UNT with six carries for 26 yards.

UNT will need to run the ball better if it is to be successful next season, but there is plenty of time to settle those issues in fall practice.

Feel free to weigh in on the blog. Who impressed you in the spring game?

Be sure to check out the game story and notebook in tomorrow's edition of the Denton Record-Chronicle. The following are the links.

http://www.dentonrc.com/sharedcontent/dws/drc/sports/stories/DRC_UNTspringgame_4-23.36f5d436.html

http://www.dentonrc.com/sharedcontent/dws/drc/sports/stories/DRC_UNTspringnotes_4-23.36f886d6.html

By the way, we didn't run the full statistics in the paper, so I thought I would put a list here on the blog. After all, we try to be a full-service operation here at the DRC.

Rushing
Jamario Thomas 5-(-1)
Deavin Cox 3-3
Cam Montgomery 4-14
Daniel Meager 3-(-1)

Passing
Daniel Meager 8-16-0 233 yards, three touchdowns
Matt Phillips 5-11-1 75 yards
Woody Wilson 3-8-0 41 yards
Nathan Tune 3-13-1 57 yards

Receiving
Casey Fitzgerald 4-166, two touchdowns
Evan Fentriss 5-93
Korey Washington 2-56
Jonathan Ieans 1-27
Brandon Jackson 1-5, touchdown
Brock Stickler 1-6
Roderick Johnson 1-19

Don't expect a laid-back Green and White Game today at Fouts Field, where North Texas will wrap up its first spring under Todd Dodge

UNT's new head coach said this week that his troops don't have any time to waste.

UNT will go full speed for an hour and a half with the Mean Green's offense facing off against the team's defense. A scoring system will keep track of which unit fares better.

What will be more intriguing than the score are some of the position battles that will continue during the game. Daniel Meager appears to have the starting quarterback job wrapped up. If Matt Phillips, Nathan Tune or Woody Wilson is to make a late charge, the spring game will be the time to start.

It will also be interesting to see how Dodge's new offensive line that has struggled throughout the spring fares against the likes of Jeremiah Chapman and Montey Stevenson. It has not been pretty for the Mean Green's line much of the spring and Dodge has said he could look for help from the JUCO ranks if he sees the need. The spring game could convince him one way or another.

After watching practice all spring, I am starting to wonder if Jamario Thomas could be in for a big day as well. The senior is healthier and smaller. Granted, he is still a long way from being what he was as a freshman, but he broke a couple of long runs in the Mean Green's last scrimmage. Dodge said he can see a difference in the running back since he started working out in the Mean Green's offseason conditioning program.

Who do you expect a big day from? Feel free to weigh in the blog and don't forget to check out the full preview story in tomorrow's edition of the Denton Record-Chronicle.

The NCAA handed Louisiana-Lafayette some stiff penalties for rules violations in its basketball and football programs on Thursday.

ULL will lose two basketball scholarships and will forfeit 90 percent of the first year's money it received from the Sun Belt for playing in the NCAA Tournament in 2004 and 2005. The team's records from those seasons will also be wiped out.

The football team will have its weekly practice hours reduced from 20 to 15 hours this spring or in the 2008 spring semester.

ULL's basketball allegations surrounded a player using 15 hours of correspondence courses taken at another school to remain eligible, an NCAA rules violation. The football team's violation involved voluntary workouts that did not comply with NCAA rules.

The sanctions should hit one of the Mean Green's key rivals both in basketball and football pretty hard, especially when it comes to basketball. There are just not very many scholarships to give in basketball. ULL can spread the hit out into two seasons, but losing even one scholarship in a year can hurt a program.

Losing the right to refer to the NCAA Tournament appearances and the stain of the violation won't help ULL, either.

The following is a link to the Associated Press story that provided the information for this story on the violations:

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/news/story?id=2843137

North Texas head football coach Todd Dodge said Thursday that he likes the way former national rushing champion Jamario Thomas has looked in spring practice.

Thomas ripped off two runs of more than 20 yards in the Mean Green's latest scrimmage and has started to adapt to running in UNT's spread offense.

Thomas said he has lost a few pounds and is in better shape than he has been in recent seasons.

The Mean Green will depend in large part of the passing game this season under Dodge, but will need a solid running game to provide balance and prevent a defense from just pinning its ears back and coming after Daniel Meager or whoever starts at quarterback.

There is little doubt Thomas has the ability to finish his career with a bang. The question is if the senior can stay healthy and get into the shape he was in as a freshman.

For more on Thomas and a few other football notes, see tomorrow's edition of the Denton Record-Chronicle.

North Texas head football coach Todd Dodge has taken a good look at what he has on hand during spring practice and said Wednesday that there is a chance he could try to sign a junior college player late to fill some holes in the Mean Green's lineup.

"There is always a possibility we could pick up a player late," Dodge said. "It could be an offensive lineman or a cornerback from a depth standpoint. [A signee] would have to come from the JC ranks at this point for us to find a player who could help us next year."

Dodge went on to say that he has not made any firm decisions about the Mean Green's plans.

UNT has a long history of picking up players after signing day, including safety Aaron Weathers and offensive lineman Andy Brewster. Weathers signed late out of Coffeyville (Kan.) Community College, while Brewster played at Midland Lee.

UNT would be lucky to find another player to rival either Weathers, an all-conference selection last season, or Brewster, one of the best offensive linemen UNT has had in recent years.

What might be more realistic is trying to find another offensive lineman or two along the lines of Lonnie Chambers. The former UNT guard/tackle wasn't the best player to come through the program, but he was a solid starter who helped fill a void after transferring from Trinity Valley before the 2003 season.

UNT's biggest problem at this point appears to be its offensive line, where the Mean Green is starting two inexperienced tackles and barely has enough players to fill out its depth chart. The Mean Green has two signees coming in the fall, but J.J. Johnson of Plano West is a center, where UNT already has two capable players, and tackle Matt Tomlinson might need time to develop.

It could be tough for UNT to find an impact player at this point, but it appears as if Dodge and his staff might decide to take a look around.

South Alabama did something one rarely sees in college athletics Tuesday. Heck, one hardly sees it in any walk of life. The Jaguars brought back a man they fired -- men's basketball coach Ronnie Arrow.

Arrow coached at USA from 1988-95 and led the Jaguars to the NCAA Tournament twice before being run off. He landed at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and was a big success there in nine seasons before being asked to come back to USA.

Arrow has been a success just about everywhere he has been and one could argue he takes over a team that should be favored to win the Sun Belt next season. Former head coach John Pelphrey left after last season to take over at Arkansas, but certainly didn’t leave the cupboard empty.

USA loses three key players, including Carlos Smith, but returns its top three scorers from a team that finished 20-12. Transfer Daniel Hayles started 20 games in two seasons at Auburn and will be eligible next season. Arrow will also inherit three recruits who have already signed national letters of intent with USA, including Jamar Moore, a 6-5 shooting guard who is Rivals.com's 20th ranked player in Georgia.

Arrow appears to be a great hire for USA, one that will ensure the Jaguars remain one of UNT's top rivals in the Sun Belt. He will surely recruit Texas, where he has several contacts after an extended stay in Corpus Christi.

Feel free to post your thoughts. Will Arrow's return to USA make the Jaguars a thorn in UNT's side for years to come?

The North Texas men's basketball team got off to a slow start in recruiting this spring, but as everyone knows by now, the Mean Green could soon be picking up steam.

Rivals.com reported on Tuesday that Tristan Thompson stopped by UNT for a visit over the weekend and will round out his recruiting tour with stops at Akron and Wichita State.

UNT appears to have a good shot to land the 6-5 guard from Angleton who spent last year at Brewster Academy, a prep school in New Hampshire. UNT is close to home for Thompson and Wichita State just changed coaches, although Thompson is familiar with the Shockers new head coach Gregg Marshall of Winthrop.

UNT is coming off its best season ever that included an NCAA Tournament berth.

Thompson is a three-star recruit on Rivals.com's scale of five and also has offers from Houston, New Mexico State and UTEP.

UNT already has a commitment from three-star point guard Ryan McCoy of Midland College. A second three-star player would make UNT's class look pretty good at this point, especially considering Thompson would help fill a void left after the Mean Green lost guards Calvin Watson, Kendrick Davis and Rich Young to graduation.

Momentum is a big part of recruiting. Landing Thompson would certainly give UNT a boost with two scholarships remaining.

North Texas defense dominated the second scrimmage of spring practice on Monday, holding its counterparts on offense without a touchdown in a workout that lasted just over 100 plays.

Head coach Todd Dodge said he was particularly pleased with the Mean Green's defensive line, including defensive end Eddrick Gilmore. The sophomore is continuing to make a push to start opposite Jeremiah Chapman, who will likely be a preseason All-Sun Belt Conference pick. Gilmore spent much of the afternoon in UNT's backfield.

Daniel Meager continued to work with the first-team offense. Dodge said after the workout that Meager has been the most consistent of the Mean Green's quarterbacks, the same stance he took after the first scrimmage of the spring. Nathan Tune spent some time playing with the second team and continues to make a push for the second spot on the depth chart.

What was particularly disheartening for UNT's offense was that it failed to score a touchdown while the Mean Green's defense was without arguably the best newcomer of the spring, cornerback Latif Nurudeen. The Baylor transfer has a strained pectoral muscle and will not play in the Mean Green's spring game on Sunday.

Jamario Thomas was one of the bright spots for the Mean Green offensively. The former national rushing champion ripped off two runs of more than 20 yards in the span of two plays in the scrimmage.

Evan Fentriss, a sophomore transfer from Rice, continued to be impressive. The former Southlake Carroll standout worked with the second team, but will sit out next season as a transfer.

UNT also announced the format for Sunday's spring game. The offense and defense will face off instead of the team dividing into two squads. The offense will score points for touchdowns, long plays and series with three straight first downs. The defense will score for turnovers, sacks, defensive touchdowns and three-and-outs.

For more on Monday's scrimmage, see tomorrow's edition of the Denton Record-Chronicle.

North Texas' football scrimmage tomorrow could provide a few clues as to where just about everyone on UNT's roster stands with the Mean Green's spring game rapidly approaching.

Head coach Todd Dodge said the scrimmage will have the No. 1 offense and No. 1 defense face off for 15 plays, followed by the No. 2 offense and defense for 15 plays and finally the third teams for 10 plays.

The scrimmage will conclude with the Mean Green running through certain situations, much like it did in its first scrimmage.

There is little doubt that Daniel Meager has tightened his grip on the starting quarterback job thus far in spring practice. What could be interesting is to see how the rest of the depth chart looks at this point.

The scrimmage and the spring game might be particularly important in a couple of position battles, including center and wide receiver. Kelvin Drake and Chad Rose are splitting time at center while several players are in the mix at wide receiver. UNT has six highly regarded receivers coming in this fall. Getting a leg up on the players already on the team would definitely help out players like Korey Washington and Brock Stickler, who are making a quick impression in spring practice.

It could also be interesting to see how Woody Wilson fares. Wilson is a terrific athlete who might be better off at another position if he cannot beat out Matt Phillips for the backup job, especially considering Giovanni Vizza will arrive in the fall. Vizza could compete for the starting job right away, leaving Wilson buried at fourth on the depth chart.

Wilson has the speed and quickness to contribute as a wide receiver or defensive back.

For more on the scrimmage, see tomorrow's edition of the Denton Record-Chronicle.

The North Texas men's basketball team picked up what figures to be a key player next season in Midland College point guard Ryan McCoy on Wednesday, but still has a lot of work to do if it is to land the class some expected after a trip to the NCAA Tournament.

Joseph Fulce, who was widely considered to be one of the top prospects on UNT's wish list, ended up signing with New Orleans, a conference rival. UNT lost out on Fulce largely because Buzz Williams took over at UNO before last season and had a prior relationship with the 6-7 forward after recruiting him at Texas A&M.

So where does UNT go from here?

The Mean Green still has three scholarships to give, plenty of time to use them and a chance to build around McCoy, a three-star recruit according to Rivals.com. Expect UNT to dip into the junior college market in an effort to supplement a solid group of returning players in an effort to win now and post a second straight 20-win season.

UNT lost all three of its top wing players in Calvin Watson, Kendrick Davis and Rich Young, but Collin Dennis will be eligible next season after transferring from South Florida and sitting out last season. UNT's coaches and some high school coaches who faced Dennis believe he could be just as good as any of the players the Mean Green lost.

UNT also has three solid front line players in Keith Wooden, Quincy Williams and Harold Stewart returning. Point guard Ben Bell is also back and will have a solid backup in McCoy. The coaching staff is also high on Collin Mangrum, who they believe could be ready to become a major contributor as a sophomore.

UNT's focus appears to be supplementing that core with players who will be ready to contribute right away.

UNT will bring in some additional players for visits. One coach in the state -- no not a UNT coach -- said he would not to be surprised to see UNT go after a player from Paris Junior College, where Mean Green assistant coach Bill Foy worked before coming to UNT.

DeUndrae Spraggins, a 6-2 guard who averaged 10.6 points a game last season at Paris, could be a perfect fit for the role Young played last season as a defensive stopper and complementary offensive player as a third guard.

UNT was also said to be interested in 6-6 Paris forward Ramon Clemente earlier in the year. Clemente averaged 13.9 points a game last season, but is more of a post player who does not appear to fit UNT's needs.

Paris shooting guard Derek Fugate is also still on the board.

UNT could also turn to the transfer market, even though a Division I transfer won't help next season. The Mean Green would never have won 23 games last season without Division I transfers Kendrick Davis (Arkansas) and Keith Wooden (Arizona State).

Boston College transfer Marquez Haynes is still uncommitted. And while UNT's focus appears to be making a run next season, word is the Mean Green would like a frontcourt transfer to stash away for a season to soften the blow of losing Wooden and Williams after next year.

The hope was UNT would pick up some highly rated high school recruits to build around for the future after reaching the NCAA Tournament in this class. UNT has yet to reach that goal, but that could change if it can land a few of the top players left out there for the taking.

The bottom line is UNT appears to be far from done in recruiting for the current class and could quickly build on McCoy's commitment for a standout class or could fizzle late. It's just too early to make a judgment.

For more on McCoy, including a more detailed look at the medical problems that hampered him last season, see tomorrow's edition of the Denton Record-Chronicle.

Joseph Fulce made it official Wednesday morning; he is headed to New Orleans, one of North Texas top rivals in the Sun Belt Conference. The 6-7 forward from Plano signed his national letter of intent and will play for Buzz Williams.

Williams recruited Fulce when he was an assistant coach at Texas A&M. Fulce signed with A&M, but ended up spending a year in prep school.

Fulce told Texashoops.com that his relationship with Williams was the key factor in his decision.

Losing Fulce was a tough blow for the Mean Green, which also offered him a scholarship. Fulce was rated among the top 20 players in the state after he graduated from Plano and would have filled an immediate need for the Mean Green, which is looking for wing players in its recruiting class.

While UNT missed out on Fulce, it did land Midland College point guard Ryan McCoy. For more on UNT's recruiting class, see tomorrow's edition of the Denton Record-Chronicle.

The North Texas men's basketball team has been after former Plano standout Joseph Fulce for a while now, but with national signing day just a few hours away there could be a new school making a push for the 6-7 small forward.

New Orleans coach Buzz Williams recruited Fulce when he was an assistant coach at Texas A&M and could be trying to land him a second time, according to an analyst who specializes in recruiting in the state.

Fulce was one of the top players in Texas when he graduated from Plano and signed with Texas A&M before heading to prep school for a year. A&M is out of the picture, but several schools have offered Fulce a scholarship, including UNT, Providence, UNC-Wilmington and Illinois State.

UNT needs has three scholarships left to give after securing Midland College point guard Ryan McCoy and needs a wing player or two after losing three key guards who helped led the Mean Green to the NCAA Tournament last season. Fulce would be a key addition, but the competition for his commitment appears to be tight heading into signing day.

One of the key concerns that has cropped up in North Texas first spring practice under head coach Todd Dodge is depth along the offensive line. UNT has barely had enough players to fill out its depth chart and is especially short at the tackle spots.

UNT began to address that concern by moving Esteban Santiago, a redshirt freshman from El Paso who has spent most of his time at UNT playing on the Mean Green's defensive front, to guard.

Dodge said he likes what he has seen so far from Santiago and believes he could develop into a solid player on the interior of the Mean Green's offensive front.

Santiago is one of a few UNT players who has moved in the last few practice sessions and began to settle in at a new spot. Bryant Seidle is playing linebacker after showing promise at tight end as a freshman. The former Cy-Fair standout is buried on the depth chart at this point, but Dodge believes he could be an impact player at his new position in the future after seeing him at his new spot the last few days.

One of the other key developments in practice so far has been the play of Daniel Meager. The quarterback competition was declared open at the beginning of spring practice, but Meager quickly separated himself and continues to show that he is the best quarterback in Dodge's system.

I mentioned earlier this spring that Dodge has no plans as of yet to move any of his quarterbacks to another position. All four of the contenders are still working at quarterback: Meager, Matt Phillips, Woody Wilson and Nathan Tune.

For more on spring practice and UNT athletics in general see tomorrow's all-sports notebook in the Denton Record-Chronicle.

North Texas head men's basketball coach Johnny Jones appears as if he is about to land a long-term extension with the Mean Green, which will have an additional scholarship to work with after the departure of a veteran reserve.

A source close to the negotiations between UNT and Jones' agent said recently that the Mean Green's athletic department administration and Jones are trading proposals on a five-year contract. Jones is entering the final year of his deal at UNT and has been promised a new contract by athletic director Rick Villarreal after taking the Mean Green to the NCAA Tournament last season.

Jones is looking to build on that breakout season in recruiting this spring and will have an extra scholarship to work with after Harold Edwards asked for and was granted a release from his scholarship. Edwards was a promising recruit out of high school, but played sparingly last season at UNT, which has several frontcourt players returning next season.

UNT has already landed the first member of its next recruiting class in point guard Ryan McCoy of Midland College and still has three scholarships remaining heading into national signing day on Wednesday.

For more on Jones' contract situation and the departure of Edwards, see tomorrow's edition of the Denton Record-Chronicle or check out www.dentonrc.com.

There is no question the North Texas men's basketball team's win over Arkansas State in the finals of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament impacted both programs in numerous ways.

The fallout continued this weekend when the Jonesboro Sun reported that ASU head coach Dickey Nutt will not receive a contract extension before heading into the final year of his deal. Both Nutt and UNT head coach Johnny Jones were set to enter the final year of their contracts when they met with an NCAA Tournament bid on the line.

UNT won and Jones was quickly promised an extension he should sign with in the next few weeks. There is little doubt Nutt would have received a similar vote of confidence had he taken the Indians to the Big Dance.

The Sun reported that Nutt makes approximately $185,000 a year. Jones is making $205,811 this year, a total that includes incentives for his radio show and maintaining membership in the Sun Belt Conference.

For more on Nutt's situation, see the Sun's story. The following is a link:

http://www.jonesborosun.com/archivedstory.php?ID=26974&Search=Dickey%20Nutt

OldTimer asked earlier today about Ryan McCoy's stats from last season at Midland College. Here's your answer:

McCoy averaged 5.13 points, 1.4 assists 1.3 rebounds and .6 steals in 14 games after he missed the first part of the season with an injury. He shot 54.8 percent from the field, 63.3 percent from the line and 53.9 percent from 3-point range.

I included McCoy's statistics from his time at Midland in the story I wrote for the Denton Record-Chronicle, but didn't include all the details in the blog.

Stats for junior college players can be tough to find if you go to the individual schools' Web sites. I took my information from the NJCAA Web site, which is the best source for statistical information on junior college players.

Hope that helps.

North Texas tackle Josh Alexander is aiming for a return with the Mean Green in the fall and a second surgery on his knee in the spring.

Alexander missed all of last season with a torn patella tendon in his knee and has not played since the 10th game of the 2005 campaign. Alexander had surgery just before the 2006 season to repair the tendon, but suffered complications in the rehab process that could put his future with the Mean Green in jeopardy.

The stitches in the tendon have failed, leaving a partial tear. Alexander said he is trying to strengthen his leg so he can play with the injury next season, when he could challenge for the starting job at left tackle.

For more on Alexander's status, see tomorrow's edition of the Denton Record-Chronicle or check our web site late tonight at www.dentonrc.com.

Midland College point guard Ryan McCoy confirmed what has long been suspected on Thursday. He is headed to North Texas.

McCoy said in a phone interview that he has orally committed to UNT and will sign with the Mean Green next week.

McCoy was teammates with Calvin Watson at Houston Madison and signed with Tulsa before spending two years in junior college. He won a JUCO national title at Arkansas-Fort Smith before transferring to Midland, where he won a second straight national title last season.

McCoy is expected to play the point for UNT and provide a veteran backup for Ben Bell while also playing some at the shooting guard spot.

McCoy was the 40th ranked player in Texashoops.com's state rankings after his senior year at Madison. The 5-11 guard has never been a high scorer on the college level, but can handle the ball and hand out assists while running a team's offense.

For more on McCoy, see tomorrow's edition of the Denton Record-Chronicle or check our web site at ww