Mean Green

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