Mean Green

UNT signee Ben Knox of Arlington Grace Prep is playing in the TAPPS state tournament this weekend, which could give Mean Green fans a chance to check out the 6-10 power forward.

Yea, I know the tournament is in San Antonio, but TAPPS officials are putting a Web cast up of the tournament finals on Saturday. I was going to check in to see how Knox and his team did in the semifinals tonight, but finding a score on a TAPPS game turned out to be a little tougher than I expected.

Any way, if Grace Prep wins, here is the address for those of you out there who would like to see what Knox has to offer the Mean Green next season. The game is supposed to start at 7 p.m.

http://www.tapps.net/

UNT was down 12, but has made a bit of a run late and is down eight with Ben Bell headed to the line for two shots at the 3:59 mark. UNT's big guns are still struggling. Josh White and Collin Dennis are a combined 3-for-20.

UNT is still down five at the 11:49 mark, but Ben Bell is headed to the line with a chance to cut the Mean Green's deficit tok three. Josh White has finally gotten something going in the second half and has six points. Collin Dennis is also on the board with two points.

UNT went on a 6-0 run early in the second half to cut its deficit to three and had a chance to close even closer before Collin Dennis missed a shot at the rim and Randell Daigle hit a 3-pointer for ULL to give the Ragin' Cajuns a six-point lead at the 15:19 mark.

ULL finished the first half on a 10-3 run and is up 34-27 at halftime. UNT's leading scorers Josh White and Collin Dennis failed to get on the board before the break. Dennis missed all four of his shots, while White misfired on three.

UNT went on an 8-3 run to tie its game with ULL at 19-19 and is down by one late in the first half. Quincy Williams has seven points for UNT, but the Mean Green's leading scorers Josh White and Collin Dennis have yet to score.

Travis Bureau converted a rare four-point play and Randell Daigle hit a 3-pointer for ULL, which has a 19-14 led at the 7:52 mark of the first half. UNT has missed all four of its 3-pointers in the first half.

UNT has yet to find its range offensively, but has cut its deficit to one at the 11:35 mark. The Mean Green is 5-of-13 from the field. Quincy Williams has five points and four rebounds for UNT.

UNT is up one at the first media timeout, despite some bad shooting early. UNT has missed several shots right at the rim and is shooting 3-for-11 from the field.

It's starting to look like UNT's chances to land Arlington Oakridge shooting guard Chris Babb are slim. Babb is headed to Iowa for an official visit this weekend and has named two leaders -- Iowa and Penn State.

If Babb commits to another school, it could make landing another shooting guard critical for the Mean Green. UNT has an offer out to Dallas Kimball guard Darian Thibodeaux, who is looking more and more like a key target for the Mean Green. Thibodeaux is not as highly regarded as some of the other players UNT has been after, but he is rated No. 56 in the state by Texashoops.com.

While we are on the topic of hoops recruiting, my friend Mike Kunstadt over at Texashoops.com had an update on Garland Christian's Andrew Davis. The 6-8 power forward who is rated No. 35 in the state said he is going to take a visit to Evansville, but also mentioned UNT.

"They [Evansville's coaches] haven't offered but the coach wants me to take a look at their campus," Davis told Texashoops.com. "I've also heard from North Texas a lot recently and Air Force has given me an offer to go to their prep school, so that's an option. I've also heard a bit from Furman and New Hampshire."

There is little doubt that UNT is in the market for at least one more post player with the impending departure of seniors Keith Wooden and Quincy Williams. UNT has one on the board in Arlington Grace Prep power forward Ben Knox.

It’s starting to look like Davis is at the top of UNT’s wish list.

The UNT men are about to begin a key two-game road trip here at the Cajundome against ULL and once again the Mean Green Blog will be updated with a few random tidbits and updates throughout the night.

UNT and ULL enter the night in a three-way tie atop the Sun Belt Conference West Division with Arkansas-Little Rock at 9-7. UALR has the tiebreaker edge should it end up in a tie with UNT for first place. UNT has already beaten ULL once at home.

The key to UNT's win in the last meeting between the teams was its advantage in the post. The Mean Green pounded the ball inside to Quincy Williams, who finished with 18 points. Keith Wooden didn't play in the teams' last game, but should be able to clean up inside tonight.

ULL starts four players who are at least 6-7, but none of them have the strength to contend with the Mean Green's post players. Former UNT assistant coach Jai Steadman has addressed that problem in recruiting, landing three big post players who will be will ULL next season. That won’t help the Cajuns tonight, though.

While UNT has the advantage inside, it’s always iffy at best to bank on the Mean Green to win away from the Super Pit. UNT is 2-5 in conference play away from the Pit this season.

UNT has had a few chances late to make key plays late in its comeback bid against ULL, but has failed to convert. The Ragin' Cajuns are up eight with Alicia McDaniel on the way to the line to try to complete a 3-point play

UNT pulled to within two points in the second half, but is down six here late.

UNT pulled to within two points in the second half, but is down six here late.

UNT is on a 4-0 run and has cut its deficit to eight in the second half of its game against ULL thanks to some solid defense.

UNT was down by 13 early in the second half, but has cut its deficit to eight at the 15:18 mark. Brittney James has five points early in the second half for the Mean Green.

ULL finished the first half on a 7-2 run and is up 11 at the half. ULL's 36 points in the first half nearly equals its total of 42 in a loss to Arkansas-Little Rock in its last game.

UNT was down 10 at 23-13, but had cut its deficit to seven at the 3:54 mark. Erica Howard has six points in the early going for the Mean Green.

ULL went on a 7-0 run after the last media timeout and is up eight with 7:18 left in the first half. ULL was not called for a foul until UNT's last possession, which had the Mean Green's coaches livid.

UNT has come to life after a slow start and is down just three at the second media timeout at the 11:53 mark. Yari Escalera just hit a deep 3-pointer. UNT's problem has been taking care of the ball. The Mean Green has coughed up the ball six times already.

UNT is off to a slow start against ULL on the road and is down five in the early going. The Mean Green has committed a couple of key turnovers and given up four points on easy putbacks after misses.

The UNT-ULL women's game is about to start at the Earl K. Long Gymnasium and once again the Mean Green Blog is the house to provide a few updates and tidbits along the way.

The ULL women don't play at the Cajundome, passing up the big house for what amount to a hole in the wall. I have seen middle schools with bigger gyms than this place.

Anyway, the Mean Green has lost two straight and will look to break out of its slump tonight. The key will be if UNT can take advantage of its size inside. Erica Howard has been playing well of late and could be the key to UNT's chances.

A few interesting tidbits came up today on the men’s basketball front while I was here in Lafayette for the UNT women’s game.

The first was a host of new names popped up on Rivals.com in connection with UNT recruiting. The most interesting of the bunch was James Cotton, a 6-8 power forward from Rise Academy. Cotton played in the National Prep Alliance National Invitation Tournament and caught the attention of Baylor and Marquette in addition to UNT. Cotton would fit UNT’s needs for another post player with the ability to get up and down the floor along the lines of Quincy Williams. The problem is Cotton still has some work to do to qualify academically.

UNT also appears to have made the Missouri junior college tour. Marquis Young, a 6-9 forward from Mineral Area CC; small forward Marcus Scott of Park Hills; shooting guard Chad Thompson of Moberly and point guard Barry Wellington of Mineral Area are all indicating interest in UNT.

I have also been meaning to mention that small forward Eric Trammiel of Paris JC, where Bill Foy coached before coming to UNT, is also on the Mean Green’s radar.

While we are on the topic of UNT basketball, there were a couple of interesting quotes from LSU athletic director Skip Bertman today in the Baton Rouge Advocate on the school’s search for a new head coach to replace John Brady.

“We need a unifier, someone who will be a part of the community,” Bertman told the Advocate. “There is a certain amount of intimacy involved in LSU athletics. Everyone knew Dale (Brown, former men’s basketball coach). Everyone knows (baseball coach) Paul Mainieri now. Everyone seems to have closeness with LSU. We need a basketball coach who can do that.”

Judging by my e-mail, I might be the only one who thinks UNT head coach Johnny Jones is going to be a serious candidate for this job. But is there a coach who knows LSU better and could pull the community together more quickly than Jones, a former LSU player, assistant coach and consensus first-class guy?

The other interesting tidbit in the Advocate is that the school will not use a search firm in the hiring process.

“We had names, information you could get from a search firm, say 10 guys, their salary range, what their buyouts are,’ Bertman told the Advocate. “We have all the information.”

Feel free to comment on the blog on who you would like to see UNT sign or your take on Jones and the LSU job.

As is usually the case, it’s tough to tell exactly what North Texas is up to when it comes to recruiting on the men’s basketball front. But this much is certain – the Mean Green would like to land Arlington Oakridge shooting guard Chris Babb, and the competition is getting tougher by the day.

UNT is just one of nine teams that have offered a scholarship to Babb, a group that also includes Penn State, Iowa and Iowa State. Babb has a visit to Iowa scheduled for this weekend.

UNT has one player in the fold in Arlington Grace Prep power forward Ben Knox, has offers out to Dallas Kimball guard Darian Thibodeaux and Maine prep school point guard Cardell McFarland. UNT also might have an interest in power forward Andrew Davis of Garland Christian. UNT’s coaches were spotted watching one of Davis’ games.

The Mean Green pulled in most of its class just before signing day last year and appears to be headed down the same path this season.

What could be interesting to see is how this will all play out if UNT head coach Johnny Jones becomes a serious candidate for the LSU job in the coming weeks. The late signing period is coming up and LSU is probably going to wait until the end of the regular season and possibly the NCAA Tournament to interview and hire its new coach. If Jones were to interview or get the job, it could leave UNT with some obstacles to overcome in terms of putting together a class by signing day. Players don’t want to commit to a school with a coach who might be on his way out of town.

It’s far from time to hit the panic button, though. Jones put together a great class late in the process last season and LSU will have its choice of just about any mid-major head coach or Division I assistant it wants. Jones could very well still be at UNT by signing day. It should be interesting to see if he has another few aces up his sleeve when UNT announces its class.

Feel free to post your thoughts on the blog.

Collin Dennis has hit back-to-back 3-pointers for UNT, which is up 62-57 with 7:02 left in the second half. Dennis has 24 for UNT, which can't seem to pull away from ASU. Adrian Banks has 21for the Indians

After filing a couple of stories on the UNT-ASU women's game, I am back on the blog to provide a quick update or two on the men's game that is getting a little chippy here in the second half. Officials just called a double technical after UNT guard Collin Dennis plowed into an ASU defender on a fastbreak and was called for a charge. Ben Bell was nailed with the technical for UNT, while Yima Chia-Kur picked up the technical for ASU.

UNT is up 50-44 with 12:47 left.

ASU is up eight with 3:56 left to go at the Super Pit. The Mean Green used a 6-0 run to pull with in seven at 58-51, but has been trading baskets with ASU ever since.

UNT went on a 6-0 run to cut its deficit to seven at 58-51, but hasn't been able to pull any closer late in the second half. Erica Howard has 13 points to lead the Mean Green.

ASU is on an 8-3 run and has an 11-point lead at the 3:49 mark of the first half. Jo Hall has six points for UNT.

UNT cut its deficit to four points at 18-14 before ASU responded with a 4-0 run of its own to push its lead back to eight at the 7:40 mark of the first half. ASU has a 17-9 edge in rebounds.

UNT is struggling to handle ASU's pressure defense and is down eight at the 11:05 mark. Nothing much is going right for the Mean Green, which already has eight turnovers.

UNT is off to a slow start for the second straight game and is down six at the 15:56 mark. Brittney James has the Mean Green's only two points of the game.

The UNT and ASU women are about ready to tip off their game at the Super Pit and once again the Mean Green Blog will be updated with a few tidbits throughout the night.

Tonight is senior night and the Mean Green is looking to send out Talicia Sanders, Erica Howard, Lyza Koubiteb and Kristal Robeson on a positive note.

I did some asking around today and it looks like backup offensive lineman Chad Rose could be out for at least part of spring practice that is set to begin March 6. Rose has had his arm in a sling, which has hampered him in offseason workouts.

Rose started four games last season at left guard while starter Tyler Bailey was recovering from a concussion he suffered in a car accident. Rose started at center as a redshirt freshman and sophomore.

If UNT loses Rose for an extended period, it would hamper an offensive line that has already lost Kelvin Drake. UNT's starting center had surgery on his ankle to repair torn ligaments just a few days ago. Bryan Glass was listed as the Mean Green's backup center last season, but Rose could have also slid into Drake's spot.

UNT could now turn to either Glass or redshirt freshman J.J. Johnson to anchor its offensive line in spring practice.

The UNT men are up 59-26 in the second half of its game against ULM. The Warhawks scored just 13 points in the first half, an all-time low for a UNT opponent in the seven-year tenure of head coach Johnny Jones.