Denton Record Chronicle | News for Denton County, Texas

03/05/2010

Men's basketball: A powerful influence

DRC/Al Key

North Texas guard Shannon Shorter has become a key player in his first season with the Mean Green, which will play in the quarterfinals of the Sun Belt Conference tournament on Sunday night.

Shannon Shorter remembers the day his mother’s patience finally ran out. North Texas’ starting small forward was in high school at the time, and always seemed to be in trouble. He got into fights, talked back to teachers and didn’t listen to anyone, least of all Selina Maxwell, who kicked Shorter out of her house that day and sent him to his grandmother’s for misbehaving yet again. Shorter’s mother figured that if anyone could straighten out her son, it was Dee Lazard, who just so happened to be a national class bodybuilder.

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03/04/2010

Softball: UNT shut out by No. 25 Oklahoma St.
STILLWATER, Okla. — The No. 25-ranked Oklahoma State softball team defeated North Texas, 7-0, on Wednesday afternoon at Cowgirl Stadium.

Women's basketball: Hughes to return for Sun Belt tourney
Former Waxahachie standout Ni’qky Hughes returned to practice on Wednesday and is expected to play in UNT’s game against Florida International in the first round of the Sun Belt Conference tournament on Saturday.

Basketball: Sun Belt semifinals to be broadcast locally
The Sun Belt Conference tournament semifinals for both the men and women will be broadcast in Denton on Charter Cable Channel 25 on Monday.

03/02/2010

Basketball: Fantastic Four

DRC/David Minton

North Texas had four players named to the All-Sun Belt Conference team on Tuesday, marking just the third time in the history of the league four players from one team have made the all-conference team.

North Texas didn’t finish the regular season with one of the top seven scorers in the Sun Belt Conference. To UNT head coach Johnny Jones that might have been the biggest testament of the Mean Green’s strength as a team. Josh White, Tristan Thompson, George Odufuwa and Eric Tramiel all had the talent to rank up there among the top five scorers in the league. They finished just a touch below that level because UNT depended on the hot player each and every night. By the end of the season that led to a balanced attack that allowed all four to perform at a level that resulted in their selection to the All-Sun Belt team.

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03/03/2010

Golf: UNT falls in playoff at Islander Classic
CORPUS CHRISTI — The Mean Green women’s golf team battled to the end Tuesday at the Islander Classic in hopes of their second tournament victory of the season.

03/02/2010

Football: UNT hires Peterson as receivers coach
Todd Dodge almost didn’t need to bother with a formal interview with Greg Peterson when he began looking for a new wide receivers coach. Peterson had recruited the Dallas area for years while coaching at Colorado State, Kansas State and Washington State and always stopped by to scout Dodge’s players during his rise through the high school coaching ranks. Dodge suspected that Peterson would be a perfect fit as a wide receivers coach at UNT, and was convinced of it after taking with legendary KSU head coach Bill Snyder.

Golf: Mean Green leads at Islander Classic
CORPUS CHRISTI — Addison Long followed Sunday's team-best round of 76 by shooting a 73 on Monday at the Islander Classic, helping North Texas jump into the lead with one round remaining.

03/01/2010

Men's basketball: UNT will play Sunday night in Sun Belt tourney
The North Texas men’s basketball team will face the winner of a game between Louisiana-Lafayette and Louisiana-Monroe in the quarterfinals of the Sun Belt Conference tournament at 8:45 p.m. on Sunday at Summit Arena in Hot Springs, Ark.

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Track & field: Talley breaks marks for Mean Green
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — North Texas achieved something it has never done before when the men’s track and field team finished second at the Sun Belt Conference Indoor Champion-ships on Sunday.

Softball: UNT splits tourney games
SAN ANTONIO — Jennifer Smith picked up her second win of the season and knocked in two runs in North Texas’ 7-2 win against UC Riverside on Sunday at Roadrunner Field.

Golf: Long leads Mean Green
CORPUS CHRISTI — Led by sophomore Addison Long’s 4-over par 76, the Mean Green women’s golf team sits in a tie with Missouri-Kansas City for fourth place after the first day of the Islander Classic.

02/27/2010

Basketball: UNT men wins Sun Belt West title
MONROE, La. – Josh White emerged from the North Texas locker room with a towel in his hand, trying to wipe away the sweat following another hard-fought win, a smile spread across his face. The shouting going inside echoed in the hall a few feet away, where White and head coach Johnny Jones locked in a tight embrace. It was celebration time for the Mean Green following a 74-71 win over Louisiana-Monroe on Saturday at Fant-Ewing Coliseum.

Basketball: UNT women misses opportunity in loss
MONROE, La. – North Texas had an opportunity to build some momentum for the Sun Belt Conference tournament in its regular season finale. The Mean Green knocked off Louisiana-Lafayette in its last game and faced one of the few teams behind it in the league standings in Louisiana-Monroe on Saturday.

02/26/2010

Basketball: UNT looks to claim SBC title
There have been a few bumps along the way — not to mention some unexpected twists and turns — for North Texas. The bottom line is this, though: The Mean Green already has wrapped up at least a share of the Sun Belt Conference’s West Division title heading into today’s regular-season finale at Louisiana-Monroe. A win against the Warhawks would give the Mean Green the division championship outright.

Track: Former Sooner shines for UNT
There was a time not too long ago when Missy Barnes would get lost in the crowd on her own team. Barnes was a top college recruit and spent the first two seasons of her career at Oklahoma, where she posted some impressive times. They just weren’t good enough to help her advance to the finals as often as she would like at loaded Big 12 Conference meets.

Men's basketball: With authority

DRC/David Minton

University of North Texas’ George Odufuwa (4) slams down an offensive rebound as Eric Tramiel, right, and University of Louisiana-Lafayette’s Colby Batiste (0) look on Thursday at the Super Pit.

North Texas exited the Super Pit for the final time this season in style. Josh White and George Odufuwa made a series of big plays down the stretch, Tristan Thompson posted another big game and the Mean Green put together one of its best second-half performances of the season. It all added up to a 65-57 win over Louisiana-Lafayette for UNT, which has now won 20 games in four straight seasons for the first time in school history. The Mean Green will head into the final game of the regular season on Saturday at Louisiana-Monroe with a chance to wrap up the Sun Belt Conference West Division title with a win.

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02/25/2010

Men's basketball: UNT starting five now big-time unit
North Texas is on the verge of history heading into the final two games of the regular season, a stretch that will begin with a key home game against Louisiana-Lafayette tonight. A win today and Saturday at Louisiana-Monroe will give UNT its first outright Sun Belt Conference West Division title. Win either of those games and the Mean Green will win at least 20 games for a fourth straight season. There have been plenty of reasons for UNT’s success, from a host of bench players who have thrived when thrust into larger roles to the base provided by longtime head coach Johnny Jones.

Women's basketball: UNT women win on senior night
North Texas left home on a positive note and improved its postseason prospects in the process on Wednesday after knocking off Louisiana-Lafayette 90-67 at the Super Pit.

02/24/2010

UNT notebook: UNT eyes seventh straight victory
North Texas has never been on a roll quite like the one it is in the midst of heading into a key game against Louisiana-Lafayette on Thursday — at least not in the Johnny Jones era.

02/23/2010

Golf: Fallon wins individual tile, UNT ends tourney drought
NEW BRAUNFELS — The North Texas men’s golf team ended a five-year drought on Monday. NEW BRAUNFELS — The North Texas men’s golf team ended a five-year drought on Monday. Led by senior Peter Fallon, the Mean Green captured the J. L. Lewis Intercollegiate title with a two-round score of 585 to win by seven strokes over 42nd ranked Rice.

02/21/2010

Women's basketball: UNT women fall to UALR
If everything had gone according to plan, North Texas head coach Shanice Stephens would be talking about a series of key wins late in her second season with the Mean Green.

02/22/2010

Tennis: North Texas splits pair of matches against SBC rivals
North Texas notched its first Sun Belt Conference victory of the season on Sunday afternoon, defeating South Alabama 7-0 at the Lubel Memorial Courts.

02/20/2010

Basketball: Jones signs two-year extension
North Texas head coach Johnny Jones signed a two-year contract extension through the 2014-15 season Saturday. Jones’ base salary will jump from $170,000 to $200,000 a year on Sept. 1, 2010, when he will also make an additional $6,200 from increases in his car allowance and payments for a radio show. A $100,000 contact completion payment that was to be paid to Jones at the end of his old contract on May 31, 2012, has been restructured and distributed through the end of the term of his new deal. Jones will now receive a total of $150,000 in season completion payments ranging from $10,000 to $65,000 in five of the six seasons during the term of the new deal. The first of those payments will be a $10,000 bonus at the end of this season.

Basketball: UNT men top UALR
With the situation North Texas faced heading into its game against Arkansas-Little Rock on Saturday, it would have been easy for the Mean Green to get caught up in a game of “what-if.” The Mean Green was one of five teams tied atop the Sun Belt Conference standings at the beginning of the day, and all of them were set to play after UNT finished off its afternoon affair at the Super Pit.

Basketball: UNT women to face stiff challenge
North Texas head coach Shanice Stephens left no doubt. UNT is going to face one of its biggest challenges of the season today when it hosts Arkansas-Little Rock. The Trojans (21-5, 14-1) have already captured the Sun Belt Conference West Division title, feature one of the top players in the league in Chastity Reed and are receiving votes in the national Top 25 poll. “This is going to be a big challenge,” Stephens said. “They are leading our division and are really talented.”

02/19/2010

Softball: UNT set to host tourney
If everything had gone according to plan, North Texas head coach T.J. Hubbard would already know a whole lot about his team heading into the Sleep Inn Classic this weekend. UNT was scheduled to open the season at Mississippi Valley State and then play in a tournament at Mississippi State. Rain caused the cancellation of the Mean Green’s first four games of the season, leaving UNT a whole lot of questions to answer heading into its annual home tournament. UNT will face Drake and Arkansas at 12:30 p.m. and 3 p.m., respectively, today to begin the three-day event. Colorado State, Missouri State, Buffalo and Sam Houston State comprise the rest of the tournament field.

Swimming: Pope sets SBC record as Mean Green expands lead
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — North Texas Swimming & Diving retained its lead after Day 2 of the Sun Belt Swimming & Diving Championships at the Centennial SportsPlex on Thursday night.

02/17/2010

Men's basketball: UNT's Thomas leaves team
Richard Thomas has left the North Texas men’s basketball team and is expected to transfer at the end of the school year. Thomas played in 21 games and started 12 in his only season with the Mean Green before falling out of favor late in the year. He did not play in four of UNT’s last eight games. The former Garden City (Kan.) Community College standout averaged 5.3 points and 2.1 rebounds a game at UNT. UNT head coach Johnny Jones said Thomas wants to transfer to be closer to his home in Rosedale, New York.

02/18/2010

Softball: UNT splits doubleheader with SFA
NACOGDOCHES — The North Texas softball team won its season opener, defeating Stephen F. Austin, 7-0, on Wednesday afternoon at SFA Softball Field but lost the nightcap when Briana Bishop hit a walk-off three-run homer in the bottom of the seventh to give the Ladyjacks a 5-2.

Tennis: Mean Green shoots down TexAnns
North Texas had no problem beating Tarleton State 6-0 on Wednesday afternoon at the Waranch Tennis Complex.

Swimming: UNT women shine on day one of SBC meet
NASHVILLE – Led by second place finishes in the 200-yard medley relay, 800-free relay and three-meter diving, North Texas grabbed the early lead in the women’s competition on the first day of the 2010 Sun Belt Conference Swimming and Diving Championship.On the men’s side, Western Kentucky University holds a slim two-point lead over the University of Denver.

02/17/2010

Golf: Thompson leads UNT to fifth-place finish
SAN ANTONIO — Dustin Thompson fired a career-low round of 67 in the final round of the UTSA Oak Hills Invitational to lead North Texas to a fifth-place finish on Tuesday.

02/16/2010

UNT notebook: George leaves UNT to return to Carroll
Clayton George, one of the original members of Todd Dodge’s staff at North Texas, is leaving the school to take over as the offensive coordinator at Southlake Carroll.

Men's basketball: UNT explodes offensively in win
HOUSTON — Josh White piled up 28 points and George Odufuwa added a double-double as North Texas ran away from Houston Baptist, 107-87, for its fifth consecutive win.

Golf: North Texas sits in sixth place at UTSA Oak Hills Invitational
North Texas fired a second round score of 289 and sits just six shots off the lead after the first two rounds of UTSA Oak Hills Invitational.

02/15/2010

Men's basketball: UNT to face Houston Baptist in final nonconference tilt
The North Texas men’s basketball team will play a rare late-season nonconference game on the road today when the Mean Green takes on Houston Baptist.

Golf: Mean Green men to open season today in San Antonio
The North Texas men’s golf team will begin its spring season today at the UTSA Oak Hills Invitational in San Antonio.

02/14/2010

Men's basketball: UNT guard keys late run in win
When North Texas needed a key play or two down the stretch in its game against Denver on Saturday, it simply did what it has done all season. The Mean Green turned to Josh White. The junior guard is maybe the biggest reason UNT came into the night having finished off just about every close game it has been in.

Women's basketball: Pioneers trump UNT
There have been times this season when North Texas appears to be headed in the right direction. They just don’t last very long.

02/12/2010

Basketball: UNT men rolling at the right time
Josh White may have summed up North Texas’ season best on Thursday night. “It’s all about winning at the right time,” said White, a junior guard, following a 68-46 thrashing of New Orleans. The Mean Green has been doing just that over the last few weeks, a trend it will look to continue today in the second half of a doubleheader against Denver that will begin with the women’s game at 5 p.m.

02/11/2010

Men's basketball: Mean Green crushes UNO to end series

Eric Tramiel

NEW ORLEANS -- There were plenty of thrillers in the history of North Texas series against New Orleans, from the Privateers’ double-overtime win in the 2004 Sun Belt Conference tournament to the Mean Green’s two-point victory in the final game of the 2007-08 season. To say the finale of the teams’ series on Thursday failed to live up to that history might be a bit of an understatement. UNT came into the night on a roll and flattened the Privateers 68-46 in front of a crowd of 341 at Lakefront Arena, where UNO is playing out its last season as a member of the Sun Belt.

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02/10/2010

Men's basketball: Sneaky good

DRC/David Minton

CAPTIONHERE

Collin Mangrum pondered the question for a moment last week after taking some extra shots following practice. The junior has played with Tristan Thompson for three years and seen him develop into one of the better players in recent North Texas history without anyone realizing what he has accomplished. Thompson’s plight can be attributed in part to playing alongside fellow junior guard Josh White and senior forward Eric Tramiel, two of the best players to suit up for UNT the last five years.

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Softball: Mean Green open season today
Watching was the toughest part of what Mallory Cantler had to do last season at North Texas. The Mean Green’s first baseman was thriving and UNT was well on its way to posting the first winning season in school history when Cantler was plunked on the arm by a pitch in a game against Baylor. The ball snapped a bone in Cantler’s arm, an injury that helped break UNT, which will enter the 2010 season today looking to bounce back from a disappointing finish behind what could be its best team ever.

02/11/2010

North Texas hires Jones to head up advancement
North Texas has hired Cooper Jones as its new associate athletic director for advancement, athletic director Rick Villarreal said Wednesday.

Bataille was a strong supporter of UNT athletic program
The University of North Texas reached several milestones in athletics the last few years from breaking ground on a new football stadium to advancing to the NCAA Tournament in men’s basketball for the first time since 1988.

02/10/2010

UNT notebook: Extension on table for Jones
The North Texas board of regents will consider a two-year contract extension for men’s basketball coach Johnny Jones at its meetings this week. Jones signed a five-year deal in May of 2007 that pays him a base salary of $170,000 after leading the Mean Green to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1988. His total compensation -- which includes yearly raises, payments for a radio show and maintaining NCAA Division I status in the Sun Belt Conference -- is $288,420 for the current season before incentives. Details of what is in the new contract were not available, but the deal would extend Jones’ deal with UNT through the 2014-15 season.

02/06/2010

Men's basketball: UNT rallies past FIU
MIAMI -- Alzee Williams usually doesn’t get a lot of attention or playing time with all the star players in North Texas’ backcourt. His contributions often don’t show up in the box score. That doesn’t mean they go unnoticed, though. That was the case on Saturday during UNT’s 68-66 win over Florida International at U.S. Century Bank Arena.

Women's basketball: Late collapse sinks UNT
MIAMI -- North Texas and Florida International were headed in opposite directions heading into their game Saturday. After a season of searching, the Golden Panthers had found their form, while UNT was still struggling to pull out of a late-season slump. Those trends continued in FIU’s 72-55 win over UNT at U.S. Century Bank Arena.

Basketball: UNT men look to continue surge
MIAMI -- There was a time not too long ago when it appeared as if North Texas’ season was coming apart at the seams. Eric Tramiel was nursing a wrist injury, a couple of key backups were suspended for a game, and the Mean Green was still trying to recover from losing back-to-back games to key Sun Belt West Division rivals Arkansas State and Louisiana-Lafayette. Times have definitely changed heading into UNT’s game against Florida International today that will cap a doubleheader beginning with the women’s game at 11 a.m.

02/04/2010

Men's basketball: Familiar form

DRC/David Minton

North Texas forward Eric Tramiel, left, goes up for a dunk as Florida Atlantic University’s Sanchez Hughley defends during the Mean Green’s victory over the Owls on Thursday at The Super Pit.

Eric Tramiel isn’t the type to yell after throwing down a monstrous dunk. His North Texas teammate Shannon Shorter took care of that for him after he let out a whole lot of pent up frustration in an 86-69 thrashing of Florida Atlantic on Thursday at the Super Pit. Tramiel powered to the rim late in the first half and dunked over Sanchez Hughley to highlight possibly Mean Green’s most impressive performance of the season, one that was particularly rewarding for its senior forward.

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02/05/2010

Volleyball: UNT hires assistant coach
UNT volleyball coach Ken Murczek has announced the hiring of Keith Schunzel to the coaching staff. Much like Murczek, the former Indiana and Valparaiso assistant brings a pedigree of winning volleyball as both a coach and player.

02/04/2010

Football: UNT's signing class could make immediate impact

DRC/David Minton

North Texas head coach Todd Dodge announces his 2010 recruiting class on Wednesday at the Mean Green Athletic Center.

North Texas head coach Todd Dodge is facing a monumental challenge heading into his fourth season with the Mean Green, when he will be under pressure to turn the corner after a series of tough campaigns. Dodge felt a whole lot better about the Mean Green’s prospects to break through Wednesday after UNT announced its 2010 signing class.

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Football: UNT plans to expand use of tight ends next season
North Texas has committed over the last two seasons to making the tight end a more prominent part of its offense. What transpired on national signing day was an indication that process will continue in spring practice in addition to next season. UNT signed tight end Jamize Olawale out of El Camino (Calif.) Community College, just one season after signing Austin Fitzpatrick out of Friendswood. Both will compete for playing time with Draylen Ross, who is moving from defensive tackle back to tight end.

Men's basketball: UNT looks to slow down Owls
There might not be a hotter team in the Sun Belt Confer-ence heading into the stretch run of the season than Florida Atlantic.

Women's basketball: Owls pull away from Mean Green
Despite five players scoring in double digits, North Texas was unable to slow down Lyrell Barfield and Florida Atlantic, falling 94-76 on Wednesday at the Super Pit.

Tennis: UNT hangs tough but falls to Oklahoma
NORMAN, Okla. — North Texas dropped a 7-0 decision to the Oklahoma Sooners on Wednesday at the Gregg Wadley Indoor Tennis Pavilion.

Soccer: Guyer's Hodges signs with UNT
Guyer midfielder Kelsey Hodges is probably the most decorated player in the brief history of the Wildcats’ program. Hodges will have a chance to continue making a name for herself in Denton as she signed to play for North Texas on Wednesday. Guyer girls coach Marc Cox said Hodges is either No. 1 or No. 2 in every statistical category in his program’s history and has scored 48 goals as a four-year starter.

02/03/2010

Football: Dunham fulfills dream to play for UNT
Blake Dunham’s first memory of the University of North Texas was sitting in the press box as a child with his father George Dunham, who also happens to be UNT’s play-by-play radio voice.

UNT notebook: UNT to unveil signing class
North Texas will get a glimpse of its future today. The Mean Green’s coaching staff has spent the last several months putting together its 2010 recruiting class and will reveal the players who signed their national letters of intent with UNT at a 1 p.m. ceremony at the Mean Green Athletic Center.

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Before I head to Hot Springs ...

So who wins the tournament?

MTSU hires Schultz, Sun Belt hoops attendance rankings

Hoops, football notes

Whoes the better matchup for UNT?

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