Denton Record Chronicle | News for Denton County, Texas

03/11/2010

DRC/David Minton

Johnny Jones, University of North Texas men’s basketball head coach, holds up the Sun Belt Conference tournament trophy at a victory celebration Wednesday at the Super Pit.

About 300 University of North Texas students, teachers, officials and supporters went to the UNT Coliseum on Wednesday afternoon to welcome the Mean Green men’s basketball team home from its triumph in the Sun Belt Conference postseason tournament. They cheered, clapped, waved green-and-white pompoms and blared away on hand-held air horns.

03/10/2010

Men's basketball: Mean Green madness

DRC/David Minton

North Texas players, from left, Josh White, Tristan Thompson, George Odufuwa and Eric Tramiel attend a victory celebration on Wednesday at the Super PIt. The team returned to Denton after winning the Sun Belt Conference tournament on Tuesday in Hot Springs, Ark.

It is a good memory for Collin Mangrum, but it has also become a distant one. The junior guard is the lone remaining player from the 2007 North Texas team that won the Sun Belt Conference tournament and qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1988. Now, just three years later, Mangrum and the Mean Green are back in the Big Dance after UNT knocked off top-seeded Troy, 66-63, on Tuesday in Hot Springs, Ark., and earned its second tournament berth in four years.

Mean Green Blog | DR-C High School Blog

Local Event Schedule/p>

03/11/2010

Softball: Early slam lifts Sooners over UNT
NORMAN, Okla. — Despite out-hitting 12th-ranked Okla-homa, North Texas could not bring runners home in a 6-4 loss on Wednesday.

03/10/2010

Men's basketball: Come dancing

Associated Press

North Texas forward George Odufuwa, right, drives past Troy’s Yamene Coleman, left rear, during the first half of the Sun Belt Conference tournament championship game on Tuesday in Hot Springs, Ark.

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. -- Josh White drove to his left and headed toward the basket, where the 5-foot-10 guard could have easily disappeared amid all those taller defenders. Then the North Texas junior stopped and tried his luck from near the free-throw line. The shot went in, and the Mean Green are headed to the NCAA tournament.

Mean Green Blog | DR-C High School Blog

Local Event Schedule/p>

03/09/2010

North Texas men win Sun Belt final to reach NCAA Tournament
Josh White's shot from near the free-throw line with 22 seconds remaining gave North Texas a 66-63 win over Troy on Tuesday night in the Sun Belt tournament championship game.

03/08/2010

Men's basketball: UNT one win away from NCAA tourney

Sun Belt Conference/Joe Imel

Denver's Rob Lewis, right, drives to the basket with UNT's Eric Tramiel defending on Monday at the Summit Arena in Hot Springs, Ark.

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – The trio of Josh White, George Odufuwa and Tristan Thompson powered North Texas to a 63-56 win on Monday over the Denver Pioneers in the semifinals of the Sun Belt Conference tournament and into the SBC Championship for the second time in four years. UNT (23-8) will face the Troy Trojans at 6 p.m. today with a bid to the NCAA Tournament on the line. The win by UNT is its tenth straight and it ties the school record for most wins in a single season with 23.

Mean Green Blog | DR-C High School Blog

Local Event Schedule/p>

03/09/2010

Golf: Cazaubon leads Mean Green at Border Olympics
LAREDO — Rodolfo Cazaubon tied for 20th place for North Texas on the final day of the Border Olympics tournament on Saturday. Cazaubon shot a final round of 76 as the Mean Green shot a final round of 302 to finish in a tie for 10th place with Air Force.

03/08/2010

Men's basketball: UNT avoids upset in Sun Belt quarterfinals

Sun Belt Conference/Joe Imel

Brandon WIlliams of Louisiana-Monroe, right, pressures Alzee Williams of North Texas during a quarterfinal game in the Sun Belt Conference tournament on Sunday night in Hot Springs, Ark.

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. -- The magical run for North Texas wasn’t about to end in the quarterfinals of the Sun Belt Conference tournament as the Mean Green rallied from a seven-point deficit with four minutes left to beat Louisiana-Monroe 69-66 on Sunday night. UNT (22-8), which trailed by as many as 14 points, was down 60-53 with 3:43 left in the game, outscored the Warhawks 16-6 down the stretch to win and advance to the semifinals to face Denver -- which upset No. 3 seed Middle Tennessee on Sunday --tonight at 8:45 p.m.

Mean Green Blog | DR-C High School Blog

Local Event Schedule/p>

Women's basketball: MTSU rolls past UNT in quarterfinals
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. -- North Texas' up-tempo defense stifled Middle Tennessee early, but the No. 2 seed Lady Raiders and Alysha Clark were too tough in a 106-66 win over UNT in the Sun Belt Conference tournament quarterfinals on Sunday. MTSU (23-5) showed why it has won five of the last six Sun Belt titles, taking a 20-point halftime lead and blowing it further open with a 15-2 run in the first 2:55 of the second half. Clark, the Sun Belt Player of the Year, broke the Sun Belt tournament scoring record with 40 points.

03/07/2010

Women's basketball: Mean Green rallies to upset FIU
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. -- After losing twice to Florida International in the regular season, North Texas finally beat the Golden Panthers when it really counted. The 10th-seeded Mean Green overcame a sluggish start to rally past seventh-seeded FIU, 61-51, in the first round of the Sun Belt Conference tournament on Saturday. UNT (9-21) will face second-seeded Middle Tennessee (22-5) at 2:15 p.m. today in Summit Arena after knocking off the Golden Panthers in the opening round for the second straight year.

Men's basketball: UNT eager to take next step
When Johnny Jones took over a program in shambles at North Texas yearly nine years ago, he spoke of transforming a team that had won just 20 games in four seasons into a championship-caliber unit. And that’s exactly what he did. The Mean Green heads into this week’s Sun Belt Conference tournament in Hot Springs, Ark., as the league’s West Division champion, not to mention the overall league co-champion. UNT is also only three years removed from its 2007 NCAA Tournament appearance and has won 20 games in a school-record four straight seasons.

03/06/2010

Women's basketball: UNT guard has shined during tough times
The tough times Brittney James experienced seemed like they would be nothing more than a temporary blip in life four years ago. James was coming off a stellar season at West Orange-Stark and was being recruited by several Division I schools when her family was forced to evacuate its home in advance of Hurricane Rita. James had just made an official visit to UNT and made the best of a bad situation when she convinced her family to make a temporary home near Denton. James decided a short time later to sign with UNT, which looked like a program on the rise at the time.

Softball: Simmons leads UNT to sweep of Centenary
SHREVEPORT, La. -- Freshman Brittany Simmons picked up her first career win in North Texas’ 5-0 victory against Centenary on Friday. The Mean Green also won the second game of the doubleheader, 5-2. Simmons improved to 1-3 in the circle with a shutout performance against Centenary (4-9). She pitched five innings, giving up just four hits. Jennifer Smith picked up the win in the second game after relieving Simmons. The junior pitched four innings and allowed just two hits. She struck out a season-high seven batters.

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.

Mean Green Blog | DR-C High School Blog

Local Event Schedule/p>

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.

Mean Green Blog | DR-C High School Blog

Local Event Schedule/p>

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.

Mean Green Blog | DR-C High School Blog

Local Event Schedule/p>

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.

Mean Green Blog | DR-C High School Blog

Local Event Schedule| Olympic Gold

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.

Mean Green Blog | DR-C High School Blog

Local Event Schedule

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.

Mean Green Blog | DR-C High School Blog

Local Event Schedule

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.

	RSS
	E-Mail newsletters

Men's Basketball:

Women's Basketball:

Mean Green Blog

UNT going to the Big Dance

Thanks for the notes, guys. My father passed away tonight

Blog going dark for a while

It's all about the veteran players now

Before I head to Hot Springs ...

More Mean Green Blog

Mean Green Blog
Stay up-to-date with everything involving the University of North Texas athletics in the Mean Green Blog

DR-C High School Blog
Keep track of things going on in the Denton and area high schools in the DR-C High School Blog