DENTON ( 4/14/04 ) The North Texas men’s basketball team signed junior college standouts Isaac Hines and Chris White to National Letters of Intent on Wednesday, adding to its 2004 signing class.
Hines, a 6-0, 175 pound point guard, led Collin County Community College to a No. 2 ranking in the final NJCAA Division I poll with a 29-3 record. The North Texas Junior College Athletic Conference Player of the Year averaged 11.7 points, eight rebounds, 5.1 assists and 3.4 steals per game as a sophomore. Hines was also named to the All-Region V team and was a Second Team All-America selection.
“We’re very excited about the signing of Isaac Hines and what he will bring to our basketball team next season,” said North Texas head coach Johnny Jones. “He’s a pure point guard that will initiate our offense on one end of the floor and generate great defensive pressure on the other end. The sign of a great player is someone who can make other players around him better and Isaac has those qualities. The transition should be easy for Isaac coming from a successful program at Collin County where Coach Sigona has done a tremendous job.”
As a freshman, Hines averaged 9.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.8 steals per game. He earned First Team All-Conference, All-Region and Honorable Mention All-America recognition. In two years with the Express, the team piled up a 52-9 record overall and won two NTJCAC championships.
“Isaac is a true point guard and an absolute winner,” said Collin County CC head coach Jim Sigona. “His numbers were outstanding for a point guard, but there are a lot of thing he does that don’t show up on the stat sheet. His defensive anticipation and rebounding are absolutely tremendous. He’s an excellent person off the court as well.”
The Dallas , Tex. , native played high school ball at Molina, where he averaged 24 points, 7.1 rebounds, 5.1 steals and 4.4 assists per game as a senior. The four-time All-City performer racked up 481 career steals, which ranks as the second most all-time in the nation behind the New Jersey Net’s Jason Kidd. He piled up 162 steals as a senior and that ranks as the fourth best single-season total in high school history.
Hines led Molina HS to a 26-5 record and runner-up finish in district his senior season when he was named the District 11-5A Co-MVP. The summer following his senior campaign, he competed in the Global Games and was named All-Tournament. The Global Games also included players such as Kansas ’ Keith Langford, Georgia Tech’s Isama’il Muhammad, SMU’s Bryan Hopkins and Mississippi State ’s Lawrence Roberts.
“I think that North Texas got a tremendous steal,” said Jeff Stout, Hines’ former high school coach and now head coach at Bryan Adams High School in Dallas . “The thing that North Texas is most in store for is that he’s a better person than he is a player. His play speaks for itself, but he is a tremendous person as well.”
White is a 6-6, 280 pound forward that brought a ton of high school credentials with him to Moberly Area Community College in Missouri . Last season he helped lead Moberly Area CC to the Region XVI championship and a No. 13 ranking in the final NJCAA Division I poll with a 28-5 record.
“Chris White will be a great addition to our basketball program and fill a vacancy created by the graduation of three senior post players,” said Coach Jones. “Chris is a very skilled player with his ability to score both inside and outside and his ball handling and passing skills will make him an instant threat on the offensive end of the floor. Chris is very fortunate to come from a successful program where Coach Pat Smith demands that his players compete and maximize their potential.”
White averaged 11.5 points per game (15th best in the region) on a 62.5 field goal percentage (3rd best in the region). White also averaged 5.3 rebounds and 0.9 blocks (5th best in the region) per contest.
“Chris will present a threat offensively every time he touches the ball,” said Moberly Area head coach Pat Smith. “He can do great things with the basketball, inside or outside, and will bring that dimension to North Texas . He’s also a great position defender and has good feet for a player for his size.”
Originally from Huntsville , Alabama , White was named the USA Today Alabama High School Player of the Year and the state’s Mr. Basketball at the conclusion of his senior season. He averaged 21 points and 12 rebounds per game and earned First Team All-State, First Team All-Region and First-Team All-District honors.
“Chris is a real athletic player that can bench 330 pounds and is very good in the low post,” said Ronnie Stapler, White’s former high school coach and now head coach at Guntersville High School in Alabama . “He’s smart, knows how to play the game and is an extremely skilled player around the basket.”
Hines and White join high school stars Michael Sturns and Quincy Williams, who both committed to North Texas during the early signing period, in this year’s signing class.
