DENTON, Texas (6/3/09) Collin Dennis, Justin Howerton and Adam McCoy have been the catalysts for many roaring Super Pit crowds. But for these North Texas basketball seniors, no ovation could match the feeling of walking across the stage at last month’s graduation ceremony.
This senior class is one of the most accomplished in school history on the court, and capped off their careers with a graduation ceremony in the same building that saw those on-court accolades.
“I’m so proud of Collin, Justin and Adam for realizing the value an education can have in their lives,” said North Texas head coach Johnny Jones. “Each of these student-athletes have exemplified success not only on the court, but in the classroom as well.”
This class was apart of the 2007 Sun Belt Championship squad that earned a trip to the NCAA Tournament, which helped North Texas enter some lofty company on the national stage. The Mean Green has posted at least 20 wins in each of the last three years, something only two other teams in the state of Texas and the Sun Belt Conference can claim.
NT has now posted a .500 record or better in each of the last five seasons, which makes this the most prosperous stretch of basketball at this school since 1931, and the three straight 20-win seasons has been equaled only one other time.
The 2008 Sun Belt Newcomer of the Year, Dennis left a legacy of explosive play and quiet leadership. The sociology major was a two time conference Player of the Week, and will go down as “Mr. Comeback” as the two largest come-from-behind efforts in school history came courtesy of Collin. Against Denver in January, Collin rallied the Mean Green back from a 21-point deficit with a 19-point effort, a feat topped only by last year’s 19-point barrage over a 6:25 span to complete another 21 point comeback at New Mexico State.
With the 88-79 win over Middle Tennessee in the Sun Belt Tournament quarterfinals, Howerton picked up the 77th win of his career, which is more than any other player in school history. The sociology graduate joins his former teammates Harold Stewart and Quincy Williams, as well as Calvin Axtell and Bervin Hooper as the only NT players to be apart of four straight seasons of .500 or better.
Not many players get the chance to say they ended their career as the hottest player in nation, but you could certainly make an argument for McCoy. The Dallas product graduated with a degree in international studies, and went on a tear over the last five games of the regular season as he posted 22.8 points per contest on 59.7 percent shooting, including a 19-of-38 clip from downtown. Those numbers earned Adam Sun Belt Player of the Week honors, and his 79 career 3-pointers will keep him on the minds of Mean Green fans for some time to come.
Harold Stewart, the fourth senior on the 2008-09 Mean Green basketball team, is on pace to graduate in August.
