DENTON, Tex (6/7/07)   North Texas head women’s basketball coach Tina Slinker has announced that former player Shannan Fears (formerly Stephenson) will join the Mean Green coaching staff.

Fears, one of the fiercest players in recent history at North Texas, comes to the Mean Green after spending the last three seasons as an assistant girls basketball coach at Southlake Carroll High School.

“Hiring a former player who achieved the accolades of all-conference status can be a powerful asset for a program.  Shannan can contribute in so many areas but will certainly have an immediate impact in recruiting and as a positive role model for our players,” said North Texas head coach Tina Slinker.

While a player at North Texas, Fears was an integral part of the 2001-02 team that set a school record for wins and reached the WNIT for the second straight season. She was selected to the Sun Belt Conference First-Team in 2002 after averaging a career-high 14.1 points and 6.4 rebounds a game. Fears is still only one of four players in North Texas history to be a first-team all-conference selection.

In the 2001-02 season she scored 20 or more points six times, capped off by scoring a career-best 30. As a freshman in 1997-98 Fears scored 7.2 points a contest and pulled down 4.4 rebounds. After battling through injuries her next two seasons, Fears came back in the 2000-01 season to play in 29 games setting the stage for her breakout senior season.

Following her graduation from North Texas in 2002, Fears began her coaching career in private lessons. In 2003 she worked at The Oakridge school in Arlington as an assistant coach before moving onto Carroll.