Women's Basketball
- Title:
- Head Coach
- Email:
- jalie.mitchell@unt.edu
- Phone:
- 940-565-3654
Jalie Mitchell has vastly transformed Mean Green women’s basketball since her return to Denton in 2015 when she was chosen to lead her alma mater. The team has improved upon the program’s previous record nearly every year under Mitchell while setting several school records and program firsts.
Mitchell led the Mean Green to one of its best seasons in program history in 2021-22 posting back-to-back 10+ conference wins in consecutive seasons for just the second time in program history. The Mean Green received a double-bye in the C-USA Tournament and a WNIT berth. Additionally, the program garnered two all-conference selections in the same season for the first time since joining C-USA.
The strong 2021-22 season followed an almost equally impressive 2020-21 campaign that included the best conference start in program history (5-0), the highest Conference USA win total ever (10), the best winning percentage in 15 seasons (65.0), the top scoring average in 19 years (69.3) and a double-digit league win tally for the sixth time in 38 years. In addition, Quincy Noble became the second ever player in program history to earn C-USA First Team honors and was a Second Team All-Conference selection in 2021-22.
Mitchell is the first and only head coach in program history to coach two C-USA First Teamers (Noble in 2020-21 and Terriell Bradley in 2017-18 and 2018-19). She also became the first and only to defeat Louisiana Tech (four times), moved into second in the record books for winning seasons (4) and was selected to the C-USA Coaches Circle.
The 2019-20 season may have been cut short, but North Texas women’s basketball was still able to put up some impressive numbers and execute notable performances. The Mean Green consistently ranked in top 25 nationally in total rebounds, rebounds per game and offensive rebounds per game and had the only duo (Anisha George and Charlene Shepherd) in the nation to collect at least 23 rebounds in a single contest.
The 114 points scored against Texas A&M-Texarkana were the highest total recorded by a Conference USA team and 13th most points scored in Division I, while the 46 field goals were fifth best in DI and the 63 rebounds were 11th. The team put up 2,033 total points for the ninth-best performance in program history and concluded the season ranking second in C-USA in offensive rebounds (14.3), third in steals (8.7) and fourth in scoring defense (62.7). George was selected Second Team All-Conference by leading C-USA in field goal accuracy and was fifth in the nation at shooting over 64 percent.
North Texas women's basketball made history in 2018-19 during Mitchell’s fourth season with several program firsts, including the program's first nonconference postseason win in a 56-42 victory over UTRGV during the opening round of the Women’s Basketball Invitational. The Mean Green had advanced past the conference tournament in three seasons previously, 1985-86, 2000-01, and 2001-02, but had never pulled out a win until the defeat of UTRGV March 20.
The program captured inaugural wins at Louisiana Tech, Southern Miss and Western Kentucky and secured a 3-0 start in Conference USA play for the first time.
Under Mitchell’s guidance, Terriell Bradley became the first Mean Green player to receive C-USA First Team honors (2017-18 and 2018-19) after finishing the season with averages of 15.8 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists. Bradley finished her career as the fifth-leading scorer in program history with 1,467 points and is number one in the charts in free throws with 417 and fifth in 3-pointers with 138.
George was also recognized by the league as an All-Defensive Team selection after pulling an average of 6.9 rebounds per contest and tallying 29 blocks on the season.
In 2017-18, Mitchell led North Texas to its most wins in 12 years and best finish in a conference tournament in 16 years. The Mean Green owned one of the nation’s top defenses, holding opponents to an average of just 56.2 points per game, the 15th-best mark in the country and the best in program history. They finished with a 17-14 record to achieve their first winning season in 12 years. In the Conference USA Tournament, UNT reached the semifinals for the first time since Mitchell’s senior season in Denton in 2001-02.
The Mean Green defeated Charlotte twice, a program they had never beaten previously, and in the C-USA quarterfinals they defeated LA Tech for the first time in school history.
In her third season, Mitchell guided Bradley to an all-conference first-team honor, the program’s first in nine years and just its third in 15 seasons. In addition, freshman Lauren Holmes was named to the conference’s all-freshman team.
North Texas posted a program-best 3.33 grade-point average, and recruited two NJCAA All-Americans, one more than it had recruited in its 41-year history.
In 2016-17, the Mean Green improved on their overall record by a game. They won eight Conference USA games, the most since they joined the conference in 2013-14, and defeated UTEP in El Paso for the first time in program history. UNT reached the quarterfinals of the C-USA Tournament for the first time.
In May of 2015, Mitchell became the Mean Green’s eighth head coach and took what she described as her “dream job.”
Mitchell took over a program that won five games the previous season. For her first career win as a head coach, the Mean Green beat the No. 17 ranked Oklahoma Sooners in Oklahoma. It was the first time a Mean Green team had defeated a ranked opponent.
UNT posted an 11-19 record and won its first C-USA Tournament game with a 79-74 win over Florida Atlantic.
Mitchell had two stints as an assistant coach at UNT, including one-year under Texas head coach Karen Aston. Mitchell followed Aston to UT where she served as an assistant for three years. At Texas, Mitchell was instrumental in the recruiting of eventual top-10 WNBA draft pick Ariel Atkins and 2017 Big 12 Player of the Year and All-American Brooke McCarty.
In her three seasons at Texas, the team combined for a 60-41 record. The Longhorns made the NCAA Tournament the last two seasons, including a Sweet 16 appearance in 2015, their first since 2008.
Mitchell began her collegiate coaching career in 2008 as an assistant with the Mean Green under Shanice Stephens. Mitchell spent two seasons at North Texas with Stephens before taking on the same position at UNC-Wilmington for the 2010-11 season. Mitchell helped the Seahawks finish with a 24-9 record and reach the second round of the WNIT, both program bests.
Mitchell played at North Texas from 1998-2002 and was a four-time all-conference selection and the 2002 Sun Belt Player of the Year after averaging 19.4 points per game. She is the program’s leading scorer with 1,764 points and her number 44 was retired on her senior night.
She is part of the winningest senior class in North Texas history, putting together a 77-39 record, including 42-4 at home. The Mean Green made back-to-back appearances to the WNIT in 2001 and 2002.
In 2007, Mitchell was inducted into the North Texas Athletic Hall of Fame along with teammate Rosalyn Reades.
In addition to the North Texas Athletics Hall of Fame, Mitchell was inducted into the Duncanville ISD Athletic Hall of Honor in October of 2015.
