University of North Texas Athletics
Basketball Blog Onto Week Two Of Practice Updates
10/27/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
No Dunk, No Problem
5:55 p.m.
The Mean Green has been practicing for almost three hours and we still don’t have a Dunk of the Day candidate. I know, it sounds crazy. Sure, we have seen a few dunks in individual drills, but I can’t hand out something this prestigious to an uncontested dunk. That would belittle the efforts of all the great slams from last week!
So in the absence of a Dunk of the Day, the Blog will crown a Shot of the Day to Adam McCoy. The senior caught a swing pass about two-feet outside the 3-point arc in the full court scrimmage and drilled a cold-blooded trey. McCoy’s release was lightning quick and gave his defender no chance at a block and gave his team the upper hand.
The Mean Green is now wrapping up with free throws, so the Blog will say goodbye for the day. Don’t forget, shoot us a line if you have any questions for coach Jones or the Blog.
White & Johnson Combine
5:45 p.m.
Christmas just came early for the Blog! During Monday’s 5-on-5 full-court action coach Jones put Dominique Johnson and Josh White on the same team. Needless to say, the two guards complimented each other very well on both ends of the floor. Johnson nailed a fade-away 3-pointer on one end, and then White stole a pass on the next play and took it back for an easy layup.
I don’t know how much of this lineup we will see if at all starting next month, but it sure made for an interesting practice.
Brett’s Pick To Click
5:21 p.m.
Denton Record-Chronicle beat writer Brett Vito just stopped by practice to check out the Mean Green. Brett’s pick to click in 2008-09? He says to look out for Adam McCoy. With his combination of shooting skills and a “freak of nature” type athleticism, he’s a lock to break out for
Brett couldn’t be more right in his assessment of the high-flying McCoy. He ranked 14th in the nation in 3-point percentage in junior college, and everyone who saw his dunking skills last year knows he has what it takes to put butts in the seats.
Mailbag Question From Just Down The Road
4:49 p.m.
In our second mailbag question of the day, Chris Fisher right here in
Q: Chris Fisher (
Here’s what coach Jones had to say, Chris ...
A: “Top to bottom, I don’t think we are any smaller than in year’s past. I think this group of guys will bring the same productivity, but it may come in a little different package. This team’s size may lend itself to a little more versatility that I think will work well for us down the stretch.”
Believe it or not, the Mean Green actually got taller this year. This year’s team is averaging 6-foot 5-1/3-inches per player, which is a third of an inch taller than last year, and over half an inch taller than the 2006-07 Sun Belt Champions. What’s more, the squad is even more athletic, which is perfect for coach Jones’ fast paced tempo.
Big Man Paradox
4:32 p.m.
The Mean Green basketball practice just went philosophical. What happens when an irresistible force meets an immovable object? Eric Tramiel and George Odufuwa tried to answer that question.
Odufuwa took a bounce pass from Josh White on the low block during a 4-on-4 half court drill. The big man from
Diligent On Defense
4:10 p.m.
The Mean Green just spent around 10 minutes on inside positioning drills, specifically on the defensive end of the floor. As you know, Johnny Jones is a hands-on coach, and he was right in the middle of the action showing the Mean Green big men where to be in
Coach Jones expects his big men to be a formidable presence in the lane, and the record books prove that. The top five block seasons in school history have all happened in the Johnny Jones era, including the school record 151 swats in 2006-07.
At 6-foot 10-inches, Ben Knox has shown a real knack for blocking shots. Just a week into his collegiate career, Knox has managed to toss aside at least two shot in practice each day. And don’t forget about Kedrick Hogans, who ranked second on the team in blocks last year with 19 as a freshman.
Mailbag Question All The Way From
3:51 p.m.
The Blog knows the Mean Green basketball team has fans all over the world, but it was refreshing to see a reader from
Q: Courtland (
The Blog sat down with head coach Johnny Jones, and this is what he had to say about the 3-point line moving back a foot to 20-feet 9-inches ...
A: “I think the new 3-point line plays into our game. It doesn’t really change our shooting very much, but I do think it creates more space for our post guys to work. Our opponents have to go further to defend and that will really showcase our athleticism.”
The Blog couldn’t agree more. North Texas ranked 12th in the nation last year in 3-point percentage with a 39.8 percent clip and returns its top two shooters (Josh White & Collin Dennis), so long range accuracy won’t be an issue. Giving our big men room to work in the paint will only increase their effectiveness.
If you have a question for coach Jones or the Blog, let us hear from you!
Men’s Blog Ready To Rock
3:37 p.m.
Alright Blog fans, it’s time to stretch out the cobwebs from a weekend off the Mean Green men are back on the floor. Coach Stephens and the ladies just wrapped up, and trainer Brad Anderson is leading the men through their daily warm-up routine.
Today, we are going to dip into the mailbag and answer a few questions, and let you in on all the on-court action.
As always, feel free to let us know if you have any questions for coach Jones or the Blog!
Impact Players Not Named Jackson Or James
3:14 p.m.
A couple of names to toss out in that regard. We have been impressed by Brittani Bailey through but her main concern is whether or not she is 100 percent healthy. Jo Hall is always a player that you must watch out for but we feel like on the inside Torrian Timms and Mimi Goodman could be surprise players. Both have been in the shadows of Erica Howard and Talicia Sanders for the last two years, but with their graduation, Timms and Goodman are going to be thrust into the lineup. So far both have played with a lot of intensity and risen to the challenge.
Surprise player take II- Mansa El. The blog really likes her size and ability to play the 2 or 3 guard spot, and potentially take some pressure off of Brittney James.
Transitional Games
2:58 p.m.
North Texas has been working a lot on the transition running game and a couple of the highlights today include a nice touch pass by Brittani Bailey to Torrian Timms for an easy bucket. Coach Stephens has been direct though, no jogging on the break, she was full speed up and down the floor. Mansa El is another player who runs the floor especially well and has a big frame that can be used getting to the basket.
Two Of A Kind
2:39 p.m.
Ben Knox and Tricia Lee both have something in common these days. No it’s not their love for basketball, it’s the fact they both have shiner’s after the first week of practice. Lee took an elbow at the end of practice yesterday and we were told it wasn’t too bad. Well like any good prize fighter could tell you, the worst part of it doesn’t happen until later, and Lee showed up today with a nice new black eye.
Mail Time
2:13 p.m.
We opened the mail box for your questions on Friday and now its time to answer those.
Q: Brad (Waco, TX) What is the point guard situation going to look like for the Mean Green this season? Escalera is a great shooter and we love Buckley but they are both learning a new system.
A: Very true but I think Escalera really took off late in the year last season. She had to sit out a year and it probably took her a little longer to get back into the flow of things but late in the season you saw what she was capable of. In this offense Escalera can only be more potent and dangerous because with the amount of running North Texas plans to do, that should open her up for some outside looks. Buckley was a defensive force last season and a nice complement to Escalera when she needed a breather. Rudy
Q: Rudy (Corinth, TX) What are some of the changes that you foresee that Coach Stephens wants to place over the next few years?
A: The first one is the attitude. She has come in with an attitude of discipline and winning. Each time you hear Coach Stephens talk, it’s not a question of if, but when North Texas wins the Sun Belt and goes to the NCAA Tournament. Her drive and vision are quite noticeable and those are a few of things that fans will notice quickly. The other is the style of play. We can’t emphasis that enough, the Mean Green are going to be a completely different team from year’s past.
Born To Run
1:58 p.m.
No question that North Texas is going to run this year but I don’t think the girls had this in mind. The Mean Green worked on nothing but lay-up’s for a good 10 minutes and each one that was missed had consequences. After the drill was up, it was time to run for each missed one.
Coach Stephens got the point home with a talk about the importance of making the easy one’s because late in the game it’s the little things and points that are going to matter.
A New Look
1:39 p.m.
The Mean Green is going to be sporting new-look uniforms this year under Coach Stephens. They are black with North on top, the number of the player, then Texas at the bottom of the uniform. No names on the back with white numerals.....Relax ( I can hear the MG Nation already) these are just the new practice jerseys. There is a black and white version of the new practice jersey which is a nice upgrade.
We weren’t kidding however with the new uniform this year for the women’s basketball team. A new home and away jersey is going to unveiled. The blog has only seen the mock-up’s but they look pretty sweet. The green will be more of a “Kelly Green” (lighter than the old color, we think) but were not going to give away the rest of it.
Week 2
1:26 P.M.
Its the second week of live blogging at basketball practice and today we have more from the men's and women's getogether's. Today we also have some e-mail questions to rummage through along with more practice observations.
