University of North Texas Athletics
Final Mean Green Basketball Blog Under Way
10/31/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
See You At The Pit ... The Snake Pit
5:51 p.m.
That’s about it folks. The Blog has enjoyed covering Mean Green basketball practice for you, and can’t wait to see you at the Snake Pit on Nov. 14 for the season opener!
I’m Tired Just Watching This
5:46 p.m.
As if a two-plus hour practice isn’t bad enough, coach Jones lined his players up for a full-court layup drill after three scrimmages.
“You’ve gotta make your layups,” Jones said in between the two minute running exercise. “It’s all about concentration at the rim.”
Players get the ball at the baseline and make a pair of wall passes all while running full speed and have to hit the layup on the other end without traveling. If the team doesn’t hit 80 total layups, everyone has to do the whole thing over again.
Doesn’t sound so tought? Do the math. Basically, if you miss one, you can’t possibly make the goal. Snake Pit Power 5:35 p.m. Wanna know what the Snake Pit will sound like on Nov. 14 when the Mean Green opens the season against Cameron? Check out this story from meangreensports.com that takes a firsthand look. Welcome To Johnny’s Carnival 5:19 p.m. Johnny Jones coaches with a palpable air of intensity and a great sense of the game, which came from years of playing point guard at LSU. But in water breaks and after practice, no one cuts up quite like the eighth year coach from DeRidder, La. Coach Jones can make any shot on the court, or next to the court or even from the stands. If you don’t believe me, just ask him. Johnny will attempt any shot and goof around like the Harlem Globetrotters when the action has died down. “Watch this,” he’ll say before dribbling circles around one of his players. Off his knee, around the back and in the net from 30 feet out. If there was a gold medal for shooting a basketball while seated in a courtside chair, then coach Jones would have won it years ago. Often, the most entertaining parts of practice come after the day is done, when coach Jones lightens the mood with one of his signature half-court shots. Howerton With Authority 5:02 p.m. Justin Howerton just took it to the rack strong. The big man took a bounce pass from Dominique Johnson and went to the hole from the right block, looking to grab another Dunk of the Day. Kedrick Hogans hurried across the lane with some help defense and jumped straight into the senior from Howe. Kedrick got his hands on the ball, but Justin fought through the block and managed to lay the ball in off the backboard. The tough play from Justin even drew a handshake from coach Jones, who was obviously impressed by the play. Who Has The Best Dunk??? 4:47 p.m. Q: Kim ( A: Thanks Kim ... As you could imagine, I’ve seen quite a few heinous dunks in my years following and working for No one was more forceful than Shawnson Johnson. When he went up, everyone in the arena knew it and was scared for their safety. No one gets as high and acrobatic as Adam McCoy, who can simply jump through the roof. His takeoff from outside the block last year was among the more amazing plays I’ve seen in person. Don’t kid yourself about Harold Stewart’s dunking ability. Harold puts on a show with every dunk, and his 360 throw down against But for the overall package, give me Calvin Watson. He combined charisma and athleticism that would drive the crowd nuts. It’s true that he is known more for his 3-pointers, but everyone remembers his dunk attempt against “Finish Plays ... Always Finish The Play” 4:24 p.m. That was the advice from assistant coach Charlie Leonard while he was working with the Mean Green inside players. One of the forwards had missed his jump shot while working on a one-on-one drill, and watched while his opponent walked to the rebound. Coach Leonard wasn’t having any part of that, and started the drill over for the pair. The instructions from the eighth year coach added some intensity to the drill and got all the big-men fired up. Time For The Mailbag 4:08 p.m. Peter from Q: Peter Fleury ( A: The coaching staff here at Under coach Jones, North Texas has been to This year, NT will head up to A Match Made In 3:49 p.m. You couldn’t have better handpicked two people to battle everyday in practice than Josh White and Dominique Johnson. Similar in stature and equally as quick on the dribble, the point guards are paired against each other in nearly every drill. White and Johnson are in each other’s face from the opening whistle of practice to the last, and have developed a healthy respect of each other. If Josh hits a 3-pointer on Dominique, he will make sure it won’t happen again the next time the come down the floor and visa versa. The Beach Would Have Been Nice 3:38 p.m. The Blog is wearing a Hawaiian shirt in honor of Halloween and an eternal belief that every Friday should be “Hawaiian shirt day”. As I walked into practice today, the players took one look at me and asked if we were playing in the Maui Classic next month? Sorry fellas, our first road trip will be to scenic Early Birds Catching The Worm 3:27 p.m. The ladies weren’t on the floor today, so the men took advantage of the opportunity and hit the hardwood a little early. NT began its agility drills a few minutes ahead of schedule, and looks eager to get to work. Head coach Johnny Jones is already at half-court clapping away in anticipation of today’s action. He’s been known to cut up during down time at practice, and we’ll look a little into that today as well as take a look into the mailbag.
