University of North Texas Athletics
Green Gang: 3-0 Start Something To Build On
12/14/2010 12:00:00 AM | Return to Play
By Steven Bartolotta, December 14, 2010, 9:49 a.m.
It's been a few years, but the North Texas women's basketball team is 3-0 at home after a win over Nicholls State last night. Now for the bad news, the Mean Green is 0-9 away from the Super Pit this season.
No bueno. But for a team that's searching for something positive to build on, this morsel is a start. From the start of her tenure, Shanice Stephens has preached to her team that they must protect their house. Is it any wonder why Johnny Jones and the Mean Green men have been so successful? It shouldn't be, they take care of business at home.
That's the mentality that the ladies need. Now taking the confidence to the road is the next step. North Texas has eight days between games to improve, play a road game at Arizona (pick up a large novelty paycheck along the way) and then another nine days between games to get ready for the real season.
Sun Belt Conference play.
Stephens appears to have found the right starting five. Denetra Kellum is playing at an all-conference level, so is Tamara Torru. Jasmine Godbolt has been since she stepped foot on campus last year. Brittney Hudson is gaining confidence and Kasondra Foreman has won the starting point guard job.
North Texas has to improve in two key areas to have any chance at turning this season around and competing in the Sun Belt.
Free throws and turnovers. The Mean Green is hitting on a paltry 59.3 percent of its free throws. Hard to believe, but that's not last in the Sun Belt, but it will lose you games. It lost the Mean Green the game at UTPA and possibly a first-ever win against a team from the SEC at Mississippi State.
Good teams make free throws. Mediocre one's don't.
Turnovers are still another snake slithering around that the Mean Green can't get ahold of yet. North Texas has only five games of less than 20 turnovers this year. The maddening part is at least half of those are self-inflicted mistakes. Traveling calls, errant passes, offensive fouls, etc, etc.
If North Texas wants to go 3-9 in their next 12 games, they have seen how to do it. If they want to reverse that trend and go 9-3, they also know how to do it.
Taking care of business at home, taking care of the ball, and taking care of the freebies can all lead to more success.
