University of North Texas Athletics
Green Gang: Win Streak Making History
12/15/2010 12:00:00 AM | Return to Play
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| By Stephen Howard, Dec. 15, 2010 - 11:23 a.m. |
GREEN GANG: Can any of you tell me what you were doing on the night of Jan. 27, 1977? If I know the Mean Green Nation, some of you can actually tell me you were at the Super Pit watching North Texas take down Metroplex rival UT Arlington, 91-84, on the strength of Ken Williams' 19 points and 25 rebounds.
And, once again, if I know the Mean Green Nation, an even bigger portion of you will point out that I wasn't even born yet. You'd be correct, but that only strengthens my point.
Why was that night significant? That night at the four-year old Super Pit was big because it sealed the team's 20th straight home win, extending the longest home winning streak in school history.
(That run would end two nights later in a one-point loss to Portland State - Bill Blakeley's first home loss as the head coach at NT. That's right, it took Blakeley a year and a half to lose a home game)
While the current team isn't quite in 20-game territory yet, North Texas' current coaching legend, Johnny Jones, has his Mean Green on track to give Blakeley's school-record run a scare. Did you realize NT has won 11 straight contests at the Super Pit?
That qualifies as the fifth longest in school history, and makes it the program's best since Blakeley graced the hardwood. I don't need to have been there to tell you that we are entering rarified air.
Starting with Sunday night's tip off against Texas State (5 p.m.), North Texas will have 10 home games remaining in the 2010-11 season. According to my math, winning out would give this team 21-straight home wins and another school record to add to its collection.
While we are a long way from a 21, I can't think of a more deserving team to be mentioned in the same breath as Blakeley's greats. Josh White and Tristan Thompson are about to become the winningest players in NT history and George Odufuwa is challenging for the program's rebounding records. These players have won 20-games in each of the last four years, and own two of the last four Sun Belt titles and NCAA Tournament appearances.
If I were the Mean Green Nation, I wouldn't want to miss any of the "next" great moments. They will be coming fast and furious over the next few months.
