DENTON – The North Texas men's basketball team has finalized its 2019 spring signing class, head coach Grant McCasland announced Wednesday.
The Mean Green have added four transfers in addition to incoming freshman Jalen Jackson who signed during the fall. The four newcomers bring with them NCAA Tournament and NJCAA All-American experience and talent.
"We're very excited about bringing these four talented and experienced men to our team," said McCasland who is entering his third season at the helm of the program. "We've made great strides each of our first two seasons and we believe these men and Jalen Jackson continue that growth as we aim to compete for a championship each season."
In McCasland's first season in Denton in 2017-18, North Texas had one of the best turnarounds in the country and broke numerous program records as it went on to claim the 2018 College Basketball Invitational championship and the program's first 20-win season since 2011-12. This past season, McCasland led the Mean Green to their best start in school history at 16-1. They earned national top 25 votes and broke more school records.
Deng Geu
Graduate transfer Deng Geu from North Dakota State joins UNT and adds size and athleticism. The 6-foot-8 forward averaged 9.6 points and 5.0 rebounds per game for the Bison who won the 2019 Summit League title and won a game in the NCAA Tournament before falling to Duke. Geu scored six points versus the Blue Devils.
Geu last season averaged the second-most rebounds per game and third-most points per game for NDSU. His .527 field goal percentage was second-best on the team. In his three seasons with the Bison, Geu saw considerable improvement in his stats each year, including nearly doubling his points per game and rebounds per game average from two years ago to this past year. Geu can stretch the floor for a big man. He made 15 three-pointers last season at a 34 percent clip.
The Sudanese born forward played his prep basketball in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where as a senior he was named South Dakota's Gatorade Player of the Year in 2014-15 and was the top vote-getter on the All-State team.
Geu has already earned his undergraduate degree and will be eligible to play right away for the Mean Green with one more year of eligibility. Deng Geu
Javion Hamlet
Redshirt junior guard Javion Hamlet comes to UNT from Northwest Florida State College where he was the No. 17 ranked junior college player in the nation per JucoRecruiting.com. The Panhandle Conference Newcomer of the Year this past season averaged 6.5 assists per game to go along with his 17.8 points per game for NWF State which was the No. 1 overall seed in the NJCAA National Tournament. He finished second in the league's Player of the Year voting.
The 6-foot-3 guard hit 59 percent of his shots and 41 percent from deep to go along with a steal a game.
He had seven games this season with double-digit assists, including dropping 15 dimes twice. He also had 15 games this year where he scored 20 or more points including dropping 35 on March 7 versus Daytona State College.
His 218 total assists were sixth-most in the country while owning a 2.5 assist to turnover ratio.
Hamlet, a Memphis native, began his college career at Motlow State College in Tennessee where he was named a 2017 NJCAA Second Team All-American after leading the nation in assists per game (8.5) and led his team in points per game (15.6).
Success has followed Hamlet everywhere he's been. In college he's accumulated 58 wins in two seasons and his teams have won 84 percent of its games. His teams also made the NJCAA National Tournament each year.
He will join North Texas as a redshirt junior with two years of eligibility. Javion Hamlet
James Reese
Odessa College transfer James Reese was just recently named a 2019 NJCAA Third Team All-American.
In 34 games this season for the Wranglers, the 6-foot-3 guard from Eastover, South Carolina, averaged 16 points per game and made 80 three-pointers and made them at nearly a 42-percent average.
Reese had three games this season where he scored over 30 points, including a 41-point outburst versus Hill College on Nov. 24. He made 9-of-13 from deep in the game.
He also got it done on the defensive end, snatching up 70 steals in the 34 games, which ranked 24th in the nation. He led Odessa to the national tournament where they earned the No. 6 overall seed.
Reese began his college career at Buffalo in 2017-18 and was part of a Bulls team that upset Arizona in the first round of the 2018 NCAA Tournament.
Reese will have two years of eligibility. James Reese
Thomas Bell III
Kaskaskia College transfer Thomas Bell III was one of the nation's top rebounders this season, averaging 7.6 per game. The sophomore's 109 total offensive rebounds were 14th most in the country.
A 6-foot-5 forward from Cahokia, Illinois, Bell led Kaskaskia to a 2019 region title and the NJCAA National Tournament where they were the No. 20 overall seed. Bell averaged 20.5 points per game during the national tournament and 17.7 for the entire season.
Bell stretched the floor last season for Kaskaskia, making 40 three-pointers at a 37 percent average.
He was named to the 2019 All-Region 24 team and was a Great Rivers Athletic Conference All Conference section.
Bell will have two years of eligibility when he joins UNT.
