Photo by: Rick Yeatts Photography
Defending Champs Garner Top Signing Class
4/21/2020 11:45:00 AM | Men's Basketball
DENTON — The 2020 Conference USA men's basketball champion Mean Green wrapped up their five-man signing class this week. College basketball recruiting services Rivals has ranked North Texas' incoming class as the best in C-USA and the 48th best in the nation as of Tuesday. It's the first time Rivals has ranked a UNT men's basketball signing class in the top 50.
The Mean Green's 2020 class also ranks fourth in the state of Texas.
North Texas' five-man class consists of three players who will join the team from high school / prep school with four years of eligibility remaining and two junior college transfers who will have two years remaining once they enroll in classes.
The Mean Green finished first in Conference USA after going 14-4 in league play. It was the first time they had won a conference regular season in 31 years and the 14-4 conference record was its best in program history since it moved to the DI ranks in 1957. Head coach Grant McCasland was named the league's coach of the year and point guard Javion Hamlet was named the league's player of the year. Hamlet will return next year for his senior season. McCasland and Hamlet became the first Mean Green coach and/or men's basketball player to earn those honors in 31 years.
Junior College: Terence Lewis (New Mexico JC), Mardrez McBride (USC Salkehatchie)
Position Breakdown
Guards: Rubin Jones, Mardrez McBride
Forward/Wings: Mykell Robinson, Abou Ousmane, Terence Lewis
Home States
Texas: Mykell Robinson (Houston), Rubin Jones (Houston)
Georgia: Mardrez McBride (Augusta)
Maryland: Terence Lewis (Upper Marlboro)
New York: Abou Ousmane (Brooklyn)
Abou Ousmane | 6-9 | 225 | F | Brooklyn, New York | Scotland Campus (PA.)
The North Texas men's basketball team signed 6-foot-9 with a 7-foot-3 wingspan forward Abou Ousmane from prep school Scotland Campus in Scotland, Pennsylvania. Ousmane is originally from Brooklyn, New York.
At Scotland, Ousmane led his squad to a 40-4 record while averaging 15 points and 10 rebounds per game. He led the Knights to a GAC championship. A highlight of his 2019-20 prep season was his 32-point and 22-rebound performance he had in January and a 27-point and 19-rebound game soon after.
A three-star recruit according to Rivals, Ousmane played his grass-roots basketball with NE6 on the UnderArmour circuit and with the New York-based Riverside Hawks.
Prior to attending the prep school, Ousmane was at Putnam Science where he averaged 10.3 points and 6.7 rebounds per game.
Terence Lewis | 6-7 | 210 | F | Upper Marlboro, Maryland | New Mexico JC
The North Texas men's basketball team signed 6-foot-7 NJCAA All-American Terence Lewis.
Lewis averaged 18.9 points and 9.3 rebounds per game for New Mexico Junior College this past season and along with his all-American honor he was named Western Junior College Athletic Conference All-Region and all-conference. The sophomore had 14 double-doubles this season, scored over 30 points in a game three times, averaged 60 percent from the field and 82.5 percent from the free throw line for the 23-9 Thunderbirds.
Nationally, he ranked in the top 60 in scoring and rebounding.
After the season, he was named NJCAA All-American Honorable Mention. He joins a Mean Green team that also has former NJCAA All-Americans Javion Hamlet, James Reese and JJ Murray on its roster.
Lewis led New Mexico Junior College in scoring, total rebounds, offensive rebounds, defensive rebounds, field goal percentage and was second in blocks.
In his freshman season in 2018-19 for Florida Southwestern, Lewis began to make waves as one of the nation's most efficient scorers as he shot 71.2 percent from the field. Despite playing just 15 minutes per game, Lewis averaged 9.4 points per game. He also led Florida Southwestern in rebounding with 5.4 boards per game.
Rubin Jones | 6-4 | 180 | G | Houston, Texas | Jack Yates High School
The North Texas Mean Green men's basketball team signed Houston standout high school guard Rubin Jones to a national letter of intent for the class of 2020. He was the first to sign to the 2020 class.
Jones, a three-star recruit by ESPN, Rivals and 247Sports.com, is a 6-foot-4 guard from Jack Yates High School in Houston. Jones led the Lions to the Texas state semifinals last season as a junior. The Lions went 12-0 in district and 23-5 overall.
In his senior season, Jones led a Yates team that was one of the most prolific scoring teams in Texas. They had 25 games this year with 100 or more points. Yates had reached the Texas 4A State Championship in San Antonio before the season was canceled due to COVID-19 but Jones led his team to a 26-3 overall record and were on the doorsteps of a state title.
He's a top 30 recruit in the state of Texas by most major recruiting outlets, a top 5 Houston recruit and a top 100 guard in the nation as well.
Mykell Robinson | 6-6 | 190 | Wing | Houston, Texas | Sunrise Christian Academy
The North Texas men's basketball team signed 6-foot-6 wing Mykell Robinson who joins the Mean Green from prestigious prep school Sunrise Christian Academy in Bel Aire, Kansas.
Robinson, who grew up in the Houston area and played AAU basketball with UNT November signee Rubin Jones, led Sunrise Christian to the 2020 Geico High School Nationals. Sunrise Christian finished the year 22-3 and ranked No. 4 in the nation by MaxPreps and No. 5 by ESPN.
A three-star recruit by most recruiting services, Robinson joined SCA after leading Pro-Vision Academy to a Texas Christian Athletic League state title in 2019.
Mardrez McBride | 6-3 | 185 | G | Augusta, Georgia | USC Salkehatchie
The North Texas men's basketball team signed sharp shooter 6-foot-3 guard Mardrez McBride who transfers to the Mean Green from South Carolina Salkehatchie.
McBride averaged 14.4 points and 5.1 assists per game this past year for the Indians while shooting nearly 53 percent (55-104) from deep. It was the nation's third-highest 3-point field goal percentage. The first team All-Region 10 selection was ranked as the No. 52 JUCO recruit in the nation by JucoRecruiting.com.
McBride led the Indians this year to a NJCAA Division I Region 10 championship and earning a trip to the 24-team national tournament in Hutchinson, Kansas. USC Salkehatchie was the seventh-highest scoring team in the nation this year and scored over 90 points in 21 of its 30 games.
McBride had 10 games this year with 20 or more points including a season-high 30 points on Feb. 29 versus Spartanburg Methodist on 11-of-17 shooting. He had two games with 10 assists.
The Georgia native played his freshman season at McCook College and averaged 14 points per game and four assists per game.
The Mean Green's 2020 class also ranks fourth in the state of Texas.
North Texas' five-man class consists of three players who will join the team from high school / prep school with four years of eligibility remaining and two junior college transfers who will have two years remaining once they enroll in classes.
The Mean Green finished first in Conference USA after going 14-4 in league play. It was the first time they had won a conference regular season in 31 years and the 14-4 conference record was its best in program history since it moved to the DI ranks in 1957. Head coach Grant McCasland was named the league's coach of the year and point guard Javion Hamlet was named the league's player of the year. Hamlet will return next year for his senior season. McCasland and Hamlet became the first Mean Green coach and/or men's basketball player to earn those honors in 31 years.
Past School
High School / Prep School: Rubin Jones (Yates High School), Mykell Robinson (Sunrise Christian), Abou Ousmane (Scotland Performance)Junior College: Terence Lewis (New Mexico JC), Mardrez McBride (USC Salkehatchie)
Position Breakdown
Guards: Rubin Jones, Mardrez McBride
Forward/Wings: Mykell Robinson, Abou Ousmane, Terence Lewis
Home States
Texas: Mykell Robinson (Houston), Rubin Jones (Houston)
Georgia: Mardrez McBride (Augusta)
Maryland: Terence Lewis (Upper Marlboro)
New York: Abou Ousmane (Brooklyn)
Abou Ousmane | 6-9 | 225 | F | Brooklyn, New York | Scotland Campus (PA.)
The North Texas men's basketball team signed 6-foot-9 with a 7-foot-3 wingspan forward Abou Ousmane from prep school Scotland Campus in Scotland, Pennsylvania. Ousmane is originally from Brooklyn, New York.
At Scotland, Ousmane led his squad to a 40-4 record while averaging 15 points and 10 rebounds per game. He led the Knights to a GAC championship. A highlight of his 2019-20 prep season was his 32-point and 22-rebound performance he had in January and a 27-point and 19-rebound game soon after.
A three-star recruit according to Rivals, Ousmane played his grass-roots basketball with NE6 on the UnderArmour circuit and with the New York-based Riverside Hawks.
Prior to attending the prep school, Ousmane was at Putnam Science where he averaged 10.3 points and 6.7 rebounds per game.
Terence Lewis | 6-7 | 210 | F | Upper Marlboro, Maryland | New Mexico JC
The North Texas men's basketball team signed 6-foot-7 NJCAA All-American Terence Lewis.
Lewis averaged 18.9 points and 9.3 rebounds per game for New Mexico Junior College this past season and along with his all-American honor he was named Western Junior College Athletic Conference All-Region and all-conference. The sophomore had 14 double-doubles this season, scored over 30 points in a game three times, averaged 60 percent from the field and 82.5 percent from the free throw line for the 23-9 Thunderbirds.
Nationally, he ranked in the top 60 in scoring and rebounding.
After the season, he was named NJCAA All-American Honorable Mention. He joins a Mean Green team that also has former NJCAA All-Americans Javion Hamlet, James Reese and JJ Murray on its roster.
Lewis led New Mexico Junior College in scoring, total rebounds, offensive rebounds, defensive rebounds, field goal percentage and was second in blocks.
In his freshman season in 2018-19 for Florida Southwestern, Lewis began to make waves as one of the nation's most efficient scorers as he shot 71.2 percent from the field. Despite playing just 15 minutes per game, Lewis averaged 9.4 points per game. He also led Florida Southwestern in rebounding with 5.4 boards per game.
Rubin Jones | 6-4 | 180 | G | Houston, Texas | Jack Yates High School
The North Texas Mean Green men's basketball team signed Houston standout high school guard Rubin Jones to a national letter of intent for the class of 2020. He was the first to sign to the 2020 class.
Jones, a three-star recruit by ESPN, Rivals and 247Sports.com, is a 6-foot-4 guard from Jack Yates High School in Houston. Jones led the Lions to the Texas state semifinals last season as a junior. The Lions went 12-0 in district and 23-5 overall.
In his senior season, Jones led a Yates team that was one of the most prolific scoring teams in Texas. They had 25 games this year with 100 or more points. Yates had reached the Texas 4A State Championship in San Antonio before the season was canceled due to COVID-19 but Jones led his team to a 26-3 overall record and were on the doorsteps of a state title.
He's a top 30 recruit in the state of Texas by most major recruiting outlets, a top 5 Houston recruit and a top 100 guard in the nation as well.
Mykell Robinson | 6-6 | 190 | Wing | Houston, Texas | Sunrise Christian Academy
The North Texas men's basketball team signed 6-foot-6 wing Mykell Robinson who joins the Mean Green from prestigious prep school Sunrise Christian Academy in Bel Aire, Kansas.
Robinson, who grew up in the Houston area and played AAU basketball with UNT November signee Rubin Jones, led Sunrise Christian to the 2020 Geico High School Nationals. Sunrise Christian finished the year 22-3 and ranked No. 4 in the nation by MaxPreps and No. 5 by ESPN.
A three-star recruit by most recruiting services, Robinson joined SCA after leading Pro-Vision Academy to a Texas Christian Athletic League state title in 2019.
Mardrez McBride | 6-3 | 185 | G | Augusta, Georgia | USC Salkehatchie
The North Texas men's basketball team signed sharp shooter 6-foot-3 guard Mardrez McBride who transfers to the Mean Green from South Carolina Salkehatchie.
McBride averaged 14.4 points and 5.1 assists per game this past year for the Indians while shooting nearly 53 percent (55-104) from deep. It was the nation's third-highest 3-point field goal percentage. The first team All-Region 10 selection was ranked as the No. 52 JUCO recruit in the nation by JucoRecruiting.com.
McBride led the Indians this year to a NJCAA Division I Region 10 championship and earning a trip to the 24-team national tournament in Hutchinson, Kansas. USC Salkehatchie was the seventh-highest scoring team in the nation this year and scored over 90 points in 21 of its 30 games.
McBride had 10 games this year with 20 or more points including a season-high 30 points on Feb. 29 versus Spartanburg Methodist on 11-of-17 shooting. He had two games with 10 assists.
The Georgia native played his freshman season at McCook College and averaged 14 points per game and four assists per game.
Players Mentioned
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