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Tony Benford named new North Texas Coach!

KoldBeer

By KoldBeer
in Mean Green Basketball

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Rudy
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I know everybody hates twitter but I liked this comment on hire (National writer for The Daily): Dan Wolken ‏ @DanWolken No surprise, but North Texas made a better hire than SMU. 7m Ryan Coat

untjim1995 Grand Master

untjim1995

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I sure hope this works out. I just don't like hiring an assistant from outside the program to be the next head coach. Just too risky--usually, you either get the next up-and-comer who stays with you for a few years or you get Vic Trilli. At this point in time, the program seemed like it was at a point where we could have just promoted from within. This is how Butler, Gonzaga, Xavier, and Murray State made their programs self-sustaining for longer periods of time. I'm sure there are lots of mid-majors that have risen up with a new hire of an outside assistant with no previous head coaching experience before, but I cannot think of any off the top of my head. It seemed like Forrest or Fraschilla made a lot more sense, but I think we all owe it to both RV and Coach Benford to give them support. Here's to hoping that in 20 years, we are watching games played on The Tony Benford Court at the Super Pit!!

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UNT90 Newbie

UNT90

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I sure hope this works out. I just don't like hiring an assistant from outside the program to be the next head coach. Just too risky--usually, you either get the next up-and-comer who stays with you for a few years or you get Vic Trilli. At this point in time, the program seemed like it was at a point where we could have just promoted from within. This is how Butler, Gonzaga, Xavier, and Murray State made their programs self-sustaining for longer periods of time. I'm sure there are lots of mid-majors that have risen up with a new hire of an outside assistant with no previous head coaching experience before, but I cannot think of any off the top of my head. It seemed like Forrest or Fraschilla made a lot more sense, but I think we all owe it to both RV and Coach Benford to give them support. Here's to hoping that in 20 years, we are watching games played on The Tony Benford Court at the Super Pit!!

Benford was definitely at the bottom of my list. If you do this, I don't know why Forrest wouldn't be your first option.

There will be huge pressure to win year one. There will be huge pressure before that to not only keep the team together, but to make sure a couple of talented academic slacker' 'priorities stay straight and no one transfers.

Welcome Coach Benford, now get to work convincing the players to stay/stay eligible. Don't forget, 20 wins and an NCAA birth is expected next year, no matter who is playing for UNT (because if anyone leaves, it's your fault).

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akriesman Mentor

akriesman

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I love the fact that we could have had Fran. And, I would have been thrilled to have him as coach. But, how can you not be excited about the Benford hire ?

It's all about recruiting.......

"In his career Benford recruited and coached five NBA first-round draft picks: Garland, Texas; Ike Diogu (Arizona St., ’05), Charles Smith (New Mexico, ’97), Kenny Thomas (New Mexico, ’99), Lazar Hayward (Marquette, ‘10) and Jimmy Butler (Marquette, ’11), as well as three second-round picks in Eddie House (Arizona St., ‘00), Tommy Smith (Arizona St., ’03) and Jeff Pendergraph (Arizona St., ‘09)."

Coach Forrest will be a fine coach somewhere. And, in another time he could have been a great fit here as HC. But, competing for the job against Fran (experience) and Benford (past success and upside) is a tough situation.

We are lucky that in the end we had 3 terrific candidates for our open head coaching position. We should be thrilled to be able to land any of the 3 and they all could have kept this program moving forward. Personally, I think the ceiling is higher with Benford right now. As long as he can hold onto his players initially until he can recruit his own guys, his career here should be a very successful one.

With Benford and a CUSA offer, who is to say that we can have success rivaling U of Memphis eventually.

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PlummMeanGreen Grand Master

PlummMeanGreen

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Fear not everyone..

....and his credentials look great!

Come on, folks, he was on the staff of one of the NCAA's premier basekball schools and that being Marquette.

I do hope RV created a nice, hefty buy-out clause for Coach Benford, though, because one day SMU may have to pay it.

Welcome to the land of milk and honey, Coach B!

GMG!

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untjim1995 Grand Master

untjim1995

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I don't care who is coaching, this team should be expected to win a game or two in the tourney, not just make it and bow out in the first round. WKU & MT will be really good next season, we need to get as many quality OOC games in as possible hopefully his scheduling practices are different than Johnny Jones.

Really? This past year, Murray State was top ten most of the year and lost in the second round of the tournament. When you are a mid-major, you better be GREAT to expect to win a game or two in the tournament. Butler and Gonzaga are the exception to the rule. The seedings are not really made to favor you when you aren't from an AQ conference. To go further, one SBC team made it to the Sweet 16 in the last 15+ years, Western Kentucky in 2008, who was seeded 12th and got mid-major Drake in its first game, then beat 13th seeded San Diego in the second round.

The expectation for this season, barring injuries or defections, and assuming that the new coach gels with the current players, should be to win the SBC. If you do that, then win the conference tournament, and get anything above a 14 seed, then you can have a decent-to-good chance of winning a game during March Madness. That's reasonable, assuming ALL of the components of the first sentence of this paragraph hold true, which traditionally hasn't happened here at UNT, even with a stable coaching situation.

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Side Show Joe Newbie

Side Show Joe

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I think Benford is a quality coach. I was just expecting someone with head coaching experience. I think he will be a good hire, but we probably won't know for a few years.

The team we have coming back is so loaded, I could probably stand on the sideline with a clip board, and watch them beat most of the other Sun Belt teams next season, and I don't know much about basketball.

Having said that... He's our coach, and I wish him and the team nothing but the best. Go Mean Green.

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