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I broke down the minutes played from the CUSA and NCAA tournament games. Here is how much everyone played: Hamlet - 242 minutes Reese - 217 minutes Bell - 211 minutes McBride - 209 minutes Simmons - 184 minutes Murray - 125 minutes Ousmane - 41 minutes Robinson - 13 minutes Jackson - 5 minutes Lewis - 3 minutes Jones, J Simmons, Wise - 0 minutes These were our 13 scholarship players. We basically went 7 deep, and that would have been 8 deep had Rubin Jones been playing. We’re returning 5 of our 8 players from our actual rotation. Basically the guys leaving here lately have been the end of the bench guys who did not make the cut on our rotation when it got condensed for tournament play. Robinson, Jackson, and Lewis were at the end of our bench, not really in the rotation. We have 5 rotation players coming back, 3 freshmen coming in, Jahmiah Simmons currently returning, and 4 spots left to find other experienced transfers to fill in our rotation. I know people on here don’t like seeing turnover but if we make these last 4 spots count we should be deeper than we were last year with all of our end of the bench guys gone.

It was me. Wanted to see if he have something to say!!

Nice data Billy. Encouraging to see Ousmane at #7..

Every time we have a coach who has a little success, there are folks on this board who want to give a massive raise. It's insane and it has burned us multiple times in the past. If Grant continues to have success here, we aren't going to be able to keep him from going to a much bigger program in all likelihood regardless of what we pay. If he flames out, then we are stuck paying him a massive salary. It make sense to pay him enough so he doesn't jump ship to another mid-major or low tier major school, but otherwise it's only downside to pay him a fortune.

I put the lineup in the old terms that people are familiar with, but that “3” spot is a guard in this system rather than a forward. Jones fits there because he’s taller than McBride and matches better height wise with other teams 3s on the defensive end. Jones could start at the 3 and be the backup point guard at the same time, but I also think we need one more guy who can handle the ball, which is why I included us adding a combo guard. In conference play Jones shot just 33% from INSIDE the arc, and 35% there for the season. He has the passing and ball handling ability to be a primary, but he struggled greatly at creating his own shot which is a big part of the position. He shot well off the ball with catch and shoot 3s, but when he had the ball in his hands he struggled at creating his own shot. If Jones is going to be a full-time PG he needs to improve vastly in that area. Hamlet is a great player to learn from in that he could score and create his own shot with the ball in his hands from all 3 levels.

He played well and gave us quality minutes against Purdue. I am excited to see him develop as I believe he has a a tremendous upside.

Well, this is good news. Bench needs to be much better.

Whoever in Michigan called in just now to get Mel’s take on Darden...props to you! Mel has him as a 3, but thinks he will be a steal in 4 or 5 because of so many receivers.

Agree. And give him a recruiting budget that will help him find and bring in top players. They are out there.

Murray was a slot corner from where they listed him on the depth chart last year. As far as high safeties it sounds like Sanders and Gaddie are starting with Crosby and Alex Morris behind them. Then 2 of our highest rating signees are safeties in Dillion Williams and Harold West. Also that recent commit Cinque Williams from SLC is listed as a safety.

In 2019 after the season we had 4 spots left to give and we identified 4 guys we really wanted. That was Javion Hamlet, James Reese, Deng Geu, and Thomas Bell. Those were the 4 we brought on for visits and we landed them all. It’s hard to replicate a haul that successful, but I expect Mccasland to make the spots count like then. With the last four spots I’d like to see a starting PG, a combo guard, a forward who can play the 4 and shoot, and a center to push Ousmane for the starting job. Here’s what the lineup would look like if we landed a haul like that of good transfers (D1 or JUCO). PG - Transfer PG SG - JR Mardrez McBride SF - FR Rubin Jones PF - SR Thomas Bell C - Transfer C 6 - Transfer combo guard 7 - Transfer forward 8 - FR Abou Ousmane 9 - SR SG JJ Murray 10 - FR SF Matthew Stone 11 - FR SF Aaron Scott 12 - SR PF Jahmiah Simmons 13 - FR C Chrisdon Morgan (redshirt) I fully expect Matthew Stone to be able to come in and play solid rotation minutes as a 3 and D wing. If Scott can play too we have a chance to be 11 deep if we want to be.

Way to go NT Cheer!

If you're like me and try to read between the lines, you consider maybe - just maybe - they flat out were not good enough.

I would temper that and say, "not yet." Let's achieve the prolonged success of these programs and then talk money.

Reported that he has entered the transfer portal.

Came across this and found it to be a nice, clean way to implement the diving eagle on the jersey elements... The site's constructed in a way to let you play around with various color combinations involving white, green, and black... https://colinturner95.wixsite.com/1972project/north-texas-mean-green

Losing a walk on?? Could be mutual.

Wasn’t really a commitment, was it ?

Count out Mason Fine at your own peril.

Guessing he didn't like where he ended up after spring ball

It is unfortunate that this is such a deep WR class.

It would be what the sixth year for J. Simmons and Murray. Simmons came with McCasland from Ark St., but loyalty should have it's limit He plays super hard, but in truth at 6'4 and no outside shot was a liability on both ends of the court. Murray is a good guard defender and a role model, but does not have any offensive game. He has not demonstrated an outside shoot and seldom even attempts a layup giving the opening. NT has currently 4 other lettermen coming back in Bell, McBride, Osmane and Jones. NT has signed two high schoolers and has a commitment for another. McCasland has at least 4 more ships to give and maybe up to six. I think whether NT retains Murray and Simmons is more a question of sentiment than can he get better players. There are a lot of better players in the transfer portal. Mac may think it is more important for team chemistry to return these two.

I remember watching James Franklin while he was at Lake Dallas HS back in the late oughts. I can only imagine he was what Vince Young looked like in HS... just on a totally different level than anyone else on the field. Had a nice career at Mizzou, then NFL, then CFL! Hope Mason gets a chance to win this job. If he gets a fair shake (not slighted for his height), it should be his.

Look on the bright side, 3.5 months until fall practice starts and 2 weeks away from a great NT player being drafted.

And don't forget about Drez. The guy was key in getting the NCAA win. We have some talent coming back.

I’m assuming this is true as he and Bell are both set to return to huge minutes and be our go to guys.

I do agree, but currently it’s ok to feel some hesitation. Mac is a fantastic coach and I’m sure they are working the lines to get the best transfers and recruits possible. Right now we just have a lot of open spots to fill. I would be curious to know how many open spots our fellow conference mates have in comparison.

They played on the same AAU team and have been close for a long time. Of course they have been paired together and played on the court together. You can find some of the game tapes on YouTube.

RV would have veto'd these since they don't say North Texas.... how will people ever know who we are?

Vitale! A little late for that, sir.

I can tell you straight up Rubin isn’t leaving

This is a very unusual year: with well over 1,000 kids currently looking for new homes. I actually think it would be a mistake to quickly fill vacant spots. Over the next few weeks and months, some very good basketball players will absolutely get their hearts broken. UNT needs to be there to comfort them. I certainly wouldn't lose any sleep over going into the summer with openings. I think its fair to say that most programs have been impacted. This program is not good enough to recruit guys for the bench or garbage minutes. Not sure we have anyone on the roster that would be in Baylor's rotation coming back. Unless a kid like Micah Peavey (Texas Tech) returns our phone call, I'd just hold off.

We’ve traditionally been able to have lower recruiting budgets than many of our conference peers in most sports because of how much talent is close to us and within short driving distances. Mccasland has not been very successful recruiting DFW. I would say even Benford was more successful recruiting locally, and Jones definitely was. Hoping this recent success can give us some momentum with local recruits and allow us to land local recruits on the same tier as guys like Chris Jones, Jordan Williams, Jeremy Combs, etc.

*You’re. And without speaking for Miner, Robinson definitely wasn’t a poor recruit but we also got him before we won a tournament game. Winning a tournament game should open up the door to even more highly regarded recruits than we were able to then. It’s Ousmane. Ousmane. Come on, not that hard. Keep seeing Osume or something else really not all that close. And yes, JJ Murray did announce he’s coming back.

The demise of the Pit Crew, for whatever reason it happened, was really what seemed to coincide with the decline in attendance. The Pit Crew was student run (SGA helped a lot with the organizing) and had major buy in from the Athletic Department. Bringing that back would be worth a try, but have no idea what appetite any of the above groups would have for it these days.

Like it (and I do) or not, in the collegiate athletics business, success means a raise. Grant should be the highest paid coach in CUSA. He has won 2 conference titles and 1 CBI championship in 3 years. Other than soccer, no other NT coach has been as successful and no revenue producing sport coach can come close. Pay the man. GO MEAN GREEN

I am particularly fond of this design I thought up. Could really revolutionize us as a team.

Since Gonzaga is private I don’t think we actually know what Few makes.

No

We need to pay him what elite G5 coaches make at the very least. We need to be up there with Gonzagas, Butlers, and VCUs.

We def deserve better, and I personally think SL has set up our roster for future success. 2021 will reveal a clearer picture of how SL handles this new talent on the field. I know there's a lot of back and forth about the quality of recruits. But I feel like there's not enough discussion about how we really need SL to work out. The way I read your first post, it sounded like you hope and wish he fails.

it is now officially the off season.

I am not sure why anyone thinks we don’t have a competent OL. Our pass defense and run blocking was so much better last year. Our OL was by far the most improved unit on the team. And maybe we end up with a new starting QB but if we do, it’s a good thing. It would mean that Ruder is as talented as advertised and beat out the returning starter. We might only win four games again next year, but I kind of doubt it. With CUSA being so inconsistent and unpredictable we are probably more likely to win 6.

This is CUSA, every conference game is winnable.

I disagree with your argument about the facilities. The Drake Relays, one of the more popular T&F events is on a blue track. There is nothing wrong with the color. 1500 is adequate seating for T&F because, like soccer, it's not very popular in the US until the Olympics. People in the US don't even watch the World Championships. Sure some of the smaller schools get great T&F athletes, but that's usually one person. As a team, they are none factors. They have one great athlete and the rest are mediocre to down right abysmal. As teams, the schools with best football programs are usually the best in the country. By far, the SEC has the best T&F. The PAC 12 and Big 12 are about even for second. Unless we are going to give T&F athletes full scholarships, to include room and board, I don't see it making many strides. They will probably not do that because it is not a high revenue generating sport. As much as I love the sport, and I mean love, it just doesn't generate the interest or revenue in the USA as it does internationally.

Honestly, I am not familiar with track venues of universities, but not sure where the criticism of the new facility comes from. I would argue that the program thinks it is substantial upgrade from Fouts, which was ignored for years and years.

I disagree with your overall premise, NT is consistently in the top tier of CUSA programs in most so called non-revenue sports. Most women's teams including softball, volleyball, golf and soccer are all top league sports. Men's golf is also a plus team. NT has never been really competitive in swimming and diving. Tennis, a sport of who can recruit the best international players is in the mediocre range. The SWC broke up 25 years ago, very few college athletes were even born then. What has held NT was the lack of investment in sports until the last decade and being in a middle of the road G5 conference at best. Back to track inclusive of cross country, because it counts for 6 of the 16 required teams, it is never likely to be replaced. The total scholarships for these teams are divided by all 6 teams. Track is a sport that NT should dominate in the conference. Most athletes are on partial ships, and NT located in a hotbed of talent and having lower tuition than the private schools and many out of state schools should excel. Last years results seem to show substantially improvement. I thought NT had an advantage with the new track and the new indoor training facility. Not a track expert but, the running lanes look good to me and 1500 seating is more than adequate.