Zeleny' Orel

Are the Maniacs a basketball only group? They seemed to have increased some student interest in basketball. Might translate to football.

Did you mean Jeff Maren at Liberty or did he leave? I know he and Jeff Hammond were both assistants for UNT tennis but thought Coach Maren was still at LIberty.

An example of what college athletics should be...athlete doing well in a major preparing for the future and doing well on the field of play. NIL within original intent would be ok, but afraid it has escalated to a point that it will take away the empahsis on education for the future. Great job, Nick...you are an inspiration! Glad to have you in the Mean Green Family.

Great to see the football GPA up last semester. I would be curious to see a breakdown of the majors the players are pursuing. I only hope their majors will prepare them for life after college football and, in a few cases maybe after pro ball. I have seen too many college athletes advised to take the major whose courses would most easily accomodate practice schedules rather than prepare for the future. I hope our academic advising at UNT is strong in thinking of the student first and the athlete second. Not saying it isn't...don't know...just know stats aren't always what they seem. GMG in the classroom and on the field/court/pool/course/etc.

It is obvious that the bar had been raised for all sports, the latest being golf and tennis. Coach Lama definitely improved UNT Womens Tennis, but there has not been much recent success. I appreciated his empahsis on academics and the character of his players. Hopefully a new coach can keep up these standards as well as raise the level of play. GMG

YES, please!

I agree...Mason was just so fun to watch and I loved his attitude and demeanor on and off the field. I hope he is having fun in the CFL. He is a class act all the way. I still have my "Mason Fine" T-shirt but can't ever remember if it says Mean Green or North Texas! As I mentioned in another thread Mason and Tylor Perry are two of the most enjoyable athletes to have played at UNT and I have been a fan for 55 years! Lots of others too but they are two of the more recent favorites.

Marketing for the university or for athletics?

Is there something signed by the athlete and the group offerring the NIL that is binding or is it just a handshake agreement?

It seems that the number of podcasts covering UNT sports is growing (or I am becoming more aware of them). Which is your favorite one and why? GoMeanGreen.com The Green Room Mean Green Show Mean Green Nation (MGN)

Prize for winning the CUSA tournament is a Softball thread of your own?

Like the fact she is 6'1"

A North Texas legend...RIP Don January

IMO two of our most personable and likable athletes in recent years have been Mason Fine and Tylor Perry

So athletes going into the transfer portal while eligible still hurt the APR?

Check the basketball thread...front and center in front of the truck

For those able to attend, what was the composition of the crowd...mostly students, alums, community members?

Thanks for the correction...got FIU confused with FAU

Hoping the 5:00 time is designed to get the local Denton community to participate after they finish work...sort of like Happy Hour...since it is being sponsored by the City of Denton

After beating UNT, #3 seeded Rice went on to beat #2 seeded Charlotte 4-2 today to advance to the finals of the CUSA Tournament tomorrow. Rice will meet #1 seed FIU who beat #4 seed La Tech 4-0. Looks as if the cream of the crop this year in CUSA women's tennis is FIU, Rice, and Charlotte, who will all be moving to the AAC with UNT. As @untbowler mentioned add in SMU and Memphis and the AAC will be even tougher. As a comparison Rice is in its 10th finals in CUSA and UNT has not made it to a finals since its Sun Belt days. Whatever has kept us from being competitive in CUSA will have to be corrected for us to have a chance of being competitive in the AAC.

#6 UNT beats #11 UTEP 4-1 to move on to meet Rice at 10:00 Friday. After losing the doubles point 2-1, UNT won the first four singles matches to win 4-1. However, matches were more competitive than the score indicates. Match was moved up to 10:00 this morning, probably due to the weather forecast. Was windy which probably helped our players who are more accustomed to wind than UTEP, I would think. Rice will be a huge challenge...GMG!

Seeded #6 the UNT Tennis team just missed receiving a bye to the quarterfinals of the CUSA Tourney and plays #11 UTEP at noon Thursday at the Waranch Tennis Complex in Denton. UNT goes into the tourney with a 10-11 season record and a 2-match losing streak (vs. UTA and UH). The winner of the UNT-UTEP match moves on to play #3 seed Rice at 10:00 Friday. UNT has never won a CUSA title, having last won a title in the Sun Belt in 2013. GMG...let's finish CUSA by winning the title!

Subscriber #58...need to speed things up to get to 1,000...GMG Nation!

There is also a new federal lawsuit that was filed in early April 2023 in the Northern District of California's Oakland Divison against the NCAA and the P5 conferences seeking back pay for thousands of current and former student-athletes who believe they are entitled to damages from schools who offered payment since the 2021 ruling of the Supreme Court. The class action suit states that these payments have been allowed since the summer of 2021, and the athletes who participated on teams on or after April 1, 2019, at schools that now provide such benefits believe they qualify for back pay since there is a 4-year statute of limitations. Stories are available on usatoday.com (April 4, 2023) and theathletic.com (April 4, 2023).

This caught my eye in the strategic plan: Provide Alston awards to all Mean Green student-athletes starting in fall of 2023. Hadn't heard of Alston awards so did a quick search. Based on the 2021 Supreme Court ruling in Alston v. NCAA, Alston Awards allow schools to provide up to $5,980 a year for academic-related benefits, if so inclined, with the individual schools setting up the requirments that must be met by an individual athlete to qualify for payment. I determined that "Alston Awards" is the nickname for the educational benefit payment previously litegated. My question is about the strategic plan statement: Have all Mean Green student-athletes not already been getting this stipend since the term "provide to all Mean Green student-athletes" is used? If not, which team's student-athletes, if any, have been getting this money? Is this expense a budgeted item in the regular athletic budget? Just asking for someone with knowledge on this matter to help sort this out for me since I do not know the current situation for UNT student-athletes and what this goal changes.