MeanGreenZen

Edwards has been PHENOMENAL. Not many teams are winning games in the American missing their 2nd and 3rd best offensive players. Especially with a roster as defensive-minded as ours. There was NOBODY else on the court for us last night that can create their own shot. Nobody. And yet Edwards kept us in the game. Buggs can hit open 3’s. So can Scott, who can also hit a runner when he isn’t being guarded. Once or twice a game, Allen can back his man down and get a bucket. Walker might be good for a putback or two. But only Edwards, Rubin and CJ can put the ball on the floor and get to the basket. If you are missing two of those guys, it is not going to be good in the American. This season is still a fun ride. We can make noise in the conference tournament. And considering the staff/player turnover & injuries, a deep NIT or CBI run is still a successful season.

Our game day presentation isn’t perfect, but I still feel like it is pretty good. Just need more people in the arena or a smaller arena.

As long as someone promises to run over Caitlin Clark

Little more complicated than that. TJ Finley and his people were trying to auction him off to the highest bidder for a while and he was a very soft commitment to return to Texas State even after his announcement that he was coming back. Although that isn’t how he played it to the media. GJ had to make other plans. I’m guessing that when everything settles and the transfer portal heats up again after Spring ball that Texas State will land another good QB.

We are about halfway through the basketball year and since I love to stand in judgement of others, here are my mid-season grades for the Mean Green: WHO HAS EXCEEDED EXPECTATIONS? Ross Hodge (Grade: A+) You never want to be the guy after the guy, but Ross Hodge might have been THE GUY all along. The defensive architect behind Grant McCasland’s legendary run as Mean Green head coach, Hodge has taken over the rising program and can anyone really tell a difference? Hodge is a couple of missed shots and an injury away from having this team ranked in the Top 25. The defense is as good as ever and we are in contention to win an upgraded conference. Ross is not perfect. He allegedly encouraged Tylor Perry to chase the $$$ in the transfer portal. WTF?!! But he hit a home run retaining Rubin and Scott: And adding Edwards, Noland and Allen in his first recruiting class has been just as impactful. His inability to develop Sissoko or add another player who can score in the paint could end up prematurely ending our season, but there is still time to figure that out. Hodge is a hell of a college basketball coach and I am grateful we have him. CJ Noland (Grade: A) Offensively, Noland is big, strong and can handle the basketball. Rubin’s injury would have sunk this team without Noland. He’s one of the few players on this roster who can put the ball on the floor and create his own shot. If Noland can keep attacking the basket and improve his finishing (he seems to lack confidence, but shouldn’t) then North Texas could see the Round of 32. Defensively, Noland has fast hands and creates chaos in opponents’ passing lanes. He’s one of the best overall defenders in the conference. Jason Edwards (Grade: A-) Edwards has given us everything we could have asked of from a JUCO scorer. Sure, he plays out of control at times and is much better going to his right than his left. But this guy has courage, gets after it and would be much more effective if North Texas had another scoring threat or any kind of inside game to give him space to operate. Even with all the energy he has to output on offense, he is not a defensive liability and for a little guy, he fights for rebounds. Robert Allen (Grade: B+) Allen is an undersized big who rebounds very well and can score in the post when he isn’t matched up against a giant. He’s not big enough to be a consistent offensive force or an elite defensive presence. But as a backup big? He’s been better than our starter. WHO HAS PERFORMED AS EXPECTED? Aaron Scott (Grade: A) Scott has PROVEN that he can be the third-best player on a championship team. But can a team win a championship with him as its best player? The last half of this season is his opportunity to prove that. Scott is a an amazing glue guy with hustle and is a borderline 3&D NBA prospect who specializes in putbacks. Can he put the ball on the floor and create his own shot? Well, North Texas needs him to and the answer so far is SOMETIMES… Can he make the leap from great player to STAR? He hasn’t yet, but I’m expecting him to. Rubin Jones (Grade: A) The only reason Rubin doesn’t get an A+ is because he’s missed so much time with injury. This guy is about to become the winningest player in program history and he has earned it. He’s so smooth and cool with the ball in his hands. He makes good decisions, can create his own shot and shoot the 3. We needed him to increase his scoring this season and he has DOUBLED his scoring average while continuing to make the case that he is the best defensive guard in the conference. We are watching a Mean Green Hall-of-Famer. Rondel Walker (Grade: B) I don’t like these unlimited transfer rules, but if it has to be this way, we might as well take advantage of it and Rondell Walker has been a much-needed boost to this roster. He is a solid all around player who can do a little bit of everything and is an especially good defender. Hodge needs to find a way to keep getting him minutes when Rubin and Buggs return. WHO HAS UNDERPERFORMED? Moulaye Sissoko (Grade: C-) For a guy who might be the most impressive looking specimen in college basketball (He’s 6’9 and has the thighs of Earl Campbell!) Sissoko sure has disappointed. Offensively, he deserves a grade of F for his lack of any post-up game or shooting touch, but he seems to try on defense and he is a good rebounder so that bumps his overall grade to passing. I will always be grateful to Sissoko for stepping up so ably when Abou quit on the team during the NIT run, but it just seems like the guy will forever be someone who doesn’t reach his potential. Prove me wrong, Moulaye. I dare you. Matthew Stone (Grade: C-) Stone plays hard and is effective on defense. Offensively, he is so scared to shoot and so bad at it when he does that the other team doesn’t even have to cover him and if he is on the floor with Sissoko then the other team can play 5 on 3, which hasn’t worked out well for us much. John Buggs III (Grade: C) Buggs was famously the second-best shooter in the conference last season. He’s shown an ability to hit 3’s for us but hasn’t gotten enough opportunities due to injury and the Mean Green’s struggle to attack the paint which keeps defenders glued to Buggs on the perimeter. Buggs is a willing defender despite a lack of elite athleticism. Still, his potential emergence when he returns from injury could propel this team into the postseason. OTHERS Alex Cotton (Grade: Incomplete) Cotton missed almost his entire senior season of high school to injury. He returned for the playoffs and lead his team on a deep run. He’s not a big scorer, so I’m not sure he has the skill set to impact our team this season (although he can in the future if he has the character to stay and try). Cotton is one inch taller than Stone and five pounds lighter. Could he take Stone’s minutes and provide similar defensive toughness with a little better offense? I would be interested in finding out. Mean Green Maniacs (Grade: A++) The students who attend our games are loud, visible and funny. And they make a big difference in the atmosphere and the outcome of games. I expect this group to keep growing. The Rest of Student Section (Grade: F-) No excuses. This is a winning product. The game presentation is solid. It is super fun to be a student and attend a college basketball game. Get your butts to the game and support this team. You are the only thing missing. Tony DeSousa (Grade A+) He sits in the front row at center court and no one cheers harder for the Mean Green, boos the opponents louder or hold the refs more accountable. We need a couple thousand more like him. Overall Team (Grade: A) North Texas had to replace the most successful head coach in program history along with almost all of its scoring from last season. And so far? Won almost twice as many as we’ve lost, had an amazing last-second win and are in the hunt for the conference championship.

Good take. The AAC is a tough league. Even the two ranked teams have losses in conference already. I was watching the Texas/Baylor game today and Texas next EIGHT opponents are ranked in the Top 25. If we are going to keep ascending as a program we are going to play better and better teams. We aren’t going to win ALL of them. We just have to win most of them (while still also winning all the cupcakes) and this team is doing that.

No one was waving goodbye to Abou. He was beloved here until he QUIT on the team during our postseason run.

This is certainly a good sign. From Friday’s The Dallas Morning News…

I got that email DURING our game against East Carolina. When they KNEW they could still claim to be undefeated in conference. This was before the Scott to Allen Hail Mary. Pretty smart marketing if you ask me.

Pretty special at the top if he can stay healthy. I don’t see a reason to be excited about anyone below him on the depth chart, but I am rooting for all these guys.

Dez caught it.

It does not appear that Mooney ever made an appearance for the Liberty baseball team.

I remember when ESPN mattered.

It is an achievable objective and something everyone in the AD department will claim as a win. This is a good move.

Lol, college football coaches are REALLY going to have to earn that money. Gonna have to recruit their own roster non-stop plus new players.

Well, it is hard to criticize the actual basketball team. Those guys are winning and have been winning for years. Let’s be a real basketball school. Only thing missing is the fans.

This is interesting data. Thank you for tracking. We’ve got to get this program to a point where we are no longer making excuses for attendance over the holiday break. I was at every game with my crew of 4-5 people. Tech played on Saturday too and they played in front of a sold out arena. And yeah I am comparing us to Tech because we have the potential to get our program to that level.

Grant and Tylor embrace at mid-court. Grant looks Tylor deeply in the eye: “My success at North Texas was really just the result of Ross Hodge’s defensive strategies.” Tylor: “Jason Edwards is a more explosive scorer than I ever was.” Embrace ends.

The DMN heard our complaints about forgetting our game last week and is making it up to us by putting a story about Robert Allen on the cover of SportsDay. Not very often we make the first page. In fact, I read the paper every day and can’t remember the last time.

And none of these guys have ever played for Eric Morris before. We will have a good QB next year.

That is probably the role Ross had to promise them to get them to stay. He certainly was true to his word and gave them that opportunity. Not his fault that they couldn’t seize it.

Allocation of resources? There is a reason that running back is the lowest paid position in the NFL. Smarter to invest elsewhere.

I got the exact same response word for word from the same person. Won’t make a big difference, but maybe someone will doublecheck next time? And atleast they know someone cares.

That is a great idea. I would also hit the Greek community hard. That is the student demographic that supports other college basketball programs very well. And they are non-existent at our games. I’ve got a thousand ideas on how to engage the Greek community at UNT. Those kids are on campus, they are doing fun stuff anyways and they should be competing with each other to be the best UNT basketball fans.

No, but this is a college basketball forum post about the Tulane game. I was commenting on the lack of student attendance at the game as it is relevant to the atmosphere at said game and the atmosphere at all games. SOMEONE at the university is responsible for increasing student attendance. They are getting PAID to do that. And whatever they are currently doing isn’t working. So maybe the athletic department should try some new ideas? Think outside the box? We are UNDEFEATED at home and have an amazing product right now and have for several years. Now is the time when things can change and there should be more buzz and momentum building.