greendog

As someone who gives a lot of money and who never misses a game, I am so let down with this team I can't stand it. We haven't had a team with this much potential in a long time and yet they are a bunch of wusses' (sp). We have about 2 or maybe 3 players that are determined to win. The rest are just getting a free ride to a college eductation. What a let down. All teams that represent a university have an obligation to do every thing in their power to represent the University and those of us that follow them. This bunch of kids have no heart!. For those of us that will be going to Hot Springs are probably wasting our money. I am tired of being embarrased by the fooltball team and this bunch of "talents" that have no HEART. Hope they enjoy spending our tax payer money and enjoy their vacation at UNT.

A few more names that should be considered in the NT HOF: along with Walter Chapman are: Not in priority: 1. Frank Luke. One of the top golfers in NT history. 2. Dick Smith. Possibly would have been the best golfer in NT history but was killed his JR year. Still was a 3 X All American. 3. Bobby Iverson. (BB) Don't know if he is in but he was one of the 5 best players ever at NT. 4. The former NT golfer who was an all american and went on to coach UT and won NCAA a time or two. I gave up on the HOF since many of the people selected were friends of the selection committee. When a coach wins 6 games a year is in, the credibility is not there. Hope the criteria changes so we can be prouder of what it stands for. There are many in it that were deserving such as Kenny Washington, Hayden Fry, Joe Green, Abner Haynes, Bobby Greenwood, etc. but many were "cronies" of the selection committee. Hope it changes so it means more.

There was also a little thing called a bloody divorce that he was going through and his wife was living away from him. She, to my knowledge, never showed up at a NT event, and with the AD situation and the Administration was not behing the athletic program, he decided to get his life in order and do so by getting in a situation that was less stressful. JJ is enjoying a much better situation than Jank and Trilli experienced at NT. Things might has been different for Jank and Trilli had they had a budget that allowed for assistant coaches making very little money, and therefore you only got kid coaches and very little in the form of travel expenses. Don't get me wrong, but things were quite a bit different for Jank and Trilli.

Here are a few thoughts on Vizza. 1. Vizza was one of the few, if not only, player who preferred to live off campus. The players say he didn't hang with them but hung with kids not on the team. This was not the "family" closeness that Dodge is trying to build. 2. Vizza did not talk with Dodge originally. His father had a lot to do with this decision because he feels his son is "big time" talent. 3. According to some of the players, and one unnamed coach, Vizza could hear Riley's footsteps for the starting role and knows that Riley has the backing of most of the players. Life goes on. We need a stronger offensive and defensive line. Everything will work out with a new QB IF he stays healthy.

Recently I was in Laguna Beach California. Having coffee when I ran into Cedrick. He was doing his daily walk and I recognized him from his Mean Green Jogging Suit he had on. He is just enjoying life and feels that Todd Dodge will bring success to the Green. We shook hands and he has the largest hands I have ever seen. He was moving rather slow because of injuries from his football days. Still looks like about 250 lbs.

I, like most of you am really let down on what has happened to our team so farthis season. I recall also, that Hayden Fry's second year was a 2-9 record (Imight be wrong on this). I also remember a game in Stillwater in Fry's 1st or2nd year that we lost something like 67-7. That score could have been evenhigher but OSU put the girls in the 4th quarter.I still feel that Dodge will do well. Football is not nuclear science. All the coaches do the same thing and it gets down to internal organization amongthe coaches and recruiting. I have heard that we have approx. 65 kids onscholarship as of this time. Some of them are holdovers from DD and of thosea number are marginal D-1 player at best.I will still be at the games and support the green. It has got to get better andlike our legislatures in Washington, with some changes, it will.

I really appreciate the difficulty in scheduling 25 or 30 games, but something needs to be done about putting a schedule of games in the hands of fans so we can coordinate our calenders. Some of us are working hard and have committments that we schedule 3 and 4 months ahead. I guess if all of the fans live in Denton and work there from 8-5 there is no problem with late date schedules. I, like many of you are already working on my 2009 calender. I'm afraid it just points out how institutions are not on the same "page" with all of its fans. Oh well, still love the green and I be there when I can.

The Greendog here is excited for the first time about NT girls BB. So excited that I bought 2 season tickets for the first time in all the years of following UNT. Always felt that NT was not very serious about the girls team since they tolerated Tina for 19 years. Run a business like NT ran the girls BB team and the business would be using their Line of Credit a heck of alot or filing Chapter 11 or 13. A new era for the girls and I can't wait. Go Coach Stephens.

Trilli was a great recruiter. His record wasn't all his fault. First the administration was not behind him. He had YOUNG assistants that didn't have much experience and therefore made very little money. In Vic's defense. he worked his butt off in replacing orange seats in the Super Pit, and personally painting the floor. This guy was fighting with a short stick as was Tim Jankovich. Trilli should have stayed at UT as the recruiting coordinator or at some other top basketball school. He could recruit as good as anybody but I think was too good a friend to the players and had to do most everything himself. Not making excuses for him but his deal, as was Jankovich's, was a lot different than what is going on now at NT.

Had a chance to meet our new WBB coach and she is really impressive! Only time will tell, but it appears that the school has made a great hire. I'm sure the negative people on the board will find reasons why she won't be successful, but most of them have not been successful themself and until they figure out their own shortcomings, they will continue be "secondguessors" and not look at why things can work with a great attitude and hard work.

I'm overwhelmed with the negative thinking that some people on this board represent. I agree with the positive thoughts concerning the new coach. I welcome her to NT and apologize for those few negative people who probably have never achieved any level of success but feel that they have all of the answers. I understand a fan having a favorite to be hired for the WBB coaching position, but, when you blast a person that you don't even know and you haven't heard her vision for NT, it just show ignorance. I, for the first time ever, will buy WBB tickets for next year and hope that NT gives her every chance in the world to prove wrong those few closed minded people who can only talk down about her. Congrats Coach Stephens and welcome to the Mean Green family.

I'm truly amazed at the reaction, from some of you, about the hiring of a coach that most of us know nothing about. I have no concerns about who was hired for any position at the university. I have been a fan for 40+ years and I attend games and donate funds because I love NT. As a fan, we all should give the benefit of the doubt to the people charged with making difficult decisions. Those of you that spend your time trying to figure out why something doesn't work probably don't donate to the school and certainly don't go to the trouble to buy and attend games. Probably these negatives that are posted reflect a direct correlation to a lack of success in a persons own life. We all should back this new coach and remember that she will probably be a much better "X" and "O" coach than we have had for the last 19 years. Regardless, RV has done more as the AD for this school than anyone in the past and if his decision was made with pressure from the Prez, most of you negative posters probably have more "folds" in your history than a cheap suit.

Well, since Tina's teams couldn't draw over 500 fans on a good night, I would think that NT, with a vision of what women's bb can be, would certainly get that salary up to a strong midmajor level. Our very liberal President would be very open to paying what we need to pay in order to get some excitement in the program. At $117,000, Tina was way overpaid for the job she did. She has to be one of the luckiest people in the world to draw that kind of money and it must have been paid based on the number of years she was at the institution rather than production. Had she been paid on productivity like those of us who own our own business do, she would have been collecting food stamps. I'm sure that some of the Phd's are really perplexed who make half, or less, than Tina and yet she was able to hang on for 19 years. God, please tell us that coaches at NT must produce in the future so that mediocrity is a thing of the past.

I'm convinced that RV will recommend the best applicant for the job. NT needs a breath of POSITIVE air to reflect an attitude that we can all get behind. I stopped going to NT women's bb a few years ago when Tinas' team's looked like they couldn't beat a good high school team and then to listen to her tell us why it would take God to help us win. OK I'll leave Tina alone. Hope she does well and dosen't let the door knob hit her where it hurts.

The greendog here would go for Coach Chatman in a NY minute. For God's sakes in a day and age when Obama is calling for change, what a great statement for NT to show that we are trying to do what is right because of the slavery issue that happened 150 years ago. Coach Chatman made a little personal "mistake" and got caught. If we don't believe in second chances then we probably are going to end up with no coach at all. Everyone has a few skeletons in their closet. Look, winning is everything in college athletics. I believe in following ethical rules as per the NCAA but a person own sexual interests are their own and no one else's. We had a male assistant men's bb coach here at NT whose wife had an affair with one of the football players. We can't be the moral judges for everyone. Go coach Chatman. Just promise to be more discreet next time.

I think we should live on the edge and hire the LSU women's coach who was fired this year. She can really coach and really gets close to her players. We would get great publicity for being a great liberal university. Who knows we might be known as the Berkley of the south. Regardless she would get total forgiveness if she started winning 20+ games a year and filling the Super Pit.

I think you are right about how Tina took the program to a unprecedented low. I do feel that a new exciting woman's coach can bring to life a sleeping giant. That may be a little strong, but a few years ago Baylor was close to being in the same position we are in today. I for one will buy Women's tickets for the first time in 45 years of following NT IF we get a coach that excites the fan base like TD. That person must work in the community, the school and be an outstanding recruiter. We don't need a whiner like Tina that can only figure out how to be negative. Go RV and make a great hire!

As well as i recall, tina was hired when Corky Nelson, the AD about 20 years ago, married the NT women's bb coach. The school said there would be a division of interest if the AD was married to a head coach. So, Corky's wife, "pressured" him to hire someone to fill the job that she could still control. They hired Tina at a minimum salary from TT, where she was on the staff, and we got someone who was a good person, but couldn't coach or recruit, much less work in the community. Corky and his wife left shortly after and we were stuck with a losing mentallity for the last 19 years. RV did the right thing in not renewing her contract. The bad thing will be going to the bb banquet this year and listening to her cry about leaving. I just hope I can contain by excitiment about her leaving. We now have a chance to "round out" our program with more coaches who are winners and who can bring a positive attitude to NT. We are a sleeping giant that RV is helping to move in the right direction. Go Mean Green!

I'm torn. Bleed green. Want UNT to win in everything. And now my dilema. I WANT A NEW EXCITING WOMEN'S BB COACH FOR THE MEAN GREEN. I catch myself watching the Women's SEC bb on TV and I won't even attend a NT women's game. We need a change and when we lose to WKU on Saturday, Tina will be gone. Don't get me wrong, she is a super person but that doesn't win games. I'm convinced she doesn't know an "X" from an "O" and she can't recruit even though she is located in a hotbed of talent. I will bet she doesn't know 100 people in the Denton community and after 19 years it's evident since her teams don't draw 500 people. So sad. Sorry, but women's bb is a revenue sport and RV can't expect fans to help pay for a very costly loser. So, I'm sure RV has already been looking for a dynamic coach that can get people excited about a quality program. NT is building a strong base with football, men's bb, tennis, swimming, soccer, and golf. Come on RV, this fan is behind you. Pull the trigger or if you don't want to, I will.

Dez Willingham had knee surgery yesterday. He is doing fine but no more bb for him. Dez, as many of you know, originally signed with K State. He played 1 year and averaged in double figures as a freshman. He was so popular that his picture was on the bb publication set to be sent out a week before he decided that he missed his family. His dad was a friend of the SMU coach (Tubbs, who got fired) and he committed to the mustangs even though he was leaning toward NT. He says now that he made a mistake signing with K State and should have come to Mean Green country 5 years ago. The kid will have attended 3 universities, received his Bachelor degree from SMU, and a Masters degree from UNT. Great kid and he is hopeful to attend the Saturday game which is senior night.

My wish is that Tina Slinker would step aside if she cares about NT. I truly believe that Tina is a wonderful, loyal, dedicated employee of Nt. I also truly believe that she is a poor recruiter and doesn't know an "X" from an "O". After 20 years in Denton, few people know who she is. She doesn't work in the community and basically recruits players who have a lot of "baggage" or who were not recruited by other top schools. LSU, OSU, OU, UT, and even Baylor draw 8-12,000 at their games. True, I don't expect a Sun Belt conference to draw that many but 2 or 3000 would certainly help since it is a revenue sport. Hopefully, if RV keeps his word she will be gone as soon as she is beaten in the conference tournament. It would sure be great if she would step aside asap so that we won't be behind in the hiring of a new exciting coach. Baylor was a nothing in WBB until a few years ago. Now they are the kind of program that sometimes outdraws the men. It can be done here at NT. When a coach at the 3rd largest university in the state within a 30 mile radius of 6 million people and can only draw 4 or 500 people, it speaks volumes.

According to the coaching staff, Mangrum is the "toughest" player on the team. Hpoefully he will be well since he can shoot lights out. Also, there is no indication that JJ would pull his scholarship.

The model of the new stadium that is in RV's office is supposed to be an indication of what the "powers to be" feel that the new stadium will look like. It looks to me that it will be a takeoff of the SMU stadium. The south end of the stadium is open and the Mean Green office building looks right in to the field. The preliminary plans (model) is showing 24 private boxes (AC, plush seating, food, etc.) to be sold to various people or corporations as seen in most of the new professional stadiums. HKS architects is one of the top 10 architectural firms in the country and they have done many of the prestige projects in America. My brief viewing of the model gave me the feeling that architecturally it will have a more traditional, solid look, rather than the look of the metal stands at the south end of Fouts. It appears that the east side of the stadium, where the terrain is higher, will be "cut down" so that the east side appears to be at the same level as the west side, which is at a lower elavation. I'm guessing that ACME brick will represent the exterior since they are donors and are located in Denton. (Acme has supplied all of the brick on the NT campus and wants to continue this relationship).

My inside source says that it looks bad for Dez. His hurt knee may be more serious than had previously thought. Hope he's OK since he adds depth at PG.