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DENTON, Texas – After leading Louisiana Tech to the two best seasons in program history, UNT Vice President and Director of Athletics Jared Mosley has hired Amanda Stone as the new head coach for Mean Green women’s tennis. “We are excited to welcome Amanda and her family to UNT to lead our women's tennis program,” Mosley said. “Amanda has a great track record of building successful programs and she quickly rose to the top of our candidate pool. Her vision on how she wants to build this program into a championship contender as we enter the American Athletic Conference stood out to our committee. We look forward to seeing her positive impact on the lives of our student-athletes in the years ahead.” Stone, the 2023 Conference USA Coach of the Year and Wilson/ITA Southern Region Coach of the Year, comes to Denton following a record-breaking seven-year tenure as head coach at Louisiana Tech. During that time, she became the program’s all-time wins leader with an 89-69 mark in Ruston. She has a 175-89 record all-time in 11 seasons as a head coach. Under her leadership, LA Tech registered a 20-6 overall record in 2023, the second most single-season victories in school history. The Lady Techsters also best C-USA finish while advancing to the semifinals of the conference tournament for the first time ever. The program finished the season ranked No. 73 by the ITA, another first. “I am incredibly grateful and excited for the opportunity to lead Mean Green tennis,” Stone said. “My family and I are thrilled to be joining the North Texas and Denton community. I want to thank Jared Mosley and the administration for entrusting me with the tennis program. I’m excited to get to work and take Mean Green tennis to new heights.” The 2022 season was also one of the best in LA Tech history, registering the third most victories in school history with an 18-6 overall record. Included in the season was a program-setting 14-match winning streak as well as a 12-match home winning streak, which was also a record. LA Tech ended the 2022 campaign totaling 81 dual singles wins and 39 dual doubles wins, both ranking second in program history behind only the 1982 squad. Five different players reached double-digit singles victories, led by seniors Ilana Tetruashvili (17 wins) and Najah Dawson (14 wins) who were both named Second Team All-Louisiana. Dawson was also voted Louisiana Newcomer of the Year, becoming the first player in program history to receive this award. Stone reached a milestone of 150 career victories during the season as well, this after surpassing 50 total wins as LA Tech head coach in 2021 after the program produced a nine-win campaign that was anchored by All-Louisiana honorees Tetruashvili and Alexia Romero. The Claremore, Okla. native rebuilt the Lady Techsters by showing consistent improvement including double-digit victories in three of her first four seasons. Prior to Ruston, Stone recorded an 86-20 record and four straight Round of 16 appearances in the NCAA Tournament during four seasons as the head coach at Northeastern State (Okla.), a Division II program located in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. The two-time MIAA Coach of the Year returned the RiverHawks back to national prominence, as the team shot up the rankings all four seasons Stone served as head coach. She posted at least 20 wins in each of her four years, which included four straight trips to the NCAA Championship Round of 16. She also led NSU to three-consecutive MIAA Regular Season Championships (2014-16). Stone boasted two ITA All-Americans, one ITA Central Region Senior Player of the Year, one ITA Central Region Player to Watch, one MIAA Player of the Year, and two MIAA Freshmen of the Year during her time at Northeastern State. Of the 15 players who competed in the program since Stone took over in 2013, 14 earned All-MIAA honors at least once. Those 14 student-athletes amassed 38 all-conference accolades. She took over the reins of a program that was unranked at the time and led it to the school's first ever Top 10 ranking which came at the end of the 2016 campaign. She also built a stellar academic program with one CoSIDA Academic All-American, four CoSIDA Academic All-District honorees, eight ITA Scholar-Athletes, one MIAA Academic Excellence award winner, 10 MIAA Scholar-Athletes and 13 members of the MIAA Academic Honor Roll. Stone also spent two years at the University of Rochester (N.Y.), where she served as an assistant coach for both the men's and women's tennis programs from 2011-12. She played at Northeastern State from 2004-07, where made two national tournament appearances, attained a No. 11 national doubles ranking in 2007 and posted an undefeated singles mark her senior year. Her first collegiate stop was at Oral Roberts, where she played basketball during her freshman campaign. Stone graduated from NSU in 2007. She is married to Ross Wiersma and has one child, Thea. COACHING HISTORY 2011-12: Rochester, Assistant Coach 2013-16: Northeastern State, Head Coach (86-20 record) 2017-23: LA Tech, Head Coach (89-69 record)

Senior nose guard Donald Berniard Jr. and junior linebacker Colin Ramos were named to the second team, junior fullback Daba Fofana, junior safety Rayuan Lane III and junior punter Riley Riethman were named to the third team, while junior offensive tackle Connor McMahon, senior defensive end Jacob Busic and junior punt returner Amin Hassan were named to the fourth team. Berniard has made an incredible 30-straight starts at nose guard for the Mids. He was named to Phil Steele's All-American Athletic Conference Third Team last year and finished the season with 35 tackles, including 4.5 for a loss. Ramos, who was named to Phil Steele's All-American Athletic Conference Third Team at the end of last season, was a starter in 10 of the 12 games last year and was second on the team in tackles (79), tied for second in tackles for a loss (8.6) and tied for third in sacks (4). Read more: https://navysports.com/news/2023/6/12/eight-navy-football-players-named-to-phil-steeles-preseason-all-american-athletic-conference-team.aspx

NORTH TEXAS MEAN GREEN The line: 6.5 Case for the over: Eric Morris knows how to win. He turned a dreadful Incarnate Word program into an FCS contender, and he hopes to take the Mean Green to the next step. And it isn’t like he inherited a roster without success. They played for a C-USA title in 2022 and former head coach Seth Littrell had the program in a bowl game almost every season. An improved offensive attack could unlock North Texas. Transfer quarterback Chandler Rogers showed his potential in the spring game. The running back room remains a strength, as does the secondary. It is possible for North Texas to start the season 5-1 or even 6-0 with an upset over Cal in Week 1. A Week 12 constes with Tulsa is also winnable. All North Texas must do is steal one from UTSA, SMU, UAB, Memphis, or Tulane to hit the over. Case for the under: Year 1 is never easy for a head football coach. The Mean Green lost starting quarterback Austin Aune and over 200 tackles from the linebacker position. The offensive line lacks true offensive tackles and the transfer portal hurt the wide receiver and defensive end position. The defense is transitioning to an odd man front and the roster might not feature enough big bodies up front to pull it off. The second half of the schedule is a brutal run. read more: https://www.texasfootball.com/article/2023/06/14/over-or-under-the-case-for-each-g5-program-in-texas?ref=related_thumb

Whether Memphis is part of Big 12 expansion plans or not, school officials are keeping their cards close to the vest. Last week, a delegation of Big 12 officials (which included commissioner Brett Yormark) reportedly toured campus as well as Memphis' athletic facilities, while also meeting with key city and university figures. The visit was reportedly part of the Big 12’s “due diligence” as it continued to explore the prospect of expanding. Yormark subsequently issued a statement to try to poke holes in the initial report. “I’ve never met with anyone at Memphis about adding them to the Big 12, nor have I been on campus,” he said. On Wednesday, when asked to address the validity of Yormark’s reported visit, Memphis president Bill Hardgrave declined. “Yeah, I’m not going to talk about any of that,” he told The Commercial Appeal. Memphis vice president and athletic director Laird Veatch also neither confirmed nor denied that any meetings took place. Memphis officials have made it clear in recent years how motivated they are to level-up from a conference affiliation perspective. The school is on the verge of embarking upon a massive renovation project for Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium. The plan is for $150-$200 million worth of work to begin shortly after the 2023 football season and have it completed by before the start of the 2025 season. read more: https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/other/memphis-president-ad-react-to-latest-big-12-expansion-realignment-reports/ar-AA1czZUR

Elkhart native Jeff Wilson Jr. will host his “Dream Big ETX Football Camp” June 16th at the Jerry Ives Memorial Stadium. Wilson continues to pour back into the community that raised him by bringing some professional football knowledge back to East Texas. Registration is free for kids ages 8-15 years old. The purpose of this camp is to provide football players in the East Texas area with an opportunity to meet and also learn skills techniques that are used by current and former college/pro athletes. The football players will also gain an insight on how the athletes’ day-to-day lifestyle is and the tasks that have to deal with being NFL and college athletes, according to the camp’s website. The Elkhart native committed to the University of North Texas in 2014. He finished his college career fourth all-time on the program's rushing list (3,205 yards), third in career rushing touchdowns (32) and fourth in program history in all-purpose yards (4,009). Wilson signed with the San Francisco 49ers as an undrafted free agent on May 1, 2018. He was waived on September 1, 2018, and was signed to the practice squad the next day. He was promoted to the active roster on November 24, 2018. Interested participants can visit can register on Eventbrite.com under “ETX Jeff Wilson's Dream Big Football Camp.” read more: https://www.palestineherald.com/sports/elkhart-native-jeff-wilson-jr-to-host-dream-big-etx-football-camp/article_1e37ee16-04a2-11ee-84f7-2bb33a365d5a.html

2022 Record: 5-7 overall, 3-5 in AAC Head Coach: Kevin Wilson, 1st year: 0-0, 7th year overall: 26-47 - Tulsa 2023 Football Schedule @ColFootballNews | @PeteFiutak Tulsa continues to be among the most unique college football programs going. It’s a small school in a good-sized city just up the road from both the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State on one side, and not terribly far from the University of Arkansas on the other. And yet it found a decent niche. For years it was an afterthought in the WAC - sky point as an FBS conference - had several nice seasons in Conference USA, and there’s been no consistency whatsoever in the American Athletic Conference. You want crazy? Nine years in the AAC, seven different win totals. Sometimes it’s had a nasty defense, sometimes the offensive scheme worked, and sometimes it all fell totally flat for long stretches. It’s possible to win at Tulsa, though. It’s not like the expectations are through the roof, but the program is used to going to bowl games - nine from 2005 to 2016 and just two in the last six seasons - and now it’s up to new head coach Kevin Wilson take over the team in a new-and-easier AAC and start winning. The star offensive coordinator at several stops - most recently Ohio State - and former head coach at Indiana knows how to make attacks go. There’s enough back to win with right away and push past five victories to get back to a bowl, and … LINK to more: https://collegefootballnews.com/cfn/tulsa-golden-hurricane-college-football-preview-2023-breakdown-prediction-top-players-win-total

When University of South Florida officials presented an initial budget for a $340 million on-campus football stadium last month, chief financial officer Richard J. Sobieray stood behind the figures being used to justify one of the biggest decisions in school history. “I’m a conservative CFO in nature,” Sobieray said then at the board of trustees’ finance committee meeting, “and I think if I had issues with this I would definitely express them.” Not everyone shares Sobieray’s confidence. As the full board prepares for Tuesday’s vote on whether to authorize $200 million in debt for the Bulls’ proposed 35,000-seat facility, the Tampa Bay Times shared the financial projections with three academics who study stadium economics. Their reactions ranged from cautious optimism to downright disbelief. “I don’t know if I’d call it economic malpractice,” said College of the Holy Cross economics professor Victor Matheson, who literally co-wrote the book on sports economics, “but it’s pretty close to it.” read more: https://www.tampabay.com/sports/bulls/2023/06/09/usf-football-on-campus-stadium-ocs-bulls-conference-realignment/

The Charlotte 49ers’ search for their next men’s basketball head coach is narrowing — and fast. Ron Sanchez, who had been the 49ers’ head coach for five seasons and was Mike Hill’s first hire as athletic director, stepped down last Tuesday, returning to his previous school to become associate head coach under Tony Bennett with the Virginia Cavaliers. Assistant coach Aaron Fearne was named interim head coach, and his responsibilities have already shifted as summer workouts started Monday. Read more at: https://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/college/charlotte-49ers/article276375846.html#storylink=cpy

The Nevada men's basketball team will open its 2023-24 season at home against Sacramento State, per Rocco Miller, a college hoops Bracketologist and analyst. The Wolf Pack will look to build upon its 22-win 2022-23 season that landed Nevada in its first NCAA Tournament under Steve Alford, who will enter his fifth season at Nevada next year. Nevada also owes a road game to North Texas, although it is unknown whether that game will be played this season. The Wolf Pack can play up to 13 non-conference games in 2023-24 since it is playing in a multi-team event. read more: https://nevadasportsnet.com/news/reporters/nevada-mens-basketball-will-reportedly-open-season-at-home-against-sacramento-state

In the battle for the deepest position in the inaugural rookie draft, linebacker would come out as the easy winner. I had to make a lot of rough cuts and was psyched to get an extra pick when original list-maker Ryan Greenhagen got signed by the Philadelphia Stars. So, here’s the five that made it through. WILDCARD - KD Davis, North Texas Let’s start with a player that, if it wasn’t for one moment of misfortune, he’d be in the midst of an NFL training camp. KD Davis comes from the world of Texas High School football. He didn’t play for a powerhouse program, but his stats while playing safety were enough for 247sports to rank him as a 3-star recruit. He received offers from Memphis, Illinois, and Louisiana Tech, but chose to stay in-state, commit to North Texas, and switch to linebacker. Rather than redshirt his freshman year, KD dove in head first and played predominantly on special teams. By the next year, he moved up to the starting role and held the job from 2019 to 2022. He led the team in tackles for all four years (the first UNT player to ever do so) and set the school record for most career tackles with 428. His senior year he notched 139 tackles, the second best season in school history and 5th best nationally. Going into the Frisco Bowl, KD had been named 1st Team All-Conference USA, 4th Team All-American, and Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year. In the bowl game, KD made five more tackles, but it wouldn’t be enough to top Boise State. Even worse, in the final minutes of the 4th quarter, KD tore his ACL. KD will have to wait until September to get back on his feet and restart training. Even then, there is still nervousness as to whether he’ll be the same player even after he heals. To that I say, drafting him in a late round couldn’t hurt. ACL surgeries have greatly improved and the majority of folks come back from them no problem. Plus, with the XFL season starting well after his heal-by date, it will give him plenty of time to get back his old self and show the NFL what he can do. read more: https://xflnewshub.com/xfl-news/xfl-2023-rookie-draft-dl/

After a 30-year career coaching high school and college basketball and assistant coaching the professionals, Trammell is now headed into her first WNBA head coaching position with the Dallas Wings. Latricia Trammell only needed 30 years to become a head coach in the WNBA, starting in the high school ranks and working her way up. The Oklahoma native did stints at Denton’s Billy Ryan High School, at UNT, and at TWU. At Oklahoma City University, she won back-to-back NAIA national championships in 2014 and 2015. And now, after serving as an assistant coach for the San Antonio Stars and the Los Angeles Sparks, she leads the Dallas Wings into a season of high expectations. read more: https://www.dmagazine.com/publications/d-magazine/2023/june/meet-latricia-trammell-the-new-dallas-wings-head-coach/

https://bvmsports.com/2023/06/12/womens-basketball-adds-three-coaches-to-staff/

https://247sports.com/player/carmello-brooks-46137548/

UNT at Frisco currently has partnerships with the Dallas Cowboys, Toyota, Omni Hotels, the Professional Golfers’ Association of America and Sam’s Club. UNT at Frisco completed its first semester of classes at Frisco Landing after the building was opened to the public in January. Frisco Landing is the first of many buildings planned at the UNT at Frisco branch campus. The University of North Texas has offered courses in Collin County for over a decade, with courses offered at Collin Higher Education Center since 2010, at Hall Park since 2016 and at Inspire Park since 2018. “Frisco is becoming a big IT and computer-focused community, there’s no two ways about it,” said Audhesh Paswan, dean of New College and vice provost at UNT at Frisco. “It would be natural, given our resources here [in Denton], that we will move some of the programs to Frisco to take care of that particular demand.” One of the main focuses of the Frisco campus is its New College, which is the newest of the 14 colleges offered at the university and its additional campuses. The project-based school is housed at UNT at Frisco but will continue to provide classes for both the Denton and Frisco campuses. The New College’s focus is interdisciplinary studies, where students are able to draw inspiration from different sources of their interests and apply it to their careers. Paswan said there are several big tech, hospitality and banking companies in the area UNT at Frisco will be looking to partner with to provide hands-on opportunities for students in cohort-based programs. “You can see students, even in the classroom, asking ‘So you’re teaching me all of this theory, you’re teaching me all these statistical procedures. How will I use it?’” Paswan said. “Our kids will actually learn how to apply it.” read more: https://www.ntdaily.com/unt-at-frisco-completes-first-semester-focuses-student-opportunity/

8. Sam Houston Even though Sam Houston ranks near the bottom of Conference USA, don't be surprised if this team easily exceeds this prediction. For starters, coach KC Keeler is 85-27 with the Bearkats, including a FCS title in 2020. Also, the team wisely redshirted a handful of players with an eye to '23 and beyond as it made the move to FBS. Defense should be the strength of Sam Houston's first team at the FBS level, as this unit boasts preseason Athlon Sports second-team All-C-USA selections in Markel Perry (DL), Trevor Williams (LB) and Jordan Morris (CB). The offense has question marks up front (only one returning starter) and needs to find an answer at quarterback (potentially North Texas transfer Grant Gunnell). LINK: https://athlonsports.com/college-football/conference-usa-football-2023-predictions

https://msubobcats.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/great-osobor/5704

7-0 post! https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/4397093/warren-washington