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Tony Mitchell commented at the NBA Scouting Combine this week about how he coasted at times last season. It has been open season on Mitchell since with people commenting on what that says about Mitchell as a person. I thought it said a lot too about how Mitchell has taken the high road throughout the last year. Mitchell could have said any number of things to explain away last year. Considering his stature as a former Dallas area star and likely first-round NBA draft pick and how last season went, what he had to say carried a lot of weight. And he put the blame on himself instead of anyone else. He talked about how he needed to be more consistent. He talked about the injuries UNT suffered last year. I cant remember a single time Mitchell has uttered a word that would hurt UNTs program after one of the most disappointing seasons in school history. Read more: http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/2013/05/thoughts-on-mitchell-and-his-not-playing-hard-comment.html/

I mentioned some time ago that UNT is in the running for Palm Beach State guard Carrington Ward. Well, he isnt the only player UNT is trying to pull from the school Kevin Thomas, a 6-foot-8 power forward originally from Canada, is also considering UNT. Read more: http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/2013/04/unt-in-another-palm-beach-state-player.html/

No. 2 – Can Derek Thompson get it done? I’m sitting in a log cabin out in a state park in East Texas on vacation, pondering the future of UNT football. Ok, not really, but I am taking a couple of minutes to jump back on the blog to continue our off-season questions series. Today, we ponder UNT’s quarterback situation and Derek Thompson. Thompson put up some pretty impressive numbers last season, throwing for 2,649 yards and 14 touchdowns. He threw for 200 yards in seven straight games. Was Thompson perfect? No. No quarterback ever is. Was he pretty good at times? Yeah. Thompson threw for 333 yards against Louisiana-Monroe, 316 against Arkansas State and 282 yards against Louisiana-Lafayette, including hitting Antoinne Jimmerson with a short pass he turned into a 78-yard touchdown catch. The problem was that Thompson also made a few key mistakes, including an interception Jonathan Dowling returned for a touchdown that turned the tide in a season-ending 25-loss to Western Kentucky. Read more: http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/2013/05/post-spring-questions-series-no-2-can-derek-thompson-get-it-done.html/ This post has been promoted to an article

Here’s a quick update on UNT defensive tackle Richard Abbe. A UNT spokesman confirmed that the senior has been suspended indefinitely after meeting with Dan McCarney. Read more: http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/2013/05/abbe-update.html/

Another year came and went without anyone from UNT being selected in the NFL Draft. The last player to be picked from UNT was Cody Spencer, a mainstay of bowl run glory years of 2001-04 (which like a fine wine keeps getting better and more impressive over the years). UNT hasnt had a player selected since. And just what does that mean? Spencer was taken with the 182nd pick in 2004. There were 73 players taken after Spencer that year and now nine drafts have passed since with no one players selected. By my count, that means there have been 2,361 players selected in 10 drafts (including the players selected after Spencer in 2004) since the last UNT player picked. UNT head coach Dan McCarney has spoken multiple times about how baffling that is for a school in Texas. Read more: http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/2013/04/amazing-stat-on-unts-nfl-draft-drought.html/

I swung through the Don January golf tournament today and picked up a few random notes and tidbits. There were 43 teams this year. The event raises a ton of money for UNT athletic scholarships. UNT picked up $13,000 at the long drive event alone. Head coach Brad Stracke mentioned that UNT was ranked 155th when he arrived and is hanging around the top 30 now. Stracke also talked a little about UNT’s goal to raise $1.8 million to add a putting green and short game facility at Trophy Club. I saw UNT women’s basketball coach Mike Petersen. Tony Benford was gone by the time I arrived at the end of the day. Dan McCarney is still recovering from bypass surgery and was not able to be there to speak at the end of the event. I have not had a chance to mention it yet, but today is the first day of UNT’s big push in football recruiting in the Dallas area. UNT’s assistants were all out on the road, seeing coaches and players. Mike Canales had just come back off the road. Defensive coordinator John Skladany was also there. Read more: http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/2013/04/monday-night-notes-don-january-football-tidbits.html/

Former UNT guard P.J. Harwick is taking an official visit this weekend in his search for another school where he can continue his career after deciding to leave Denton. His destination? Read more: http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/2013/04/friday-morning-notes-hardwicks-ironic-trip-unt-offers-lb.html/

UNT announced this morning that Dan McCarney returned to the office today after undergoing heart bypass surgery. Here is the official statement: North Texas head football coach Dan McCarney returned to the office on Friday, seven days after undergoing a surgical procedure at a local hospital. Doctors recommended McCarney undergo the surgery following a routine office visit earlier in the week. The successful surgery took place last Friday. “The medical staff was outstanding,” McCarney said. “I put my future in their hands and everything went great. I have already begun the road to recovery and am excited to be back in the office working toward making the Mean Green football program better.” Read more: http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/2013/04/details-on-mccarneys-hospital-stay.html/

The big day has arrived. The late signing period for men’s basketball is upon us. Basketball is a little different than football when it comes to signing day. Football is a one-and-done affair. Everyone makes their class official in February and that is pretty much it (except for the mid-term period for JUCO transfers). There is any early period in basketball, then the late period. Signings and commitments trickle in throughout the year. That is what makes today so interesting for UNT. It really feels like how UNT does today (or the next several days) could greatly affect this team’s future. Read more: http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/2013/04/we-are-about-to-find-out-a-whole-lot-more-about-unts-hoops-future.html/

One could see the handwriting on the wall yesterday at practice and now UNT has made it official: Defensive end Quenton Brown has a torn ACL. UNT already knew Brown was done for the spring. Now the team knows the JUCO defensive end won’t be back for summer, fall camp or the beginning of the season, either. The hope is he can be ready to go for the start of the Conference USA season. UNT opens its first year in the league at Tulane on Oct. 5 That would be about a six-month turnaround, which would be pretty aggressive. Brown was injured in UNT’s first spring scrimmage. “It’s realistic to get him back for conference play,” McCarney said. “He won’t be back for nonconference. He has a great attitude about it right now.” UNT has had a really bad run of injuries on its defensive line and is looking for ways to adjust. UNT will just have to get by the rest of spring. Read more: http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/2013/04/mccarney-on-quenton-browns-injury-losing-him-for-part-of-next-season.html/

UNT president Lane Rawlins announced today that he is retiring. While Rawlins was only around a short time — and he will stay on for a few more months — his impact on UNT’s athletic program was pretty significant. There were several people who played a role in helping UNT get out of the Sun Belt and into Conference USA, and there is little doubt Rawlins was one of them. He helped found C-USA in 1995 when he was at Memphis and had the connections in the league that helped UNT make its case that it belonged, especially after SMU left. He also played a role in bringing in Dan McCarney as UNT’s football coach. UNT contracted consultant Chuck Neinas to study the overall athletic program and then brought him back to help conduct a search for a new coach after UNT finally got rid of Todd Dodge. McCarney has already won more games in two years than UNT won in the previous four years combined. UNT opened Apogee Stadium during his watch and moved closer to bringing a baseball program back to UNT. Read more: http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/2013/03/thoughts-on-the-departure-of-lane-rawlins.html/

After taking a short one-day vacation with the better half, I ventured back to town and the Super Pit to cover the UNT-Southeastern Louisiana game today. We are way past style-pointing wins at UNT like fans did at times the last couple of years, but yikes. UNT darn near lost to a 1-6 Southland team. If UNT had, things really would have gone south. Tony Mitchell went 1-for-9 and never seemed to be into one of his sweet spots in the halfcourt, Jacob Holmen went 1-for-6, Chris Jones scored one points and UNT went 0-for-11 from 3. read more: http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/2012/12/unt-southeastern-louisiana-thoughts.html/

A junior college safety and a defensive end/outside linebacker from Louisiana will be among the players UNT hosts on official recruiting visits this weekend. Claude George of Acadiana High in Lafayette, La., and Demetrius Woodard, a free safety from Blinn College, both confirmed late this week that they will be in Denton beginning Friday. UNT is recruiting Woodard as a free safety. He is being recruited by safeties coach Noah Joseph. Woodard has already visited Marshall and has scheduled visits to Texas State and New Mexico. Woodard said that UNT is recruiting him as a free safety. He would compete with Marcus Trice, a junior who started throughout last season, for a starting job if he signs with UNT. “I want to find a place I can feel at home, get exposure and start,” Woodard said. “I am going to take all my visits before I decide.” Woodard’s last visit is scheduled for New Mexico beginning Dec. 14. He was a first-team All-SWJCAC selection last season. Read more: http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/2012/11/unt-football-recruiting-update-comments-from-two-who-will-visit-starting-friday.html/

A few days ago, it looked like UNT was going to catch a huge break heading into its game against Louisiana-Monroe on Saturday. UNT head coach Dan McCarney said ULM quarterback Kolton Browning was playing better than anyone in the Sun Belt Conference before he went down with a foot injury and missed a couple of games, both of which the Warhawks lost. It would have been great timing for UNT to catch ULM right after Browning got hurt. But alas, our friend Tabby Soignier over at the News-Star reported yesterday that Browning will start tomorrow against UNT. UNT on the other hand will be without Brelan Chancellor and unless something unexpected happens Antoinne Jimmerson This is what we here on the blog like to call a post bowl-era “North Texas-ism” read more: http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/2012/11/tough-break-for-unt-browning-to-start.html/

I talk about UNT focusing on the running game at the top of it. It’s something I mentioned briefly on the blog yesterday. I was really surprised that UNT didn’t run the ball better. FAU stacked the line of scrimmage all night and dared UNT to throw it. I thought McCarney’s comment on how teams will take that approach the rest of the season was telling. Outside of Brelan Chancellor, UNT’s passing game doesn’t strike a lot of fear in opponents. read more: http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/2012/10/player-video-interviews-and-notes.html/

One of the tidbits I picked up this week while I was talking to players was that Dan McCarney is working with UNT’s defensive linemen extensively on the pass rush this week. McCarney is known for his prowess as a defensive line coach and for being particularly quotable. Love that about the guy. The point being, he said there is something wrong if you go a whole game without laying a hand on a quarterback something’s wrong. Read more: http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/2012/09/mccarney-working-with-unts-defenive-line-on-pass-rush-this-week.html/

I was going to post some thoughts on UNT’s loss to Kansas State last night, but stayed in the one hotel left on the planet without wireless. UNT really did turn out a remarkable performance. The Mean Green hung with one of the top teams in the country until the Wildcats superior talent took over. UNT’s offensive line is everything it was billed to be heading into the season. The Mean Green’s top two running backs — Brandin Byrd and Antoinne Jimmerson — picked up 129 yards between them. Derek Thompson had his best night throwing the ball since last season, connecting on a remarkable 25 of his 28 attempts for 208 yards and a touchdown. Read more: http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/2012/09/sunday-afternoon-thoughts-on-a-good-showing-for-unt.html/

Tough news if true. http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/2012/09/unt-may-have-lost-chad-polk.html/

UNT picked up a commitment from Kingwood power forward Joshua Friar over the weekend. I’ve been working on digging up some information on him since and got a hold of Kingwood head coach Royce Huseman today. I’m still waiting on a call back from Friar that I expect to come in the next day or so. When I hear back, I’ll have a story for the paper. Friar is an interesting story, mainly because he has never played a varsity game. Read more: http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/

In terms of actual games played, North Texas went just one date on its schedule without a win. Count up the number of days the Mean Green went between a season-ending shellacking of Middle Tennessee at the end of last season and its win over Texas Southern last week, and a lot of time had passed. UNT went through an entire spring, summer and fall two-a-days and finally received a reward for all that hard work when it knocked off TSU 34-7. That win did UNT a lot of good, especially considering it came in the Mean Green’s home opener. UNT hadn’t won its first game at home since 2006, before taking out the Tigers, and hadn’t won a game, period, since hammering the Blue Raiders 59-7 on Dec. 3 of last year. McCarney talked about how important reaching that milestone was after UNT evened its record at 1-1 on Saturday night. The impact of the win was even more evident by Monday morning. “It was very positive,” McCarney said during the Sun Belt Conference’s weekly coaches’ teleconference. “It’s always good to get a reward for everyone’s hard work. “When it’s a young team, it’s good to have something to build on. They understand that we are a long way away from where we need to be, but thank God we are not where we used to be.” The win was particularly important for UNT in a season in which it faces a tough schedule, one that will continue this week with a game at Kansas State. The Wildcats are ranked No. 15 and will be the second ranked team UNT has faced this season. The Mean Green lost to No. 3 LSU 41-14 to open the season. The Wildcats looked like they might not be as strong as they have been in previous seasons after using a 35-point fourth quarter to turn what was a close season-opening game against Missouri State into a 51-9 blowout. The Wildcats led just 16-9 before pulling away. Read more: http://www.dentonrc.com/sports/colleges/north-texas-headlines/20120910-football-saturdays-win-good-for-unt-going-forward.ece

The talk of the Sun Belt Conference coaches teleconference this morning was Louisiana-Monroe’s win over Arkansas. Big shock. Just about every coach in the league was asked how big it was, and they all said it was huge. Sun Belt commissioner Karl Benson mentioned that it was important for the league’s profile and went on to say that he was disappointed that ULM didn’t receive more votes in the Top 25 polls. ULM received 23 votes in the AP poll and one in the coaches’ poll. Media members are more likely to vote for a team that pulls an upset. Todd Berry, ULM’s head coach, talked about how important the win was for the program and how big it is for the Warhawks to follow up on it. If ULM is ever going to get to a bowl, this would seem to be the year. The Warhawks have a good quarterback in Kolton Browning and an experienced defense. Plus ULM has a win on the board with the entire Sun Belt schedule left, not to mention a game against Tulane. Read more: http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/2012/09/sbc-conference-call-notes.html/

Ever since he started playing football while growing up in Sherman, Zac Whitfield’s coaches have told him that his path in the game was headed to an unfamiliar place. His youth league coaches, his high school coaches and even the coaches who convinced him to sign with North Texas said, “Kid, one of these days you could be a great cornerback.” That day is almost here. Whitfield will play his first down at cornerback in his life on Saturday in a place college football fans like to call “Death Valley,” in Baton Rouge, where the Mean Green will take on No. 3 LSU in their season opener. Whitfield spent his first year at UNT as a redshirt and didn’t switch over from running back to cornerback until the beginning of fall practice. He could be in for one heck of an introduction to the world of college football in front of a crowd that is expected to top 90,000. LSU is riding the nation’s longest home winning streak at 17 games. “I’m just going to go and approach it as another game,” Whitfield said. “They work hard just like we do and bleed just like we do. I’m going to play ball and do the best I can to help my teammates win.” It’s that even-keel attitude and a willingness to do whatever he can to help his team that has helped the 5-9, 180-pound speedster with an ever-present grin quickly rise through the ranks of UNT defensive backs to earn a starting job. The spot didn’t come easy. Read more: http://www.dentonrc.com/sports/colleges/north-texas-headlines/20120831-football-unts-whitfield-set-for-cornerback-debut.ece

read more: http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/2012/08/unt-lsu-game-update.html/

http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/2012/08/heres-the-unt-two-deep-with-some-thoughts.html/

http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/2012/08/video-marcus-trice-jeremy-phillips-talk-about-two-a-days.html/