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The last piece of Creighton's scheduling puzzle might not be the elite program some Bluejay fans long to see their team play. But getting North Texas to open the season in Omaha excites coach Greg McDermott. “I think North Texas as an opener will turn out in the end to be a great game for us,” McDermott said. “And it's not going to be an easy game. They're going to be very talented, and there's a reason they had a hard time filling their schedule, too.” Creighton announced its 2012-13 schedule Thursday. Most of the Bluejays' nonconference opponents were already known, but McDermott and his staff had been working on landing a possible high-profile opponent for the season-opening game. McDermott said the Bluejays were prepared to open against a non-Division I opponent, which would not have impacted their RPI, had a suitable first-game foe not been found. North Texas falls somewhere in between. The Mean Green, a member of the Sun Belt Conference, compiled a No. 200 RPI ranking while finishing last season with an 18-14 record. Six of the losses came in the final 13 games after two of the team's top three scorers, Chris Jones and Jordan Williams, were declared ineligible. They are back with the team, as is sophomore Tony Mitchell. Read more: http://www.omaha.com.../708319999/1001 CREIGHTON SCHEDULE NOVEMBER 9: North Texas, 7:05 p.m. This post has been promoted to an article

Of the host teams, likely preseason top-10 Michigan should have little resistance in its push for New York, featuring incoming freshmen Mitch McGary and Glenn Robinson III, along with returning guard Trey Burke. Virginia should also advance, as well as Jamie Dixon’s Pitt Panthers. Keep in mind, though, that Pittsburgh will be without guard Ashton Gibbs, who has now graduated. As for the first host school, Kansas State, they face a tough opponent in North Texas and also have to deal with Pat Knight’s Lamar squad. North Texas, led by star sophomore Tony Mitchell, won’t make it too easy for the Wildcats to make it to New York. Read More: http://collegebasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/09/05/preseason-nit-searching-for-one-more-school-could-end-up-adding-d-ii-team/

http://m.espn.go.com/general/blogs/blogpost?blogname=collegebasketballnation&i=TWT&id=63499&w=1c3tk

No. 13: Is Tony Mitchell an All-American for North Texas? North Texas lost its successful long-time coach Johnny Jones to LSU, but the Mean Green didn’t lose its star player. The 6-8, 235-pound Tony Mitchell, a former Missouri signee before he was an academic nonqualifier, may be North Texas’ top player since the 1970s and could make a run at some postseason hardware after averaging 14.7 points and 10.3 rebounds last season. Read more: http://www.athlonsports.com/college-basketball/college-basketballs-great-68-questions-17-south-region

No. 1: Tony Mitchell (North Texas)- Another mid-major superstar that spurned the NBA Draft to return to school. Mitchell, who stands at 6-foot-8, averaged 14.7 points and 10.3 rebounds last season as a freshman. For those who are not familiar with Mitchell, you probably should be, as the sophomore forward has the ability to be a top-10 draft pick next June. Looking ahead to 2012-13, Mitchell should be the preseason favorite to win the Sun Belt Player of the Year, while the Mean Green could be a scary mid-major threat come March. You won’t have to wait until March however, to know Mitchell’s name, as expectations are through the roof. Read more: http://www.rantsports.com/arenapulse/2012/08/28/rant-sports-ncaab-season-preview-top-10-breakout-candidates-non-bcs/

James’ camp, usually set in Akron, Ohio, but moved to Las Vegas to coincide with the USA Basketball schedule, featured 24 of the top collegiate performers from the Nike-sponsored academies of Williams, Kevin Durant and Amare Stoudemire, along with 80 premier prep players from around the country. Full-court scrimmages, with an emphasis on up-and-down play, ensued. Dillard held his own with a pack of future NBA draftees, citing North Texas’ Tony Mitchell, Ohio State’s Deshaun Thomas and Duke’s Mason Plumlee as standout players. “Those three guys are freak athletes. I always appreciate a good big man,” Dillard said. “I’m easily impressed by big guys that can run, finish at the rim and stretch the defense. I’m looking forward to watching them play this year and getting drafted.” Dillard aspires to play professionally after he finishes his final season at Dayton — something that seems more attainable after his performance at the Nike camps — but the former SouthtownStar Player of the Year understands the importance of perseverance. Read more: http://southtownstar.suntimes.com/sports/14106245-419/basketball-kevin-dillard-has-a-dream-team-summer.html

Tony Mitchell, 6-foot-8, sophomore, North Texas The former Missouri Tiger recruit only played the second half of his freshman season at North Texas after gaining his eligibility and, while he finished with solid numbers, the camp was a great stage to perform on to build his burgeoning reputation. Although aspects of his game are a work in progress, Mitchell has Dennis Rodman-like rebounding instincts and athleticism. When four or five sets of hands go up for a rebound, his go up a lot higher. He has a great nose for the ball. In addition, Mitchell shoots the ball reasonably well from the outside, although he needs to continue to improve his ballhandling on the perimeter to get ready for the NBA or he'll be relegated to tweener status. As it stands, Mitchell will be the dominant player in the Sun Belt Conference and capable of taking a talented Mean Green team a couple of rounds in the NCAA tournament. He may have helped himself more with NBA scouts than anyone at the camp. Read more: http://insider.espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/blog/_/name/ncbexperts/id/8288437/how-college-stars-fared-lebron-james-skills-academy-ncb

After averaging 14.7 ppg and 10.3 rpg as a freshman last season, North Texas' Tony Mitchell flirted with entering the 2012 draft before announcing he would return for another year with the Mean Green. The 6-foot-8, 235-lb forward is projected as a potential first-round pick in 2013. However, after an eye-opening display of skill and athleticism at the recent LeBron James Skills Academy in July, Mitchell could be on the fast track to the NBA Draft lottery. As one scout notes in a recent a recent blog entry by ESPN's Chad Ford, Mitchell would be in line to be one first few picks in 2013 if not for the fact that he plays in the Sun Belt Conference compared to school's with greater exposure. Still, Mitchell is turning heads and making a name for himself, and for all the right reasons: read more:http://www.examiner.com/article/north-texas-tony-mitchell-a-possible-top-five-pick-2013

No. 13: Is Tony Mitchell an All-American for North Texas? North Texas lost its successful long-time coach Johnny Jones to LSU, but the Mean Green didn’t lose its star player. The 6-8, 235-pound Tony Mitchell, a former Missouri signee before he was an academic nonqualifier, may be North Texas’ top player since the 1970s and could make a run at some postseason hardware after averaging 14.7 points and 10.3 rebounds last season. Read more: http://www.athlonsports.com/college-basketball/college-basketballs-great-68-questions-17-south-region

"If he was at Missouri instead of North Texas, we'd be talking about him as top-5 pick in the upcoming draft," one NBA scout said. "He's that good and the draft is that bad. But he's got all the tools to be a very effective NBA player." Read more: http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/222876/Tony_Mitchell_Projected_As_Possible_Top_5_2013_Pick#ixzz22zEz8zLj

North Texas-Amongst all these familiar faces, we have a fresh one, as the Mean Green of North Texas make the list because of the return of star Tony Mitchell. Mitchell, a former standout high school player originally committed to Missouri but enrolled at North Texas after eligibility concerns made him ineligible for the 2010-11 season. Last season Mitchell(pictured right) became eligible after the 1st semester, averaging 14.7 points, 10.3 rebounds and 3 blocks in 23 games played. This season the 6’8” forward is eligible from day 1, making the Mean Green the favorite in the Sun Belt Conference and a possible Tournament Cinderella. Mitchell, who could have been a 1st round pick had he declared for the draft, is an elite frontcourt talent and will be far and away the best player in the Sun Belt this season. While Mitchell is the key cog for this team and a player capable of singlehandedly carrying the Mean Green, he is not alone as North Texas returns everyone from a team that came up 4 points short of reaching the NCAA Tournament. In fact, North Texas returns 6 players in all who averaged over 8 points per game, led by the backcourt trio of Chris Jones (14.1ppg, 4.7rpg, 4.3apg), Jordan Williams (10.9ppg) and Alzee Williams. The Mean Green were a very young team last season with their top 4 players all being freshmen or sophomores, but this season with a year of experience and a star like Tony Mitchell, expect even more out of North Texas. North Texas does have one major loss to deal with, as they lost head coach Johnny Jones to LSU and have replaced him with Marquette assistant Tony Benford. Playing for a new head coach is always an adjustment but with a talented group led by a bona fide star and future pro in Tony Mitchell, get familiar with North Texas basketball. Look for North Texas to have a big year as they are big favorites in the Sun Belt due to their returning starters, headlined by Mitchell. If North Texas has a flaw it is perimeter shooting as the Mean Green struggled from downtown last season, shooting an anemic 32% from 3-point range. Despite this flaw, the Mean Green are a team to be reckoned with, as their strength rebounding the basketball(17th) and scoring balance will make them a pesky mid-major to deal with. Read more: http://tshq.co/2012/07/last-year-it-was-lehigh-and-norfolk-state-which-cinderellas-should-we-watch-in-2012-13/

Tony Mitchell, So., 6-8, North Texas: Mitchell didn't begin his freshman season until his team had played ten games. He played 20 minutes in his debut and recorded what would become one of ten double-doubles. He had one of the six performances in the nation where a player recorded at least 20 points and 20 rebounds. Read more: http://bloguin.com/runthefloor/2012-articles/july/the-8-best-rebounders-in-college-basketball.html

This may be a repost but in case you missed it...wow: http://ballislife.com/68-tony-mitchell-north-texas-future-pro-dominating-the-dallas-open-runs/

"I went against Tony Mitchell from North Texas and Mason Plumlee from Duke a lot," Withey said of the centers. "Both (camps) were beneficial for my development. Amar'e was more drills. LeBron was more going up and down playing. Both of them together I feel was a complete camp." Read more: http://kansascity.sbnation.com/kansas-jayhawks/2012/7/17/3165145/jeff-withey-kansas-adidas-nations-camp

THEBIGLEAD Not a bad list, but I'd probably have TM,Poythress,Porter & Burke all a little higher

Tony Mitchell already had one snapshot of himself and LeBron James from the last time he attended the Miami Heat forward’s summer skills academy a few years ago while in high school. The North Texas sophomore picked up another shot last week, after his initial appearance at the LeBron James Skill Academy as a college player. All indications are his performance the second time around ensured he gained a lot more than a memento, including momentum heading into his sophomore season and the 2013 NBA Draft. Mitchell was universally praised for his performance at the event that concluded Monday in Las Vegas, where the 6-8 forward came away with the feeling that he accomplished what he had hoped to all along. “It went well,” Mitchell said Tuesday after returning to UNT. “Everyone was playing hard and competing. I played against top competition, and I think I played alright. I thought I did well working with the coaches.” Mitchell earned his invitation to James’ camp through his performance in the Amare Stoudemire Skill Academy earlier this summer that featured the top 14 post players in college basketball. Read more: http://www.dentonrc.com/sports/colleges/north-texas-headlines/20120710-men-s-basketball-mitchell-receives-praise-at-lebrons-camp.ece

The honors keep rolling in for Tony Mitchell, not to mention opportunities to develop his immense talent. The North Texas sophomore participated in the Amare Stoudemire Skills Academy for post players two weeks ago and performed well enough to receive an invitation to the LeBron James Skills Academy in Las Vegas. Only the top 20 players in college basketball and 80 of the best high school players in the country are invited to the camp that will begin Friday. “I’m excited to go to a prestigious camp like that,” Mitchell said. “I will get to play against better competition and improve my skill set. You learn more going to those camps and get to meet new people. You get to ask LeBron what that life is about and what it takes to get there.” Mitchell played for the U.S. in the FIBA under-19 world championships last summer and was a member of the team that won the FIBA Americas under-18 championship in 2010. Playing on the national stage is nothing new for Mitchell, but the experience is one that UNT head coach Tony Benford expects will continue to pay dividends. Read more: http://www.dentonrc.com/sports/colleges/north-texas-headlines/20120703-basketball-big-invite.ece

Here is a video I shot with Tony Mitchell this week about the LrBron James Skills Academy that begins on Friday. Read more: http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/2012/07/tony-mitchell-talks-about-the-lebron-james-skills-academy.html/

Consider the source (BR) but they project him going #18 to the Jazz. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1242270-2013-nba-mock-draft-7-underclassmen-sure-to-be-lottery-picks/page/19

And on the football recruiting front, I was able to catch up with Harrison Sorge today. Sorge was a first-team All-District 4-4A selection and has come on late in his career. He played well in one of the tougher districts in the area and held his own against players like Ryan’s Mario Edwards, who was the top recruit in the country. Edwards is headed to Florida State. Sorge was recruited by Nick Quartaro and is teammates with Dylan McDorman. The two have played together since elementary school. Read more: http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/2012/07/tuesday-afternoon-notes-thoughts-mitchell-to-james-camp-catching-up-with-sorge.html/

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2012/07/03/powering-their-way-to-top/#ixzz1zZYneqG4

"Tony Mitchell, 6-foot-8 sophomore power forward, North Texas: A monster athlete, Mitchell is still very raw, but despite playing at the mid-major level, his explosiveness is no secret among pro personnel types." Read more: http://www.csnchicago.com/blog/bulls-talk/post/Early-look-at-2013-NBA-Draft-prospects?blockID=733920&feedID=630

Read more: http://bloguin.com/runthefloor/2012-articles/june/ranking-the-2012-13-college-basketball-holiday-tournaments.html

read more: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1240643-2013-nba-mock-draft-projecting-the-top-15-picks/page/10

Read more: http://www.dentonrc.com/sports/colleges/north-texas-headlines/20120629-mens-basketball-mitchell-using-camp-to-improve.ece