Thoughts On Odufuwa, Unt's Class

NT80 · May 25, 2007

Mean Green BlogMay 24, 2007

Thoughts on Odufuwa, UNT's class

North Texas head men's basketball coach Johnny Jones added what appears to be the last piece to his recruiting class after George Odufuwa made it official on Thursday and committed to play for the Mean Green.

Odufuwa said he also considered transferring to Alabama, but a number of factors led him to sign with the Mean Green instead, including UNT's location close to his home in Dallas and the prospect of playing a significant role after sitting out next season.

Jones now has five players in his class, including two who were rated in the top 20 in the Class of 2006 by Texashoops.com in Odufuwa and Brewster Academy shooting guard/small forward Tristan Thompson. Texashoops.com rated Midland College point guard Ryan McCoy No. 40 in the Class of 2005 while Baton Rouge, La., Christian Life point guard Josh White is rated No. 10 in Louisiana in the Class of 2007 by Rivals.com. Throw in one of the best 3-point shooters in junior college basketball in Mesa (Ariz.) Community College guard Adam McCoy and UNT has what could be the best recruiting class of Jones' tenure at UNT that is entering its seventh season.

Jones not only grabbed a host of talented players, he addressed his team's immediate needs. Ryan McCoy fills the glaring hole UNT had behind starter Ben Bell at the point guard spot, Thompson and Adam McCoy fill the void the Mean Green had on the wings after the graduation of Calvin Watson and Kendrick Davis. White is the Mean Green's point guard of the future and Odufuwa will take over in the post after Keith Wooden and Quincy Williams graduate after next season.

When all is said and done, this will be arguably the best class in the Sun Belt, not to mention one that ranks pretty high among those landed by mid-major teams across the country.

What made the outcome of UNT's recruiting efforts even more impressive was the Mean Green planned for the future and not just the present. The Sun Belt is a win-now league that is often filled transfers and JUCO players who make it hard to keep track of who is coming and going.

The McCoys will be two-year players, but Odufuwa will have three years to play at UNT. White and Thompson will have four. That's a pretty good core to build around. Considering UNT will have six players who will be juniors or seniors next season and just one sophomore on scholarship in shooting guard Collin Mangrum, finding a few players to develop was critical. Calvin Watson was a four-year player and finished his career as the Sun Belt Tournament MVP, while Davis spent three years at UNT, including a redshirt year. Williams had a breakout year in his third season with the Mean Green.

There were some rumblings that Jones wasn't capitalizing on UNT's NCAA Tournament berth early in the signing period. Those concerns appear to have been put to rest with the five players signed by Jones, who said he will keep open the possibility of adding another recruit to his 2007 class with UNT's last open scholarship if the right player comes along.

For more on Odufuwa, see tomorrow's edition of the Denton Record-Chronicle or check our Web site www.dentonrc.com late tonight.

And feel free to post your thoughts on the blog. Did Jones take another step in advancing UNT's program with his latest recruiting class?

Posted by Brett Vito at 8:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Harry · May 25, 2007

Wow great class! What does the starting lineup look like this year? Ben Bell is point, shooting guard is Colin Dennis. Harold Stewart is the athletic swing and down Low you got big Keith and Quincy. Adam McCoy the 6th man that hits the threes? Whadya think? I like the depth especially at point. Sounds pretty athletic to me.

Fast forward to 2008-09 and you have Ryan McCoy and White tandem at point, Dennis back at sg w/Adam McCoy, Stewart back at swing With Tristan, Odofuwu and Howerton down low.

The biggest thing about this class is how it solidifies us at the point guard position for several years especially if White is as adevrtised. The only area of weakness is in the paint especially after next season. If Johnny can land a couple of big bodies down low watch out this could be a dynasty!

CMJ · May 25, 2007

The future definitely looks bright. I can't wait to see how these kids play next year.

greenminer · May 25, 2007

I read "Davis" and still think of Chris. my bad.

Censored by Laurie · May 25, 2007

Wow great class! What does the starting lineup look like this year? Ben Bell is point, shooting guard is Colin Dennis. Harold Stewart is the athletic swing and down Low you got big Keith and Quincy. Adam McCoy the 6th man that hits the threes? Whadya think? I like the depth especially at point. Sounds pretty athletic to me.
Fast forward to 2008-09 and you have Ryan McCoy and White tandem at point, Dennis back at sg w/Adam McCoy, Stewart back at swing With Tristan, Odofuwu and Howerton down low.
The biggest thing about this class is how it solidifies us at the point guard position for several years especially if White is as adevrtised. The only area of weakness is in the paint especially after next season. If Johnny can land a couple of big bodies down low watch out this could be a dynasty!

I've always viewed Harold as more of a 3 as well...but lack of real front court depth will force him into the 4/5 role. Ben Bell will of course run the point, backed up by Ryan McCoy and Josh White (I hope he does, but it would surprise me if he's redshirted unless JJ feels confident he's commited to UNT for his entire career). I think you have Collin Dennis starting at the 2 and Collin Mangrum at the 3, with Adam McCoy running in as 6th man and Tristan Thompson getting his feet wet in D-1 basketball. A 3 man rotation in the frontcourt with Q and Keith Wooden starting and Harold working off the bench, and Howerton taking up space for 5-10 minutes a game.