Flannigan set to play at North Texas

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University of North Texas men's basketball coach Tony Benford is confident Central Wyoming College sophomore Armani Flannigan won't have any trouble fitting into his Division I program.

"The coaching staff has been recruiting me for awhile now," Flannigan said. "I built up a pretty good relationship with the coaching staff. When I went on my visit they just welcomed me with open arms. It just felt like the right fit."

Benford said Flannigan's size will come in handy next season.

"We have heard a lot of great things about Armani," Benford said. "We have lost two of our best inside players. We need some athleticism and some toughness from someone who can come in and play right away. We just felt like he would be a great fit for us. He has to get a little bigger and stronger, but the way that he plays, with his energy, translates into any level."

Flannigan grew up in Rockford, Ill. He attended Boylan High School where he scored 17.8 points per game in his senior season.

Flannigan averaged 13 points per game, 6.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists in his freshman season.

Flannigan finished the season averaging 14.2 points per game, and pulling in 6.6 rebounds.

"I personally felt that I had a really good season," Flannigan said. "I really didn't average that much because we had such a good team. If I was double-teamed I was able to hit anybody open for a good shot."

North Texas finished the past season with a 12-20 mark in the Sun Belt Conference.

North Texas lost to Louisiana-Lafayette 74-55 in the opening round of the conference tournament.

It was Benford's first season at the helm at North Texas.

"We had a lot of injuries that hurt us," Benford said.

North Texas is making the move to Conference USA for the 2013-14 season.

UTEP and Tulsa are two top teams in Conference USA.

"It's really a competitive league," Benford said. "I think that Armani has a good chance to be a really good player in the league."

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