Though North Texas never put things together Jones will have some players who could be ready for the next level. And this is after all what they go to school for-to get prepared for the next job. Just ask their football program about that.  Being able to have a little fun and some glory especially in the Dallas area would not be bad either.  After all Denton might not be the Big D but it is dang close and the kids that go to this University are a bit tired of being second fiddle to the SWC teams.  Unlike that football program where there is a distinct ‘face’ to the team (heck they changed the nickname to Mean Green from the Eagles for the great Mean Joe Greene) these hoopsters have an issue with identity. The administration does not help much bouncing them around from conference to conference (and into those independent ranks twice) chasing the ‘green’ (yes that pun is meant) instead of developing some sense of stability and continuity.  Heck, this program does not even have a real rival.  How can that be in today’s basketball world where rivalries define your existence? Well when you have bounced around as much as this program and most of your players are transfers there is just no way to do this.  You would think it might be Texas-Arlington from just down the ‘monster’ freeway but it is not as these two teams never seem to land in the same conference at the same time and of course the Dentonians with all of their money look down on the Arlingtonians.  They are ‘stuck’ in the Southland for now but rumors are that are looking to move again (Sun Belt) and it will probably mean some more JC kids that the fans in the ‘Super Pit’ will have to take a half season to know their names in NTSU’s ever-changing lineup.  And of course it does not help when the basketball program kicks off just when the Cowboys are revving up their playoff run. 

Probably the biggest problem facing the new coach if you can believe it is too much talent. Or maybe too equitable of talent? Take for instance the forwards.  NTSU has a plethora of worthy players trying to juggle the two positions.  And two were seniors.  Jim Mudd and John Savage thought they would be the starting forwards and lead the team like they had the last few years. They were wrong.   Though both are quite capable players at their positions, Coach Blakeley rotated his underclassmen generously.  As a result it was very hard for players to get a feel for each other.  When you are rotating two players and sometimes three at every position, players just don’t get to know each other.  This was clear on this team.  Lee Winfield and Joe Hamilton could have matched up with anyone but they ended up just being goofy because neither one got enough minutes.  As a matter of fact only five guys averaged 20 minutes a game and one of them was barely over at 23 per game.   Nobody on this team got over thirty minutes a game.  This might work on North Carolina but here there just was not enough continuity. Mudd and Savage are solid players who started the year for Blakeley.  Mudd is a terrific offensive player who at six seven uses his height well.  This JC kid can flat score inside the paint but can also take it outside with a nice jumper up to about 15 feet.  He was leading the team in scoring through seven games and then got hurt and missed almost a month of play with hepatitis.  Mudd had transferred in last year and had put up sensational numbers for NTSU but this illness really set him back.  Savage is a more well-rounded player than Mudd and came into the year supposedly as the top player on the roster.  He was one of the only players left from the glory days of the Valley and to be honest was the only player who could play at that level.  Savage does all facets well as he can score, board and defend but he got caught up in the Blakeley shuffle.  He did not like the fact that he was only six five and really was more of a post than a wing but he was athletic enough to get the job done.  Still, Blakeley had his guys and he wanted to get them on the court but he also realized he had some incumbents he had to play as well. 

At center NTU had a pair of mean hombres.  Senior Willie Davis and junior Ken Williams could mash with anybody.  Both love the rough stuff.  Neither backs down and inch and they have perfect bodies for the physical style they play.  Davis is six foot eight and has a decent inside game though he has got by more on this physicality than anything.  He got injured midway through the year and missed 8 games which opened the door for his protégé.  Williams is similar in that he loves the physical play. Williams is a beat on the boards though he is limited offensively.  He can finish with dunks but even that is questionable and has less of a low post game than Davis.  Both are intimidators and though neither is big they do make other team uncomfortable in the paint.  When Davis came back Williams had stolen the job and Davis got extremely limited minutes the rest of the way.  Williams was just too valuable on the boards and Blakeley loved his desire.  Still, Williams only got 23 minutes a game and could have led the conference in rebounding if he would have got normal minutes. Blakeley just loved to rotate his guys.  The bench was good but you need some consistency.     

Mel ‘Lurch’ Davis leads a talented group of juniors who Blakeley recruited but had been biding time behind the senior laden front line. This group has size, toughness and skill but not necessarily in that order.  Davis has got some upside and should really push for minutes as he the prototypical power forward who is lean and mean and loves the rough play in the paint.  At six eight and 220 the chiseled Davis has the body for the next level and his game is improving.  Now if he can just get on the court more often he can show the scouts that do flock around this team he has the goods.  Fred Mitchell and Bobby Iverson will get some minutes at small forward and both can play.  Iverson is even more talented than Davis and is probably the best athlete on the team.  Stuck in Blakeley’s never ending rotating morass which hurt his minutes though he did show in some brief trials that he can jump over the moon and is developing some handles.  He was the star of the JV and might be stuck in a bad situation but he has to play somewhere; he is that good. Mitchell is Mr. Reliable who played next to Iverson but is not as talented and played way too much four which he will not have to on varsity with all of the depth there.  Of course, he might not play at all with all of the talent in front of him. 

A group of underclassmen did stand out for NTSU but primarily on the JV squad.  One did come on up and made an impact.  Sophomore Kenny Lyons from Ft. Worth.  Lyons is a great scorer who also was second on the team in rebounding.  He took over next to Savage midway through the year at one forward and never looked back.  Fellow Sophomores Deon ‘Hoop’ Hunter and Pat Hicks are both in the mix for point guard.  They are as different as can be as Hicks is an old school pass first distributor who gets more assists than points while Hunter is a by the books player who does everything well and practices what he preaches which is fundamentals, fundamentals, fundamentals.  I like his chances to start as he can score some and he and Worrell led the JV team which was dominant in the Southland.  

The back court for NTSU was just as convoluted. The aforementioned ‘Little’ Joe Hamilton teamed with fellow senior Ruben Russell to give the boys from Denton a superb combo that could match up with anyone.  Blakeley also had the very athletic Winfield to back up Hamilton and Russell.  When it was just this trio things went well.  But Blakeley even mixed things up here.  Not that Crest Whitaker and Ron Miller are not good players.  They are.  But nowhere near the level of Hamilton, Winfield and Russell!  Russell is truly a one-dimensional player (scorer) but boy does he do it well. Man can they put the ball in the hoop.  The ‘Rube’ is only six two but has an outside shot at the next level due to his scoring.  He is a true shooting guard who can flat score ‘in buckets.’  

 Hamilton is a super savvy veteran who can score and may not be as good of a passer as Johnson but is better in every other part of the game.  He has the kind of motor and skill set, he can shoot from behind the three point line, that will give him a shot at the next level.  He is the best player on the team and fits the vagabond mentality as he traveled halfway across the country to get a chance to play this game he loves.  Born in Lexington Kentucky (Rupp’s immunity to recruit blacks caused him to miss out on this great kid) Hamilton came west to play junior college and after a stellar career at Christian College of the Southwest decided to stay in Texas after all they loved his nickname down here.  He missed a few games this year but was without question the leader of the team from the moment he got to Denton.  Cat quick and tough Hamilton loves going to the hoop and though he is only five ten can finish but is best at hitting jump shots with his great pullup from mid or long range.  He is a good passer but is a scorer first but will definitely keep his teammates involved.  Little Joe is the most popular player on the team as there are many number tens green jerseys (what other color do you think they would wear?) dotting the Super Pit on most nights.  The sad thing is like the great Cinderella song you ‘don’t know what you got til it’s gone’ and to be honest this city has no idea how good Hamilton was.  He will play at the next level as he will do whatever it takes to stay on the court and though he is never quite appreciated due to his size he flat knows how to play this game.  Winfield might get a shot as well as he is a great athlete who can guard anyone and can score and pass.  He hails from St. Louis after some seasoning at a juco and has still some work to do but he is willing to work.  Winfield has the perfect size (six two 175) and strength and most importantly demeanor to be a good point guard but has to work on his ballhandling.  His athleticism (he can dunk in standing flat footed and jumped center a few times) gets him on the court (he played mostly at wing to get on the court but knows his game is suited for point) and he is learning from one of the best but might not be quite ready for the pros.  This kid with the great name will give it a shot and he will learn and he will earn a shot.  He is too good of an athlete and works too hard not to succeed.  

North Texas State had a peculiar season in Denton Texas.  This beautiful city got to see some of the most talented players in Texas when they wandered into the Super Pit.  The problem was there were too many good players and not enough minutes in the game. There is no Calvin Natt or Joe Dumars in Denton to put his team on their shoulders and carry NTSU to the Promised Land but with all of this talent they should have been better.  NTSU finished with a decent record but could have been, excuse me, should have been so much better. Still as goofy as it was, with a few breaks early on this team could have been really special.  The good thing is that charismatic young coach will be coming to D-town.  Now if Johnny Jones can get Brad and Janet and Rocky to come play things might get crazier then they already are in Denton.