A few seniors who have had solid careers at UTA are coming back for more.  Bruce Tibbets, Mike Nau, John Reglin, Eddie Stallings and Dink Ford came into the year as an impressive starting five but things did not go well from the get-go.  This group gave up minutes so that they new guys could gain experience but this quartet will be back expecting to start again.  Stallings and Nau were the only two of these guys that were still even playing when the Mavericks made their run but to be honest both Tibbets and Ford were a bit bruised up.  Stallings had the biggest impact of this group throughout the year due to his ability to score. He was the leading scorer on the team and at 6’1 uses his quickness to fly by other wings.  If he was bigger he might be a superstar but at UTA even the fans in the Southland barely know his name.  Tibbets is as close as the Mavericks had to a scoring threat down low after he got his feet wet in Big D (yes he was one of many JC transfers).  His ability to score and board in bunches really helped the boys improve.  He is tough as they come but is a bit undersized for the post in this physical league as his injury can attest.  Nau gives the team solid play in the post especially on the boards.  Nau is not the most athletic guy in the world and that is why Coach Cross continues to bring in some new recruits and mixed things up a bit.  Reglin is the working man type and played solid as he always does but is not going to move the barometer up or down.  Ford really lost out to another kid named Ford took over his position early on.  Sophomore Rodrick Ford has more size and is quicker than the senior and really came on strong.  Neither one of these guys is the answer to the Maverick problem but there are rumors Cross is bringing in a juco kid named Pontiac to play guard. 

 Speaking of the guard play for the Mavericks produced some clutch play down the stretch run.  Inspired play by senior to be John Shelton next to Stallings on the wings with the younger Ford rotating in with fellow sophomores Ronell Peters at the point kept the pressure on.  Cross let these guys run and that they did.  Fellow sophomores Ricky Leggett and Danny Johnson are also back after productive years on the JV but Johnson got hurt late and might not be ready for this season.  No worries Cross has convinced a couple of local studs to come play for him, one coming back to town or at least Irving where this kid who sounds like the played for the Globetrotters is a prep legend. 

The most consistent player on the team is junior big man Paul Renfro.  This 6’10 center sat behind Tibbets and Nau at first but took off when he got in the lineup.  This ‘Everman’ is a project for sure but is developing at the right rate.  He is the only guy on this roster assured of starting as his play the second half was all-league worthy.  He might not be Jon Koncak down low but he plays a similar style and for this league can be every bit as dominant.  Sophomore Sam Norton has tremendous upside as well and might be a better defensive player even though he only goes 6’6.  He did not get on to the court until late in the year but was impressive in the two tourney games.  Fellow sophomores Dennis Kwiecinski and Ike Mitchell shared the JV front line with Norton until his callup and both played well.  Kwiecinski was a big get coming from Illinois which proved this program can recruit somewhere outside the Dallas area.  Mitchell is a terrific athlete but like Johnson might miss the year after a late injury.  How does that saying go about the only luck we get is bad luck.  On the flip side junior Dave Evans is coming back after missing an entire year and gives the Mavericks another big body (6’7) down low which they need as bad as Carole Bradshaw needed to be taken to bed (or lost forever)!

The UTA Mavericks may not have had the best season in Division 1.  They did however find some players down the stretch who could play and this team made a dash to become Cinderella in the Southland conference tournament.  Midnight did strike inevitably for this team but Coach Cross got the most out of these pumpkins.  Sooner or later UTA will finally put it all together and become challengers in this conference they have been taken for granted in for years.  Cross may have finally figured out that even though this was a once proud Junior College you have to recruit four year players to develop some consistency and continuity in your program.  Cross has done that as his best players were for the most part underclassmen who are all coming back. He has some big-time freshman coming into D-Town as well.  If the last half of the year is any indication the Mavericks might just be able to get out of that ‘Wash’ they have been stuck in for years and become the high flyers they were meant to be.  Then again it does not hurt to supplement your roster with a few studs.