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2007-2008 Recap Part 3
Written by Courtland   
Friday, 30 May 2008

We hosted FIU to kick off the second half of the Sunbelt slate. The guys got off to a solid start and we led by double figures at intermission. The Panthers started the second half on a 21-11 run and tied the contest at 43. From there on, it was a classic back and forth affair - as neither squad could get more than a 3 point advantage until the final buzzer. Josh White had 16, including some monster free throws to keep our advantage. Keith Wooden didn’t have a big game, but hit a timely lay up with under a minute to go that sustained us. Then Tristan Thompson gave us the winning margin 60-57. This was Johnny Jones's 100th victory as the Mean Green head coach.

 

 

Next the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers visited the SuperPit. Courtney Lee and company took it to us right from the opening tip. We were down double figures before we knew what hit us. WKU shot terrific from the field, but aggressive play from us was getting us to the charity stripe, and we stayed within striking distance. For most of the affair we trailed from 7-12 points, we just needed that one run to make the Toppers sweat. We finally crawled to within five at one point, and it seemed like this was our shot. Instead, WKU is the team that went on a big run – eventually pushing the lead to 15. NT eventually lost 94-84. In all reality, we played quite well. The Mean Green had four players score in double figures (Josh led the way with 22) and the pace was very much to our liking. It was just a terrific effort by the Hilltoppers. Courtney Lee led all scorers with 31. Despite dominating the league in the past, lately the Toppers haven’t enjoyed the kind of success they are used to. Unfortunately for us, this year rekindled some of that old magic – as we all saw during the NCAA tournament.

 

 

It was time to go back on the road as we traveled to Little Rock to take on the Trojans. This was a contest that could have put us in great position in the West race as UALR was 6-5 in league play to our 5-6 mark. The Trojans led the entire first half as we appeared sluggish. Down 9 at halftime, the Mean Green started the 2nd stanza on a run and stayed within a couple of baskets until we grabbed our first lead midway through. Walk on freshman Matt Mouzy was our biggest problem as his 17 points helped UALR establish a seven point advantage with four minutes to go. Once again, the Mean Green wouldn’t die as Josh White hit a trey and then made three free throws in the final minute of regulation. Adam McCoy had a shot at the buzzer, but it wasn’t true and we lost 82-80.

 

North Texas returned home where we got payback against Denver. The Mean Green defeated the Pioneers by 14, but the game probably wasn’t that close. We had a 15 point lead at the break and led by as many as 23 in the second half. Quincy Williams had 17 in the paint and our advantage down low is what proved to be the difference as we outscored Denver by 20 and out rebounded them by 17.

 

 

The revenge tour continued when Troy visited the SuperPit. We exploded for 90 points and won by 26. Collin Dennis was red hot as he put in a season high 34. North Texas dominated in basically every facet of the contest. Our defense shut down the normally high scoring Trojans and we rained in shots from beyond the 19’9 all night, our rebounding edge was 52-33, and we never were threatened.

 

 

Our luck on the road this season had not been good. So it came as an utter shock when we traveled to Monroe and absolutely crushed the War Hawks 72-40. After an even first few minutes the Mean Green buried ULM early. The War Hawks only managed 13 points in the first half – which was our strongest defensive stanza in nearly 15 years. This game started to make believers of many of the fan base yet again.

 

 

Up next was senior night as the NT faithful had a chance to recognize the efforts that Ben Bell, Quincy Williams, Keith Wooden and Dez Willingham gave to us. The first trio especially will all be remembered for years among the Mean Green nation. The Collin and Josh led the way in the 82-77 triumph over the Arkansas State Indians. The team shot a scorching 55% from the field and repelled a late charge. Ben, Quincy, and Keith all had big games and finished up their regular season careers at the SuperPit in style.

 

North Texas traveled for one last 2 game set to end the conference slate. First up was the ULL Ragin’ Cajuns. We still had designs on winning the West with our 9-7 conference mark, but we needed to sweep the last two and get some help. We couldn’t keep our end of the bargain as ULL defeated us 63-58. The Cajuns led pretty much throughout, but when we were down 12 with 9:08 – the squad made a comeback. We closed within 3 with just over a minute to go, but the deficit was too great. A bright spot for the future was the play of Adam McCoy who had 14 big points. Quincy Williams posted another double double (his third in a row in a season full of them). Nonetheless, this was a tough loss to take, as our Division Championship dreams vanished.

 

New Orleans had been a thorn in our side for the last several years with Bo McCalebb being a Mean Green killer. It looked like it would stay that way as the Privateers took a 40-37 lead to the locker room. Then down 5 with just over two minutes to go, we made our charge. Ben Bell nailed a 3 to tie the game, but McCalebb scored with 1:11 remaining, to put UNO back up a deuce. Collin Dennis then got a hoop and harm as we regained the edge. Free throws by both teams eventually had the game knotted at 77. Collin Dennis scored on a goaltending call with just over 3 seconds to go, and UNO’s shot at the equalizer (which was an open lay up!) bounced off the rim. In one of the more nail biting endings of recent memory we had prevailed.

 

 

 

Our record now stood at 19-10 (10-8), just like last season. We hoped that another magical run thru the Sun Belt tournament was in the offing, but things would not work out quite as well for us this season.
 
2007-2008 Season Recap Part 2
Written by Courtland   
Saturday, 03 May 2008

Our conference title defense began on December 22nd, 2007 with a trip to face the Denver Pioneers. The Mean Green got off to a horrendous start from the field and fell into an early hole. Josh White came off the bench and led a run to keep us with striking distance. At the break we trailed by 7. Collin Dennis was our high scorer with 14, but it wasn’t enough as Denver was clutch from the line in the 2nd half, repelling every run we threw at them. The Pioneers escaped with a 63-59 win, and we were left to seek revenge later in the campaign.

We stepped out of Sunbelt action one last time as we ended 2007 destroying the Dustdevils of Texas A&M International. North Texas grabbed 71 rebounds in the affair led by Justin Howerton’s 13. Every player on the roster had at least 2 points and 1 rebound (Quincy led the way with 13). It was an all around great confidence booster for the rest of the season & we stayed undefeated at home.

The Belt scheduling committee did us no favors in early league play as we again went on the road. This time the Troy Trojans were awaiting our visit and one of the more compelling endings of the season unraveled. Trailing by 6 with less than a minute to go in regulation Dez Willingham cut the lead in half. Then after Troy missed on the front half of a one and one we had a chance to tie. Josh White’s shot was blocked, but on the scramble for the loose ball Collin Dennis hit a trey with under 5 seconds to go. Off the overtime we went. The extra frame was all us initially as NT went up 86-79. Troy then proceeded to go on a 9-0 run to take 88-86 lead. Wooden tied the game at 88, but O’Darien Basset hit three late free throws (he had a game high 30) as the Trojans were victorious 91-88.

Returning home was just what we needed as on January 7th we hosted the Warhawks of Monroe. We jumped on them early and never let up as we posted a 78-57 win. Josh White and Dez Willingham led 5 players in double figures as we shot 51.9% from the field and 55% from behind the 19’9. The Mean Green drained 11 treys in total, one of our higher marks of the season. We improved to 8-0 at the SuperPit, and more importantly got our 1st league win.

North Texas again went on the road for the next game. Arkansas State was seeking payback for losing to us in the SBC Final last year. It was not to be as we led wire to wire, winning 74-63. Collin Dennis lit up the Indians for 30 points – the most by a Mean Green player since the days of Chris Davis. Two others got into double figures and we out rebounded ASU by 12. At one point in the second half we were up 18 and despite surrendering some of the advantage, this game us the tantalizing suggestion that perhaps our road woes were over. This unfortunately turned out to be a mirage.

In our next contest we hosted Division leader ULL. This was a game we desperately needed to get back in the West race, and both sides played like it was a championship type affair. The first half was close throughout, with 6 ties and six more lead changes. The teams walked off the floor square at 35 after Ben Bell hit a remarkable 3 at the buzzer. We controlled the first ten minutes of the second stanza eventually going up 56-46. The Ragin’ Cajuns responded with a 19-8 run, retaking the lead 65-64. The last 8 points of the game would belong to us as we pulled away late 72-65. Quincy led the way with 18 huge points. Despite the lackluster opening, we were now back in the Sunbelt West race. In what would become a common theme this season, every time we thought we knew where we were headed – a change of plans was in the offing.

A flu bug swept thru the Mean Green lineup before UNO came calling. In recent years the Privateers have been a bit of a nemesis for the NT, and this night would be no different. On a night when Sunbelt legend Bo McCalebb would become the conference’s all time leading scorer, we just had nothing left for the second half as UNO dismantled us 83-61. The Mean Green gamely fought the Privateers in the first half, trailing by only 5. But the effects of the flu took their toll near the midway point of the 2nd as McCalebb and company took a 3 point lead and expanded it to 29 with 5:33 to go in the game. This was as crushing a defeat as we’ve suffered in the SuperPit during the Johnny Jones era. Back to the drawing board time.

It was back to the road as we traveled to Boca Raton, Florida to play the Owls of FAU. Josh White was injured late in the first half, but that seemed to fuel Dez and Ben. Bell actually had a career high of 26 in this game as he almost willed us to victory. Likewise, Willingham had 21 in relief of Josh and played arguably his best game of the season. With just over ten minutes remaining Ben hit a 3 to put us up a dozen. However FAU wouldn’t go away. The Owls used a late 18-5 run to erase an 8 point deficit at the 4:23 mark. Final score: FAU 86-81.

We hoped to end the skid when we arrived in Murfreesboro to play MTSU. Things started off well as Josh was back and Dez sparked an 11-0 run right out of the gate. At half we were up a bucket and a sense of dread was in the air with our recent meltdowns. The Blue Raiders made a run right after the break, but we quickly retook the advantage. Kevin Kanaskie hit 4 treys – leading a 20-7 late run as MTSU grabbed the lead and cruised to 69-60 win. Our 3 game win streak had been supplanted by a 3 game losing streak. With conference leading (and undefeated in SBC play) South Alabama visiting the SuperPit next, the season looked on the brink of unraveling totally.

Despite the familiarity everyone has with the OSU program, the best win of the ’07-08 campaign was January 31st when USA invaded the SuperPit and was turned away 70-68. We showed the kind of play that too rarely came out. There were a handful of times when this team clicked on all cylinders – and when we did we were tough. Dez Willingham got pile drived into the basket early on, and was out for the year - with a torn ligament in his knee. Keith and Quincy both got into early foul trouble.

It didn’t matter.

Out bench outscored USA’s by 20 – led once again by Collin Dennis. USA led by 10 early in the first half but we were within six at intermission. In the 2nd NT shot 50% from the floor and quickly took the lead at 42-41. After briefly going up 47-41 a few minutes later, the game ratcheted up in intensity. Neither squad led by more than 5 till the buzzer. After tying the game for the 8th time at 63, NT got a slight advantage. Then Collin Dennis hit a 3 pointer with 1:37 to go to put us up 5 and it looked like we might escape. USA quickly responded and with seconds remaining Demetric Bennett had a shot to win, but it was off the iron. North Texas had just defeated the Jaguars and given hope for saving the season.

At the midway point in league play we stood at 4-5(13-7 overall). But with the attrition in the West we were still very much in the division race, and with a favorable draw come tournament time anything was possible. We had just shown we could beat anyone by knocking off the Jaguars. The season was still very much for the taking.
 
2007-2008 Season Recap Part 1
Written by Courtland   
Wednesday, 09 April 2008
The North Texas 2007-2008 season was largely a continuation of the success of the historic 2006-2007 campaign. The Mean Green again won 20 games, only the 5th time in school history we reached that plateau. Newcomers blossomed and veterans continued quality careers. It was an up and down year for NT as numerous winning streaks & losing streaks were the norm. In the end a return trip to postseason was not in the offing – but we have a lot to be proud of nonetheless.

The Conference Championship from the previous year got the fanbase excited from the get go. Normally the season opener against a school like Cameron wouldn’t draw well, but the crowd for the lid lifter on November 10th 2007, was over 3 thousand. The banners celebrating the NCAA big and conference title were raised to the rafters. Then the Mean Green annihilated an overmatched Cameron squad 106-53. Foreshadowing later successes Collin Dennis, Tristan Thompson, and Josh White all had great games. In fact the entire roster scored. It was a nice warm up for the next game which would highlight our non conference home slate.

The Oklahoma State Cowboys are one of the more storied programs in college basketball history. Their rich lore dates back to the 1930’s when Coach Iba strolled the sidelines. They boast 2 NCAA titles from the 1940’s as well as two Final Four appearances in recent years. The Mean Green faithful turned out in force as more than 6700 fans filled the SuperPit for the clash. OSU brought a big crowd, but Eagles in the stands definitely provided a great home court advantage. The Pit Crew had the old barn rocking throughout the night.

The game started like a heavyweight bout with each team feeling the other out. We had a hard time getting the ball into the paint in the opening minutes and Keith Wooden seemed a bit frustrated. With Oklahoma State up 16-15, White and Harold Stewart spearheaded a 17-0 run that put the SuperPit into a near frenzy. Oklahoma State managed to whittle the 16 point margin to 9 by halftime. The 2nd stanza opened up with the teams trading baskets until a 9-0 run by the Cowboys cut the lead to one. Wooden scored the next 6 by himself and we were off and running. OSU never came closer than four after that and despite tense moments throughout – we controlled the second half. Keith down low and Josh (who chipped a couple of teeth) played magnificently, carrying the squad. Each contributed 25 in the 82-73 final. The signature moment was reserved for Harold, whose windmill dunk in the closing seconds put the cherry on top. The students rushed the court after the buzzer and Josh was hoisted up on shoulders as the celebration continued for some time after the game. Johnny Jones had his signature non conference win.

Following the emotional victory, our next just days later seemed an obvious let down game. Fortunately for us the squad seemed ready and defeated the Indiana State Sycamores 78-69. Collin Dennis spearheaded the charge with 22 points and Quincy Williams dominated the boards with 19 rebounds. North Texas at one time held a 18 point lead in the second half but ISU fought back to make a game of it in the last few minutes. Senior transfer Dez Willingham iced the game at the line and we improved to 3-0 for the first time in over a decade. Confidence was growing by leaps and bounds in the Mean Green Nation.

NT went on the road for the first time right before Thanksgiving and ran into an old nemesis. The Texas-Arlington Moving Mavs once again frustrated us by winning 82-74. Their zone crippled our 3 point shooting and our guards could never seem to penetrate the defense. Only shooting 9 free throws also hurt our cause as our overall field goal percentage was less than desired. This loss stung, as they’ve owned us in recent years. However, by season’s end UTA showed they were a solid squad by winning the Southland conference tourney and qualifying for the NCAA’s.

Up next was the Lou Henson Classic. Our first opponent in the round robin tournament was Western New Mexico. WNMSU made 12 from behind the arc and pushed us to the limit. Wooden, Bell, and White all posted double figures as we held on for a 2 point win, when their last second shot sailed wide.

The host school NMSU was the following opponent. This was one of the more remarkable games of the season. The Aggies blitzed us in the first half and took an 18 point advantage to the break. Things became even grimmer as NMSU increased the margin to 21 early in the second half. Collin Dennis exploded for 19 in just a few minutes as we roared back, finally taking the lead with about five minutes to go. We held on for a 75-72 win. In retrospect, this was really a great win as the Aggies were regular season co-champions of the WAC.

Texas had just knocked off UCLA when we went into Austin to face the top 5 Longhorns. UT got off to a fast 17-3 start and we seemed lost. Slowly but surely we worked our way into the game and would not let the Horns run away with it. White had 28 as he almost single handedly brought us back in the 2nd half. A late run by the Longhorns made the final 88-72, but one had to like our effort after they nearly buried us early.

Collin Dennis and Keith Wooden would sit out our next contest. The game against Hartford was reminiscent of the old Loyola Marymount or UNLV teams. Both teams scored early and often as we had 5 players in double figures. Josh led the way with 24, but Ben Bell had a career high 23. Ben also played a key role late in the game to retake the lead twice after Hartford had pushed ahead. It was really a classic back and forth affair with 16 lead changes and 9 ties. The 105-97 win showed the offensive firepower we were capable of.

Southern visited Denton and blew out of the gate to a 12-2 lead. We picked ourselves up and slowly worked our way back into the game eventually taking the lead at 25-24. From that point on North Texas had little trouble as we breezed to a 79-58 win. Four players were in double figures led by Collin’s 16.

Our last game before conference began was against the Gentlemen of Centenary. Dez led the team with 14 as we won easily 76-54. Tristan Thompson continued his terrific under the radar play going over double figures for the fourth time of the season. Josh White sat this game out and Bell seemed to relish being the true point guard again. Upon Josh's return in following contests - he would move back to the shooting guard and Ben stayed at the 1 spot.

We were 8-2 at this point and looked to be playing very well. Little did we know the valleys and peaks ahead.
 
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