Men’s basketball newcomers fuel offensive rhythm
Reece Waddell | Senior Staff Writer
Six North Texas players finished in double figures in the Mean Green’s 112-82 blowout win over Jarvis Christian University on Friday night.
Of those six, five were not even in Denton last year, showcasing the new recruits’ abilities to score the basketball.
“We want to make sure we share the basketball,” head coach Tony Benford said. “We have some good young talent on this team.”
The offense started hot and continued to fire on all cylinders, jumping out to a 29-7 lead midway through the first half. North Texas shot 52.1 percent from the floor for the game, a mark that led them to score the most points at the Super Pit since 1999.
North Texas freshman guard Ja’Michael Brown (3) hits a three point jumper against Jarvis Christian. Colin Mitchell | Intern Photographer
“It was a huge statement,” freshman guard Ja’Michael Brown said. “People were wondering, ‘How is the basketball team going to look?’ So coming out here tonight and putting on this kind of show for the fans, it was a big thing.”
Brown finished second on the team in scoring with 16 points on 5 of 10 shooting. The freshman also shot 50 percent from three point range.
North Texas junior guard J-Mychal Reese splits Jarvis Christian defenders before passing the ball. Colin Mitchell | Intern Photographer
Benford repeatedly praised the play of his back court during the post-game press conference, and said the tandem of Brown and junior J-Mychal Reese gives the team a serious advantage moving forward.
“Our point guard play was pretty good, and I’ll take my two point guards up with just about anybody,” Benford said.
Reese finished his night with 16 points, four rebounds and four assists. Also making his North Texas debut was freshman center Rickey Brice Jr., who recorded a double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds.
“It felt amazing,” Brice said. “Going out there I just felt like we just needed to prove to the fans that we actually have a chance and will be better than we were last year.”
To round out the offensive onslaught, sophomore forward Jeremy Combs notched his fourth career double-double, scoring 24 points on 10 of 14 shooting while adding 11 rebounds while leading the team in scoring.
Combs said the chemistry on the team played a large role into the success the team experienced Friday.
“We did pretty good tonight but we have to continue to get better every game,” Combs said. “We’ve been together since June and we spend a lot of time together on and off the court. I feel like we have pretty good chemistry.”
Featured Image: North Texas freshman center Rickey Brice (23) dunks the ball to push the Mean Green past 100 points against Jarvis Christian. Colin Mitchell | Intern Photographer
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