The North Texas Championship Tour Bus arrived on campus and Head Coach <b>Johnny Jones</b> stepped off the bus with the Sunbelt Tournament Trophy in his hand leading the way.  

 

The band and the cheerleaders were there to inspire the crowd and Jones walked through them and the fans to get to the podium. 

 

Jones thanked students, Administration, faculty, staff, community and the City of Denton for turning out for the team’s arrival. He said the players take a great deal of pride playing for themselves but they take “a great deal of pride playing for the university and the people out here. This is why they do what the do” he stated. It was important to the team for them to return home to see a crowd there to greet them.

 

When Jones introduced “the little guy with the big shot” the crowd exploded into applause for Josh White. With a big grin, he said “I really appreciate everyone’s support.” He thanked everyone who stayed with them during the ups and down and the adversities they went through. He drew a laugh from the crowd and teammates when he said “all those workouts at 5:30 and 6 am they all paid off.”

 

Jones then introduced “the best rebounder in the nation” to a tremendous applause by the crowd. George Odufuwa had to bend down to talk into the mike and said “I want to that you all for your support, it’s great.” He thanked the fans that made it to the game and the ones that were not able to make it but showed up for the team's return. He drew a loud applause when he stated “Go Mean Green and we ain’t done yet.”  All the fans and the team got a chuckle when some fans in the audience cheered “A DU FA WA.”

 

The Most Valuable Player of the Tournament, Eric Tramiel was short and sweet. He reiterated what everyone else said and went on to say he was glad everyone could experience with the team what the team had experienced. “Go Mean Green.”

 

Jones finished up by saying the team at the beginning of the season had a goal and that was to win the championship. It was great they were picked to win the West Division of the conference but their goal was higher.

 

To reach the goal the team had to overcome obstacles along the way and they over came them. All season long they did not celebrate after games because they told me “coach we are on a mission.”

 

Going into the championship game of the tournament the team knew it was going to be “a tough game against Troy” stated Jones. The team kept it’s focus during the game even when Troy was getting back into the game.

 

“Even when Troy made the late run” Jones said he felt good as a coach. During the timeout, he knew the players on the bench, he saw it in their eyes, he knew the chemistry of the team and he understood the mission they were on so he did not worry. He knew they knew “they needed one more stop, they understood they needed one more basket, they understood they needed one more rebound and I knew they would come up and do all those things” in order to come home to celebrate with the crowd.

 

Jones played to the crowd and noted when the conference did not put some of the North Texas players on first team there was some added incentive for the players and the team. The crowd booed at the fact some of the players were not on the Sunbelt first team.

 

Jones told the crowd he heard the players talking and they noted being on first team is an individual honor but “raising the banner” is for all of us.

 

The team will be watching television Sunday at 6 P.M. just like their fans to see who they were going to be playing. He does not know where North Texas will play but did note there is a regional in Oklahoma City and New Orleans which would be close enough for the Mean Green fans to get to.  

 

It was mentioned the night before by Athletic Director Richard Villarreal to the North Texas fans that made it to Little Rock, that if three or four times as many fans that made it to the tournament would show up at the NCAA tournament, North Texas can bring a trophy home.