North Texas already has the trophies and the nets it cut down at the Cajundome. Now each player will have something else with which to remember a championship season and a trip to the NCAA Tournament — a championship ring.

DRC/Gary Payne

The North Texas men’s basketball team received championship rings for the 2006-07 season on Wednesday. The Mean Green won the Sun Belt Con¬ference tournament, set a school record for wins in a season while finishing 23-11 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for just the second time in school history. The NCAA provides money to the teams that advance to the tournament for rewards for players, funds that are often used for championship rings.

The gold rings that have NCAA across the top in a field of stones arrived at UNT on Wednesday. UNT head coach Johnny Jones and the Mean Green’s assistant coaches wore their rings around the office and players stopped by to pick up their custom-made souvenir.

“It’s an exciting deal for our players and staff as well,” Jones said. “That is the final piece of the conference and NCAA tournaments. It put the final touch on the season.”

Jones knows a thing or two about championship rings from his days playing and coaching at LSU. He has Final Four rings from his trip to the national semifinals as a player in 1981 and as an assistant coach in 1986, not to mention multiple Southeastern Conference championship rings.

Jones took a look at those rings and designs submitted by several companies before helping design the Mean Green’s rings.

The rings have UNT’s 23-11 season record, NCAA South Region and North Texas incorporated into the design. Each is custom made with each player’s name and number on the side.

“This design is one that I thought was really nice and I thought our kids would enjoy,” Jones said. “They are really pleased with it. The ring says it all but is not real gaudy.”

The NCAA provides money to each team that advances to field of 65 that can be used for rewards for players.

UNT’s players will have plenty of fond memories from what proved to be a magical run at the end of the season. The Mean Green entered the Sun Belt tournament as the fifth seed in the 13-team event and didn’t have the advantage of having a first-round bye.

That didn’t prove to be a problem for the Mean Green, which beat Louisiana-Lafayette in a first-round home game and then beat Louisiana-Monroe and Middle Tennessee before knocking off Arkansas State in the championship game in Lafayette.

Senior guard Calvin Watson was named the tournament’s most valuable player after hitting six 3-pointers in the championship game. Junior guard Ben Bell was also named to the all-tournament team.

UNT was a No. 15 seed in the NCAA Tournament, but gave second-seeded Memphis a scare early on in a first-round game at New Orleans Arena. UNT led for much of the first half before the heavily favored Tigers pulled away for a 73-58 win.

The Mean Green set a school record for wins in a season despite the loss.

“These are rings people can hang on to,” Jones said. “I have some championship rings from earlier in my career that I cherish.”

BRETT VITO can be reached at 940-566-6870. His e-mail address is bvito@dentonrc.com