Frank Monica hosted coaches from the Big 12, the Pac-12 and a few from the Southeastern Conference over the last year at St. Charles Catholic in LaPlace, La. They all came through early on to see his star linebacker, LaJaylin Smith. In the end, North Texas was one of the last teams left that showed faith in one of the elite players in Louisiana.

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DRC/David Minton

North Texas men’s coach Johnny Jones speaks after earning his 200th career win with a 76-64 decision over Arkansas State on Saturday at the Super Pit.

For most of North Texas’ game against Arkansas State on Saturday, the focus was on Tony Mitchell, the Mean Green’s dynamic forward who was giving yet another memorable performance in his breakout freshman year. It wasn’t until the Mean Green had polished off a 76-64 win over the Red Wolves at the Super Pit that UNT athletic director Rick Villarreal turned the attention to the architect of the win — not to mention one of the great eras in the history of the school’s athletic program. Villarreal walked to halfcourt and handed over the latest in a line of commemorative basketballs head coach Johnny Jones has collected in his time at UNT. This one was for the 200th win of his coaching career.

The Advertiser/Leslie Westbrook

North Texas senior Tyler Hall, right, looks for an open teammate as Louisiana-Lafayette’s Darshawn McClellan, left, and Josh Brown defend Wednesday night at the Cajundome in Lafayette.

LAFAYETTE, La. — North Texas bided its time with Tony Mitchell on the bench for most of its game against Louisiana-Lafayette on Wednesday. The idea was that even a few minutes with Mitchell on the floor on a night he was mired in foul trouble would be enough to lift a depleted team past the Ragin’ Cajuns.

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DRC/David Minton

North Texas guard Alzee Williams takes a shot in the lane against Denver on Saturday at the Super Pit. Williams later hit the game-winning shot in overtime.

Alzee Williams thought he was about to watch the game-winning shot drop through the net Saturday as the final seconds ticked off the clock at the Super Pit. Williams ended up being the hero instead. The sophomore guard rushed toward the basket as Roger Franklin’s jumper headed toward the rim, saw the ball bounce long and tipped it into the net at the buzzer to give UNT a 75-74 overtime win and a huge boost of confidence at a time when nothing seems to be going right for the Mean Green.

The News-Star/Arely D. Castillo

North Texas’ Tony Mitchell, top right, and Roger Franklin try to put the stop on Louisiana-Monroe’s Steven McClellan during Saturday’s game in Monroe, La.

MONROE, La. — Only a few seconds had passed in North Texas’ game at Louisiana-Monroe on Saturday when Tony Mitchell hoisted a shot from just behind the 3-point arc that settled into the net. Any drama in what looked like it would be a beating long before that shot fell was gone a short time later. UNT was up by double figures in a flash and coasted to a 68-55 win over a struggling ULM team that has won only two games. Not only that, but the Warhawks are playing without three scholarships and are ineligible for the Sun Belt Conference tournament due to a poor performance on the NCAA’s Academic Progress Rate report. This one was supposed to be walk in the park at Fant-Ewing Coliseum for the Mean Green, and that is exactly what happened.

DRC/David Minton

North Texas guard Laura McCoy takes the ball upcourt against Western Kentucky on Wednesday at the Super Pit. McCoy scored a career-high 18 points as the Mean Green won 50-42.

Karen Aston didn’t need long to pick out the key attributes of her best players in her first season as North Texas head coach. That was particularly true of Laura McCoy. The sophomore is taking on a key role as UNT’s primary ball handler this year. That’s new for McCoy. Shooting the ball from deep, on the other hand, is something that is just part of McCoy’s DNA, a trait that was readily apparent Wednesday night in UNT’s 50-42 win over Western Kentucky at the Super Pit.

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For the DRC/Hannah Dolle

North Texas freshman Tony Mitchell, left, handles the ball as Arkansas State’s Brandon Peterson, center, and Trey Finn defend Saturday in Jonesboro, Ark. The UNT men lost 75-72.

JONESBORO, Ark. — The plan was for Chris Jones to wait until five seconds were left in North Texas’ game against Arkansas State on Saturday, go to the basket and try to send the Mean Green home a winner with a bucket just before the buzzer. What UNT head coach Johnny Jones, Chris Jones nor anyone else could have anticipated was the series of bounces, passes and finally a heave at the buzzer that played out so perfectly for the Red Wolves — and so terribly for the Mean Green.

DRC/David Minton

UNT guard Alzee Williams, shown hitting a layup against Emil Jones and Troy on Saturday, missed last season with a knee injury. He’s come back this season to improve his scoring by nearly eight points a game compared to his freshman year.

Alzee Williams plopped down at the table in front of a room full of reporters at the Frank Erwin Center and began fielding questions that have become familiar over the years. The North Texas guard has a wingspan like a pterodactyl and prowess as a defender that is rare in college basketball, which was readily apparent after Williams held star Texas guard J’Covan Brown to six points in the Mean Green’s loss to the Longhorns earlier this year.

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