Andrew Tucker is still a part of North Texas' future.
The Mean Green's plans for the Tyler Chapel Hill running back and two other members of its recruiting class are just a little further off.
Chapel Hill coach Thomas Sitton confirmed Tuesday that Tucker will spend the upcoming season at home working out in Tyler. He will join UNT early next year after the fall semester, a practice known as gray-shirting.
Corsicana wide receiver Christian Hines confirmed via text message that he will gray-shirt. Wichita Falls defensive tackle Dylan McDorman said that he most likely will gray-shirt as well.
Today is national signing day.
UNT head coach Dan McCarney said earlier this year that he expected his second class with the Mean Green to include 23 players.
D.Q. Johnson, a cornerback from Iowa Western Community College, already has enrolled at UNT and is on campus.
UNT will fill out the rest of its available scholarships for this class today. Tucker, McDorman and Hines will receive scholarships beginning after the fall 2012 semester.
"It's going to be good for [Tucker]," Sitton said. "He will be able to get stronger and faster. He has a good strength and conditioning program in Tyler. He will then come in January. He is excited about it."
Hines said via text message that he would use the fall semester to mature physically and prepare to handle the rigors of playing in college.
McDorman said that he will still sign his national letter of intent today.
Gray-shirting players allows a school to secure commitments from more players than it has open scholarships for or to allow players who are injured during their senior seasons in high school to enroll after recovering.
UNT wide receiver Marcus Smith followed that path before enrolling and was named the Mean Green scout team's offensive MVP following last season.
Coach: Fort Bend Elkins CB headed to UNT
Jamal Marshall, a cornerback from Fort Bend Elkins, has orally committed to UNT, his coach, Dennis Brantley, said Tuesday.
Marshall, 6-3 and 185 pounds, moved to cornerback midway through his senior season and excelled. He also was a member of Elkins' relay teams that advanced to the state track meet last year.
"He came on a little late, which is why a lot of schools missed him," Brantley said. "His best football is ahead of him. With his measurements, he is only going to get better."
Men's basketball
Holmen to have ankle examined today
Jacob Holmen will have his right ankle examined today.
The junior forward missed practice Tuesday due to the injury, adding to an already tough situation for UNT, which also has lost Kedrick Hogans for a significant chunk of the season due to injury and three more to eligibility issues.
"It's nothing major," UNT head coach Johnny Jones said of Holmen's injury. "We won't know [about Holmen's status] until [today]."
UNT will face Middle Tennessee on Thursday. The Blue Raiders (20-3) are the last unbeaten team in the Sun Belt at 9-0.
Holmen has already sat out 10 games due to two concussions. He is averaging 4.8 points and 2.4 rebounds a game.
UNT has persevered in the face of adversity throughout the season and has won six of its last eight to improve to 13-9. The Mean Green is 6-3 in Sun Belt play and is still in the hunt for the West Division title.
Women's basketball
McCoy ready for challenge against MTSU
Laura McCoy claimed the responsibility of being UNT's primary ball handler early this season.
The sophomore earned a pretty big challenge along with it - helping the Mean Green handle the signature full-court press that has helped make Middle Tennessee arguably the premier team in the Sun Belt Conference.
UNT will face the Blue Raiders on Thursday in their only regular-season meeting.
MTSU is unbeaten in Sun Belt play at 9-0 and is on course to add to the list of championships it has won under Rick Insell, thanks in large part to its defense.
The Blue Raiders are forcing 22.4 turnovers a game and lead the Sun Belt in turnover margin while forcing 4.59 more turnovers than they commit a game.
"I know that it is coming," McCoy said of the press. "We have been practicing against it for two days and will practice against it for two more days against the boys. We will be ready by the time we step on the court."
UNT has a team of male students it practices against to help simulate game conditions.
Fortunately for UNT, it has prepared for teams that also like to press throughout the season.
Head coach Karen Aston named Texas and Alabama as two of the teams UNT has faced that helped the Mean Green prepare for MTSU.
"We have handled those games pretty well," Aston said. "We are going to turn the ball over with this team. That is pretty much a given. We have done a pretty decent job as far as preparation going into those games."
McCoy has been one of the reasons UNT has fared well in those games, and she is averaging 7.0 points a game. She played against MTSU last year.
"The press is what they do well," McCoy said. "They intimidate people, get them to turn the ball over and get easy baskets."
Knowing what MTSU does is the easy part of the challenge. Handling it is the hard part.
"It's a combination of not panicking and seeing the floor," McCoy said of what a team has to do to handle MTSU's press. "There is going to be someone open against the zone press. You have to work the ball around, find them and attack."
Tennis
UNT splits matches over weekend
UNT spit matches with Oral Roberts and Stephen F. Austin over the weekend.
The Mean Green swept Oral Roberts 7-0 and fell to SFA 7-0.
UNT's lone win against the Ladyjacks came when Irina Paraschiv and Kseniya Bardabush won their match at No. 3 doubles.
Track and field
Sara Dietz fell just short of setting the school record in the 3,000-meter run over the weekend, finishing in 9:54.33 at the Houston Indoor Invitational.
Dietz was 0.53 seconds off the school record and finished ninth.
Steven White finished second in the 400-meter dash in 49.25 seconds and Clinton Collins was second in the 200 in 22.21 seconds.
BRETT VITO can be reached at 940-566-6870. His e-mail address is bvito@dentonrc.com.
