Understand Hines was also recruited by Tulsa, Florida and San Diego State along with Gonzaga, Arizona State & Louisiana Tech.
Big pickup for North Texas


Basketball: UNT lands solid point guard in Hines

Collin County star chooses Mean Green

08:51 AM CDT on Thursday, April 8, 2004

By Brett Vito / Staff Writer

Isaac Hines had plenty of choices when it came time to decide where to continue his college basketball career.

The former Collin County Community College point guard received offers from Gonzaga, Arizona State and Louisiana Tech, among others.

None of those situations was as enticing as the chance to play for North Texas.

Hines orally committed to the Mean Green this week and plans on signing a binding national letter of intent in the coming days.

"I wanted to be part of making a good team a great one," Hines said. "Playing for UNT is a good opportunity for me. I liked coach [Johnny] Jones, the staff and the players."

Hines, 6-1, 175, averaged 12 points, 7.3 rebounds and 5 assists a game during his sophomore year at Collin County.

The Express finished the 2003 regular season ranked second in the National Junior College Athletics Conference Division I poll and advanced to the finals of the Region V Tournament.

Hines was the Player of the Year in the Northern Texas Junior College Athletics Confer-ence and a second-team NJCAA All-American.

JUCO Junction, a Web site the covers junior college basketball recruiting, rated Hines as a three-star recruit.

"Isaac is a winner and does so many things on the court that do not show up on the stat sheet," Collin County coach Jim Sigona said. "He is a true point guard and those guys are hard to find."

Hines could fill an immediate need for UNT, which has been recruiting the former Dallas Molina standout for several months.

The Mean Green lost starting point guard Scott Roniger early in the season when he left the team for personal reasons.

Jerome Rogers stepped into the starting role and led the Mean Green to the Sun Belt Conference Tournament before graduating. UNT’s coaches cannot comment on Hines until he signs a letter of intent.

"I feel like I can be the missing piece that they need to be a great team," Hines said. "UNT is definitely a program on the rise."

Hines is expected to be part of a dynamic UNT backcourt next season. Shooting guard Leonard Hopkins averaged 14 points a game to lead UNT in scoring. Freshman guard Calvin Watson moved into the starting lineup midway through the season and finished the year averaging 8.3 points a game.

The duo helped lead UNT to the Sun Belt Conference Tournament, where the Mean Green fell in the first round to New Orleans, 91-89, in double overtime. The Mean Green finished with a 13-15 record, its second season with double figure wins in three seasons under head coach Johnny Jones.

UNT failed to win 10 games in any of the four seasons before Jones’ arrival for the 2001-02 campaign. Hines is familiar with a few of the players who have helped UNT begin to turn the corner the last three seasons.

Hines played against Mike Jones when UNT’s senior forward played at McLennan Community College and faced Hopkins during his high school career.

Hines averaged 24 points, 7.1 rebounds, 5.1 steals and 4.4 assists a game at Molina High. He finished his high school career with 481 steals, a total that ranked second all-time among high school players behind New Jersey Nets guard Jason Kidd.

Hines signed with Lamar before transferring to Collin County.

"Isaac can flat out defend," Sigona said. "I think he will have a chance to come in and help UNT right away."

BRETT VITO can be reached at 940-566-6870.