North Texas’ Tony Mitchell is college basketball’s best kept secret
As I sit here in Big Mike’s Coffee House on Hickory Street in Denton, across from my old stomping grounds, I’m compelled to write about a current University of North Texas product who should be getting much greater national attention than he already has.
North Texas freshman forward Tony Mitchell is one of the best kept secrets in college basketball in the Southwest– if not the country. The 6’8″, 220 pound Dallas native is currently averaging 16.9 points per game and 10.5 rebounds per game, both team-highs and putting him among the best players, statistically, in the Sun Belt conference. While the Mean Green are struggling somewhat this season, posting a 15-10 record through the team’s first 25 games, Mitchell is earning attention from college basketball pundits and NBA scouts alike.
Currently predicted to go in the high first round of the 2013 NBA Draft by nbadraft.net– should he decide to stay for an additional season– the former Missouri recruit has the type of explosive athleticism and overall court awareness that could make him an instant impact player in the NBA.
Mitchell originally committed to the University of Missouri late in 2012, but was ruled academically ineligible to compete by the NCAA on January 5, 2011 after failing to graduate with his class at Dallas Pinkston after not being able to pass the Texas Assessement of Knowledge and Skills test required of all exiting seniors. Mitchell did get his academics in order after a year away from basketball and has made a splash on the scene in Denton.
As Tony Mitchell continues to put up huge numbers for the Mean Green, the likelihood that he plays only a season here in Denton becomes larger– as does his value to NBA scouts and his potential draft order in 2012.
For now, North Texas fans should enjoy the fact that an NBA talent is playing at the Super Pit. Trust me, it’s not something that happens all that often.
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