At each other, that is. North Texas left town today for Wednesday's first-round Sun Belt tournament women's first-round game at Arkansas State without senior forward and leading scorer Amber Jackson, who was suspended indefinitely before Sunday's loss at Denver.
On Tuesday, Jackson was named first-team all-SBC after averaging 16.8 points and 9.5 rebounds this season for UNT (10-19, 6-12). Her contributions were undeniable in a losing season, but she and Stephens couldn't coexist after a blow-up at a Saturday's workout in Denver. Jackson was also suspended for a short time from pre-season workouts, not long into the fall semester.
Not only is Stephens weary of what she perceives as Jackson's disrespect and poor leadership. On Sunday, Jackson was ordered to stay at the team hotel during the game. Instead, she got a ride to Magness Arena from a teammate's parents and sat behind UNT's bench in street clothes, further angering Stephens.
From the standpoint of coach-player relationships, this has been an awful season for Stephens, an up-and-coming assistant at Rice and Clemson before her first head-coaching job in Denton. Guards Yari Escalera (twice), Jo Hall and forward Brittani Bailey (no longer with team) were also suspended earlier in the season. That's four players and six total suspensions.
Stephens' miscue through all of this might have been being too open about building a program after this season with "her" players and not understanding the fragile, probably immature nature of veterans she inherited. That's no excuse for players to openly defy her, and they should know Stephens isn't the type to budge when they push her. UNT has open basketball practices, so know that this wasn't pretty at times.
Without Jackson, UNT is about as likely to win in Jonesboro as Stephens and Jackson becoming lifelong buddies. If UNT loses, what a pathetic end -- a two-game suspension -- to a career for UNT's all-time leading rebounder.
--Troy Phillips
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