North Texas Mean Green 2025: Complete Roster Rebuild
North Texas Mean Green basketball preview: New head coach Daniyal Robinson rebuilds entire roster from scratch.
The North Texas Mean Green have solidified themselves as a consistent threat within the recently rebranded American conference. Since the 2017-2018 season, the Mean Green have won at least 18 games, including a 31-7 season in the 2022-2023 season. However, they’ve reach the NCAA Tournament just once since 2010 which came off their 18-10 season. They did win the NIT in 2023 and have have four straight NIT appearances. The Mean Green fans have had plenty of taste of postseason tournaments, but now they are hungry for more.
Following a trip to the NIT semifinals, head coach Ross Hodge headed to West Virginia after just two seasons at North Texas. North Texas decided to bring in Cleveland State’s head coach Daniyal Robinson to replace Hodge as the new head coach of the Mean Green. Robinson put together an impressive resume with the Vikings as he compiled a 65-42 record over three seasons with at least 21+ wins in each year. The Vikings never made the NCAA Tournament during that span, but they did participate in the CBI tournament each season.
In my opinion, this was one of the best hirings of the offseason. When you lose a winning coach, it’s simple…replace them with another winning coach. Hodge had turned North Texas into a defensive powerhouse, and on paper, I don’t believe that Robinson is going to have them that far behind this coming year. Let’s dive into why I think the rebuild period for the Mean Green is going to be a brief experience.
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Roster Turnover
The Mean Green lost the following players:
Rondel Walker (Ineligible)
3.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1 steal
Latrell Jossell (Ineligible)
7.2 points, 1.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.1 steals
Atin Wright (Ineligible)
15.2 points, 2.4 rebounds
Moulaye Sissoko (Ineligible)
7.4 points, 6.7 rebounds
Johnathan Massie (Ineligible)
7.7 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.1 steals
Matthew Stone (Ineligible)
0.5 points, 0.6 rebounds (16 games / 5.3 minutes)
Jasper Floyd (Senior) - West Virginia
9 points, 3 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.3 steals
Brenen Lorient (Senior) - West Virginia
11.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.1 blocks
Grayson Allo (Senior) - TBD
0.4 rebounds (5 games / 2.2 minutes)
Baron Smith Jr. (Sophomore) - Oral Roberts
DNP
Tyran Mason (Sophomore) - UT Arlington
4 points, 1 rebound (4 games / 7.5 minutes)
Alex Cotton (Junior) - Howard
1.7 points, 1 rebound (3 games / 6.7 minutes)
Grant Newell (Senior) - Western Kentucky
6.2 points, 3.6 rebounds
Ma’Syn Howell (Sophomore) - Oklahoma Christian
1.5 points (4 games / 3 minutes)
Brock Vice (Junior) - Murray State
1.2 points, 0.6 rebounds (5 games / 3.4 minutes)
The entire North Texas Mean Green’s roster either hit the transfer portal or ran out of eligibility. Skimming through the list, you can see the the talent that was on the team last season, ranging from the couple of players heading to the power conference ranks by following Ross Hodge and the number of senior players that ran out of eligibility.
Given the entire roster change, we’ll focus on the new roster coming in this season.
Returning Players
None
The North Mean Green are not returning a single player from the 2024-2025 season.
Roster Additions
Will McClendon (Senior) - San Jose State
12 points, 3.3 bounds, 2.8 assists
Demarion Watson (Senior) - Iowa State
1.8 points, 2.3 rebounds
Dylan Arnett (Senior) - Cleveland State
11.3 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.3 blocks
Josiah Shackleford (Senior) - Flagler
15.8 points, 4 rebounds, 1.1 assists
Cahmai Crosby (Junior) - Kilgore College (JUCO)
15.9 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists
David Terrell, Jr. (Junior) - UTEP
8.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.9 assists
Cole Franklin (Junior) - Cleveland State
4 points, 2.6 rebounds
Buddy Hammer, Jr. (Junior) - Northeastern Oklahoma A&M
12.6 points, 10 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.5 blocks, and 1.4 steals
Je’Shawn Stevenson (Sophomore)
9.8 points, 2.4 rebounds, 1 assist
Reece Robinson (Sophomore)
5.5 points, 4.5 rebounds
EJ Horton (Freshman)
Curtis Stinson Jr. (Freshman)
Guards
Will McClendon (6’2)
After spending two seasons at UCLA, McClendon transferred into San Jose State for his junior year. In his last season at UCLA, he averaged 4.1 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game while appearing in 33 games and averaging 21.1 minutes. Last season, he took off as he averaged 12 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.8 assists in 24 games. He shot 36.1% overall and 34.9% from beyond the arc. He is crafty on all ends of the offensive floor. He can drive through contact, pop a mid-range shot, and he has a knack to knock down three-pointers as well. I think his shooting percentages will improve on a team like North Texas where he is surrounded by more offensive players. Overall, his main appeal is his ability to facilitate playmaking action. He finished with an 18.4% assist rate compared to an 8.6% turnover rate which was the 65th best in the nation.
Cahmai Crosby (6’3)
Per JUCO Recruiting, Cahmai Crosby was the 40th best JUCO prospect coming into the Division I ranks this season. He absolutely dominated in his final season with Kilgore College as he averaged 15.9 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.5 steals while shooting 36.1% overall and 31% from beyond the arc. He was peaking at the end of the season as he was averaging 21.5 points per game over his last nine, including a five steal game. Ross Hodge placed defense as one of the focal points of his schemes, and it appears that Daniyal Robinson is going to be running a similar system. Cleveland State was 124th in defensive efficiency, so it’s no surprise that Robinson went after a skilled JUCO guard that can dominate on offense and provide strong on-ball defense.
David Terrell, Jr. (6’4)
Terrell Jr. followed up a strong freshman season for UTEP by jumping into the starting lineup for 32 games. During his freshman season he averaged 5.4 points, 1.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and notably 1.3 steals. Last season, those jumped to 8.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.6 steals while shooting 48% overall and 33.3% from three-point. He had some insane stat lines including a 15 points, 11 rebounds, six assists, and two steals performance against New Mexico State. He’s not a true three-point threat as he attempted just 30 shots from beyond the arc last season and he’s shooting just 26% on his career. However, he is a skilled slasher and a dominating ball handler on the offensive end. Coupled with his remarkable defensive capabilities, he will be a strong point guard for the Mean Green this season.
Cole Franklin (6’4)
Franklin transferred into Cleveland State after spending his freshman season in the JUCO ranks at Florida Southwestern. He averaged 9.4 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.4 assists while shooting 43% overall and 37.5% from beyond the arc during that freshman year. At Cleveland State, he appeared in 25 games while averaging four points and 2.6 rebounds. He shot 44.7% from the floor, but just 19% from three-point on 21 attempts. His role diminished in conference play, but he was averaging 7.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.4 steals through the non-conference games. He finished the season with a 3.1% steal percentage.
Je’Shawn Stevenson (6’2)
Coach Robinson was able to lure his budding star freshman Je’Shawn Stevenson from Cleveland State over to North Texas. Stevenson averaged 9.8 points, 2.4 rebounds, one assist, and 1.4 steals per game last season while appearing in 36 games. Coming out of high school, he had offers from Cleveland State, Yale, Saint Louis, and Northern Illinois. Those four schools knew he could be something special, but he flew completely under-the-radar. He finished the season with a 106.8 offensive rating while shooting 44.5% overall and 34.5% from beyond the arc on 3.1 attempts per game. His 4.2% steal percentage was 32nd best in the country, in which it jumped to 4.7% in conference play which was the highest in the Horizon League. He’ll be a huge piece for the North Texas Mean Green this season.
Curtis Stinson, Jr. (6’5)
Curtis Stinson Jr. is listed as a three-star recruit per 247 sports, and he ranks as the 268th best recruit among this season’s incoming class. He spent his senior season in Ohio, but his first three seasons in Iowa where he was named the 2024 Iowa Gatorade Player of the Year. During that season, he averaged 19.8 points, seven rebounds, and four assists per game. Western Reserve Academy was one of the best prep teams in the country last season, and Curtis Stinson helped lead the way. He is incredibly athletic and he fits the perfect mold as a shooting guard/wing who can also facilitate offense with strong ball handling. You should fully expect to see him getting playing time immediately as a freshman.
Stinson had offers from Missouri, Iowa State, Nebraska, Green Bay, and North Texas.
Side note, if any Iowa State fans are reading this…yes this is the son of former standout Curtis Stinson. His father spent three seasons with Iowa State between 2003 and 2006 where he finished his last season averaged 19.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 2.5 steals per game.
E.J. Horton (6’3)
Horton is an unranked recruit coming out of Ontario, Canada, however he was flying under-the-radar. He had plenty of interest from many other strong programs, but when watching his highlights you can understand why he fits perfectly into the North Texas system. He is a strong slasher with some ability to flex outside, but he’s also a great on-ball defender. Considering the depth that North Texas has this season, it’s reasonable to imagine that Horton might redshirt this season to develop.
Horton has offers from Cleveland State, Youngstown State, Murray State, Indiana State, Milwaukee, and many other programs.
Forwards
Demarion Watson (6’7)
After appearing in 81 games across three seasons for the Iowa State Cyclones, Demarion Watson entered the transfer portal. Last season, he appeared in 18 games and averaged 8.8 minutes. He shot 36% overall and 27.3% from beyond the arc. His best game of the season came against UCF when he finished with 11 points and five rebounds in just 11 minutes of action.
His underlying metrics show that in an expanded role with the Mean Green, he could see more success on the court. He finished with a 12.1% offensive rebounding percentage and a 19.3% defensive rebounding percentage. Notably, he also finished with an 8.4% blocking percentage. Watson isn’t going to be a starter for the Mean Green, but he is certainly going to play a valuable role in the rotation.
Buddy Hammer, Jr. (6’7)
Buddy Hammer Jr. was nothing short of phenomenal at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College last season. In fact, he earned the honor of being named a JUCO All-American as a result of his performance. He finished the season averaging 12.6 points, ten rebounds, two assists, 1.5 blocks, and 1.4 steals per game, while shooting 54.4% overall and 43.3% from three-point on 30 attempts. He fits the perfect mold for the style of basketball that evidently won’t change much under new head coach Daniyal Robinson. He’s hyper athletic, a strong defender, and he plays excellence offense inside the arc.
This kid is a legit talent coming in for North Texas this season. I couldn’t find a video of just his highlights, but I’m attaching a full-game highlight where he finished with 24 points and 11 rebounds.
Dylan Arnett (6’9)
Arnett is another former Cleveland State Viking that is following his coach over to North Texas. He had a strong junior season where he averaged 11.3 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.6 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game while shooting 61.6% overall. He’s not a three-point threat, in fact he’s never hit a three-point shot in three seasons. However, he is the perfect traditional big man that is going to immediately slide into the lineup as a starting center for the Mean Green this year. He finished last season with five double-doubles and many more near double-doubles. Here is a breakdown of his metrics:
59.3% effective field goal percentage (103rd)
59.9% true shooting percentage (213th)
11.4% offensive rebounding percentage (151st)
18.2% defensive rebounding percentage (368th)
5.8% blocking percentage (131st)
Many people have probably not heard of Arnett coming into this season, but he’s going to be in a lot of conversations regarding The American this season.
Reece Robinson (6’8)
Robinson is also coming from, yep you guessed it, Cleveland State. Well it helps that his father is the new head coach Daniyal Robinson. This isn’t your normal coach’s son following in his footsteps as Reece is coming off a strong freshman season. The 6’8 forward appeared in 28 games and started 15 while shooting 49.6% overall and 33.3% from three-point on 27 attempts. He averaged 5.5 points and 4.5 rebounds in 15.9 minutes per game. He finished the season with three double-doubles with two coming against Northern Kentucky and Green Bay. Looking at his metrics, he had a 102.7 offensive rating, a 14.2% offensive rebounding percentage, a 17.1% defensive rebounding percentage, 3% blocking percentage, and a 2.5% steal percentage. For a freshman, those are some excellent metrics to back up his long-term potential.
Centers
Josiah Shackleford (6’9)
Shackleford has had a bit of a wild journey so far in college basketball. He started out at Brunswick Community College where he was named a two-time JUCO All-American. He jumped to Florida Gulf Coast, but he didn’t see a ton of playing time as he appeared in 16 games and averaged just 6.8 minutes. Following the season, he transferred to Georgia Southwestern for last year where he dominated once again. He finished the season averaging 17 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.3 blocks per game while shooting 56.2% from the floor. I’m not for sure what happened at Florida Gulf Coast, but Shackleford has obvious talent. He has an ability to not only finish strong around the rim, but create his own offense while driving into the paint. I’m excited for him to have the opportunity to finally show what he can do in the Division I level.
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Expectations
There is a lot of potential for this North Texas team in year one underneath Daniyal Robinson. He brought over some of his best talent from Cleveland State, a couple of standout JUCO players, and other underrated players throughout college basketball. Let’s take a look at what a potential starting lineup could look like:
Cahmai Crosby/Will McClendon
Je’Shawn Stevenson
David Terrell Jr./Demarion Watson
Buddy Hammer Jr.
Dylan Arnett
Robinson has a ton of options to swap in and out among the guards. What I like in particular about the lineup above is, you have multiple players that can facilitate the offense. You don’t have to rely on one single play being the point guard, as Crosby, McClendon, and Terrell Jr. can all fit that mold. Stevenson is locked is as more of a traditional shooting guard, but he’s going to be the best threat from outside alongside with Crosby.
Coming off the bench, you’ll have Cole Franklin, the odd man out between Crosby and McClendon, and Terrell Jr. and Watson. Don’t be shocked if Curtis Sinson Jr. sees some playing time throughout this season because he could be both a nice offensive relief and additional ball handling support coming off the bench. For Watson, his 6’7 height gives him the edge for that traditional small forward position. However, Terrell Jr. provides both offensive capabilities and playmaking options. At 6’4, he traditionally wouldn’t be paired with two other 6’2 or 6’3 players, however, I think running small could be a viable option for North Texas this season. Watson hasn’t had a ton of playing time at the division one level, so perhaps throughout the practice season and exhibitions, he proves that he can slide straight into the lineup.
Locking down the paint will be Dylan Arnett. Arnett was prolific from inside and at 6’9, he’ll be tasked with the starting center role. With both his strong defensive capabilities and efficient offensive skills, he’ll bode well in the American for the Mean Green. Personally, I’d start Buddy Hammer at the traditional power forward spot. Hammer was outstanding last season on the defensive end, so if you have both Arnett and Hammer protecting the paint, not many teams are going to be able to drive on North Texas. Coming off the bench, you’d have Reece Robinson who is going to be looking to build off a solid freshman campaign, and Josiah Shackleford who is vying for his big break in division one.
My largest concern is their perimeter shooting. However, it’s worth noting that three-point shooting isn’t a part of Daniyal Robinson’s offensive gameplans. In three seasons at Cleveland State, the Vikings never finished above 314th per KenPom in three-point attempts. However, with the roster coming in the majority of players took either minimal attempts from beyond the arc, or shot well below the 40% clip. Even with Hodge previously, the Mean Green finished 248th in three-point attempts last year and 128th the season prior. I don’t believe North Texas comes even close to scrapping the top 300 this season. It’s worked in the past so it can definitely work again, but keep an eye on it.
Per BartTorvik, the Mean Green are projected to finish third in the American this season and 95th overall. Evan Miya has them finishing in fifth and 120th overall. I personally see them somewhere within that range. While writing this roster review, I had third or fourth place in my mind. Memphis is going to be excellent once again, and I believe that both South Florida and Tulane have put together solid rosters. UAB is right there as well. However, I think North Texas is equally as solid as either UAB or Tulane, so if I were to pick today, I would say third place.
Robinson is picking up where Hodge left off. He has assembled a talented roster full of defensive minded players, and you know what they say… “defense wins championships”. The Mean Green are going to be a fun team to watch this season and Robinson is going to keep the momentum going.