Unanimous!
offer spooky evening activities NEWS: Dorms Page 2 Prof tells how medieval women cut it close ARTS & LIFE: Page 4 Modern music not interesting VIEWS: Page 5
Basketball team selected to repeat as West division champs Page 3
Thursday, October 28, 2010
News 1, 2 Sports 3 Arts & Life 4 Views 5 Classifieds 6 Games 6
Volume 95 | Issue 37
Sunny 70° / 39°
ntdaily.com
The Student Newspaper of the University of North Texas
Former UNT men’s basketball coach passes away BY SEAN GORMAN Senior Staff Writer
W hile the men’s basketball team continues to grow at UNT, the program lost a legend who helped build Mean Green basketball four decades ago. For mer men’s ba sketball coach Bill Blakeley died Wednesday morning at age 76. He had been battling a lasting illness, but his exact cause of death remains unknown. Blakeley led the team from 1976-1983, reaching 20 wins in each of his first three seasons.
“I learned a lot from him. When I first got here we were able to communicate a lot when I first got here,” head coach Johnny Jones said. “He was a friend and a mentor who really helped me with my transition to UNT.” The Willis Point native reached 100 wins faster than any other coach, has the fourth-best winning percentage in Mean Green history at and ranks third all-time in wins with 134. History was made under Blakeley in 1976 when UNT earned its first and only Top 20
Plenty of talent national ranking. w a s de v e lop e d “Coach Blakeley under Blakeley’s was one of the most watch, as three of exciting and flamthe top 10 scorers boy a nt c oaches in team histor y, in the business,” including top scorer at hletic director Ken net h Lyons, Rick Villarreal said. played under him. “In ta lk ing w ith “He really had some of his players, a great impact on Bill was a tough task BILL my life,” Lyons said. master, but one that BLAKELEY “Our relationship they enjoyed the entire time. This is certainly a was more of a friendship than tough day for the North Texas a coach-player relationship. He family, and we keep his family treated us like men and taught me countless lessons about the in our thoughts.”
game and life.” Blakeley also coached Ken Williams, UNT’s all-time leader in rebounds, along with three other members of the school’s top 10 rebound list. The member of the UNT Athletic Hall of Fame continued to impact the program after leaving, as his assistant Jimmy Gales brought UNT to its first NCAA Tournament berth after working with Blakeley for nine years. Before joining the Mean Green, Blakeley coached at the pro level, leading the Dallas
Chaparrals of the American Basketball Association to a 25-36 record during the 19701971 season. “He had an array of experience after coaching in the ABA and I think that made him a better coach,” Lyons said. “He knew how to handle us after coaching there.” Staying in sports but pursuing a new interest, Blakeley became an agent and started Talent Sports International, representing the likes of Karl Malone, Hakeem Olajuwon, Joe Dumars and Spud Webb.
Canales starts new journey as interim head coach BY BEN BABY
Senior Staff Writer When the University of South Florida started its football program in 1997, it didn’t have helmets. It didn’t have a practice field, shoulder pads or a fence. But it did have Mike Canales, who was then an offensive coordinator. Ten years later, in his second stint with the Bulls, Canales, along with former head coach Jim Leavitt, helped South Florida achieve the No. 2 ranking in the Bowl Championship Series in 2007. Now, as interim head coach of the Mean Green, Canales will look to pull off a miraculous turnaround in Denton, bringing UNT back among the elite in the Sun Belt Conference. “Do you see that beautiful stadium being built right there?” Canales said, pointing to the skeleton of the new football stadium. “I’d sure like to be a part of that, because this place is going nowhere but up. This is a gold mine that’s ready to take off.” Canales has made a few stops on his trip to the top, with detours at Arizona, North Carolina State and the New York Jets, just to name a few. The interim head coach has worked with the likes of Norm Chow and Herm Edwards, and provided guidance to players like San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers. In Canales’ office, a signed frame of Rivers by the quarterback sits atop a bookshelf, which serves as a testament to the job he has done as a coach. “He’s one of the best I’ve ever been around, as far being able to get the best out of players, being
able to motivate guy to their best, and relate to them,” said Larry Scott, an assistant coach and tight ends coach at USF. Scott not only coached alongside Canales, but also played for him during his time at USF. Before his coaching days, Canales was a three-year letter winner at Utah State, playing quarterback for the Aggies. Canales earned the nickname “Chico” for his resemblance to Freddie Prinze on the TV show “Chico and the Man.” His son, T.J. Canales, has assumed his role in Logan, Utah, where he is also playing quarterback. “He’s always been there for me no matter what,” T.J. Canales said. “If I needed help with learning different techniques, sending me to camps, taking me to practice with him, he’s always helped. Everyone that I know that knows him thinks he’s great, so I’ve always wanted to be like him.” Throughout his coaching career, Canales has built a reputation as a man who was able to recruit among top schools, snatching talent away from the likes of Florida State, Miami and Florida. “What he did here recruitingwise was remarkable,” said Kevin Patrick, an assistant coach and defensive tackles coach at USF. “Everybody plays a part, but Mike was the guy that really built those relationships with those players.” Despite a difference in time zones and 1,134 miles, the Patrick and Canales families still remain close to this day. “They call him Uncle Mike, they call him Uncle Chico,”
MIKE CANALES Patrick said. “To tell you the truth, I look at him as a brother and uncle. He’s one of the most loveable guys you’ll ever meet. We consider him family. Mike’s one of the most quality people I’ve ever met in my life.” Along with a storied past and a trail of success, Mike Canales is away from his wife, Carol Canales, who currently resides in Sunset Beach, N.C. Carol, who was known to her husband’s players as “Mama C,” was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in September 2007. When the former USF offensive coordinator was offered the same position at UNT, Carol decided to stay in North Carolina to spend her efforts on maintaining her health and would move to Denton if her husband received the head coaching job in Denton. For her 50th birthday, Mike Canales gave his wife a CD containing a song about her. A USF kicker who moonlighted as rapper when he wasn’t punting pigskins wrote the serenade for Carol. Her husband’s caring persona makes her believe he has what it takes to lead the Mean Green.
PHOTO BY ERIC JOHNSON/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Interim head coach Mike Canales walks with junior linebacker Julian Herron after practice on Tuesday. Canales took over See CANALES on page 3 for Todd Dodge on Oct. 20.
UNT, city bring music to kids Lawsuit involves millions BY TIM MONZINGO Senior Staff Writer
Children will have the opportunity to get hands-on experience with a variety of instruments this Saturday at the fifth instrument petting zoo. The event, put on by the Greater Denton Arts Council and UNT, is part of SuperArts Saturdays, a series of courses and events designed to introduce the world of art to elementary school children in grades two through five. “It’s an instrument exploration day for elementary children grades two through five just to give them the opportunity to explore art and music,” said Don Taylor of the music faculty, the event coordinator. The event will begin at 10 a.m. at the Center for Visual Arts and kicks off with UNT graduate students performing in various ensembles for attendees. An important part of running
the event is the students who donate their time to help kids learn about music, Taylor said. “It’s purely volunteer, just out of the goodness of their heart, which is really nice,” he said. “I think it really speaks to their motivation to make a difference in kids’ lives.” Taylor said getting kids involved in music early opens up a pastime they can enjoy for the rest of their lives. “There are a lot of leisure pursuits that are great, but when you’re dealing with something that’s physical, like sports, at a certain age you can’t do that, whereas music oftentimes continues regardless of age,” he said. The deadline for registering a child is Friday, Greater Denton Arts Council administrative assistant Jennifer Wohlrab said, but there will be a walk-up registration table at the event. “We also have a download-
able brochure at dentonarts.com [or] they can also call us here if they want to register that way, at 940-382-2787,” she said. E-mail applications should include the child’s name, grade level, school, home address, phone number and parents’ names and e-mails, she said. Taylor said if they have no other reason, people should come out for something a little different. “I would say overall just to have fun,” he said. “It’s not the usual thing you do.”
Instrument Petting Zoo Where: The Center for Visual Arts, 400 E. Hickory St. When: Saturday, 10 a.m. Who: Children, grades two through five
BY LORYN THOMPSON & M ATTHEW CARDENAS Interns
A nyone who purchased tickets from Ticketmaster online within an 11-year span is now part of a class-action lawsuit regarding allegedly fraudulent fees imposed by the company. In 2003, Curt Schlesinger of Illinois and Peter LoRe of New York filed claims against Ticketmaster for mislabeling fees. As of May 13, 2010, the suit has broadened to include anyone who purchased online tickets from Ticketmaster from Oct. 21, 1999 through May of this year. “[The fees were a] profit generator desig ned to ma x i m i ze Ticket master’s overall profit by obtaining a bottom-line dollar amount on deals with its clients, and had no known connection to the actual ticket fulfill-
ment costs,” according to the lawsuit filed on June 9, 2009. T he d i s put e r e v ol v e s around two specific fees: a fraudulent order processing fee and an increased charge for UPS shipping beyond the actual shipping charges. Attorney Kathryn McCauley, the director of Student Legal Services, said she didn’t know enough about the case to offer her legal advice, but that she is familiar with class-action suits. “A good def i n it ion of a class-action is a type of lawsuit in which the claims and rights of many people are decided in a single case,” McCauley said. The lawsuit holds t hat because the order processing fee was placed alongside other fees, such as the convenience charge, the fee led customers to believe that it was associ-
ated with an actual service. “Consu mers cou ld not rea sonably avoid pay i ng these fees,” the lawsuit reads. “The fees are mandatory and imposed by Ticketmaster on a l l Inter net t icket purchases.” According to the lawsuit, the total amount paid to the compa ny f rom t he order processing fees over the time period stated is more than $100 million. Ticket ma ster ha s a l so been accused of ma rk ing up the price paid for UPS delivery. Nick Torrez, a pre-biology freshma n, recog nizes t he va lue of t he convenience provided by Ticketmaster. “[Ticketmaster] is helpful if you don’t want to get up and go get tickets yourself,” Torrez said.
See SUIT on page 2