North Texas addresses key need with SMU transfer forward Mitchell Holmes
The 6-foot-10 big man is a D-FW native, as he played his high school basketball at The Oakridge School in Arlington.
Oakridge Owls' Mitchell Holmes (13) goes for a shot against Casady Cyclones during the fourth quarter of the SPC Class 3A championship game for boys basketball at Greenhill School in Dallas on Saturday, Feb. 11, 2023. (Lola Gomez/Staff Photographer) DENTON – North Texas lost one of its top players from the first season of coach Daniyal Robinson’s tenure to SMU, its neighbor to the south, this spring.
Now the Mean Green are getting a player who spent last season with the Mustangs in what turned out to be a player swap between the DFW schools. Mitchell Holmes, a 6-foot-10 forward, announced his commitment to UNT on his Instagram account Thursday night. The DFW native, who played at The Oakridge School in Arlington before spending a season at Link Year Prep and two more at SMU posted a graphic with a simple message, “Mean Green” with a green heart.
Robinson indicated earlier in the week that UNT had added a player to its recruiting class. That player turned out to be Holmes, who will make the trip across the Metroplex to join the Mean Green. The move is the latest of several UNT has made in the offseason while restocking its roster following a 19-win campaign.
UNT lost several key players to graduation or transfer, none more important than point guard David Terrell Jr. , who was snapped up off the transfer market by SMU. Holmes spent 2024-25 as a redshirt at SMU, which played him sparingly this year.