Page 8
Wednesday • January 15, 1997
Aggies, Lady Aggies :e
Photos by Tim Moog, Stew
Milne and Ryan Rogers
Aggies discuss six-game skid after 6-1 start
By Jamie Burch
The Battalion
Based on the Texas A&M Men’s
Basketball Team’s mid-season
skid, Dear Ole’ Saint Nick must
have bypassed College Station this
Christmas.
After exploding to a 6-1 start, the
Aggies have dropped six straight, in
cluding their last three to Big 12 op
ponents — the University of Okla
homa, Baylor University, and the
University of Nebraska. Here is what
the Aggie hoopsters had to say about
the setback.
What was the outlook of the
team at 6-1 heading into the
Clemson game?
“It was real positive. We always
look forward to playing top 25
teams. We try to have a good game.
We want to beat them in order to
gain respect.” — Freshman guard
Jerald Brown
What can you judge about
the team based on the
Clemson game?
“In the first 10 minutes we
came out in a scoring funk. We
came out in the second half like we
wanted to play, but we couldn’t
put the nail the coffin. We’ve
played well against highly ranked
teams. It’s a confidence builder. It
makes us physically tougher going
into conference play. Every night
is tough, but it gives us a feel for
the Big 12.” —Freshman guard Jer
ald Brown
What has the team not been
able to do over the last six
games to get the win?
“Against Oklahoma, we didn’t
play. We might as well have mailed
in the score. As a coaching staff, we
have no answers. It’s the only time
I’ve looked at a tape of the game
where the game tape was worse
than the game.” — Head Coach
Tony Barone
“Our problems have been dry
spells. We’ve run into scoring and
shot selection droughts. We can’t
play a 40 minute major college
basketball game and have scoring
droughts for six, seven, and eight
minutes. And that’s been our
biggest problem.” — Head Coach
Tony Barone
How tough were the close
losses to Baylor and Nebras
ka?
“Execution is the key in close
games. It’s the way you win. That’s
the bottom line. There are always
times in a game when players have
the opportunity to step up. It
might be a different guy every
night. When it’s 49-46 and the shot
clock is winding down to five sec
onds, we need the guy that goes
and gets the basket for you.” —
Head Coach Tony Barone
Are there any concerns
about being able to com
pete in the Big 12 after loss
es to OU, Baylor, and Ne
braska?
“As far as I’m concerned, no
one is God — except Kansas.
Everyone is beatable, Kansas in
cluded. You just have to play per
fect in order to beat them.” —
Sophomore forward Shanne Jones
“We don’t look at the expecta
tions of other teams. We don’t look
at sports critics’ preseason polls or
who they say will not do well be
cause anyone can lose on any giv
en night, just like Kansas State
gave Kansas a run for their mon
ey.” — Freshman guard Jerald
Brown
How can the team turn the
season around and start
winning against the top
teams in the country?
“We started preparing Monday
for Texas. We’re just going to get af
ter it. We’re going to leave it all on
the court. It always helps to be at
home. I feed off the crowd. It helps
to play in your own backyard.” —
Freshman guard Jerald Brown
“We have to play 40 minutes.
We have spurts where we can’t do
any wrong, followed by spurts
The Aggies’ Christmas
Performance
December 23
vs. Clemson (L) 76-64
G. Rollie White
December 27
vs. Princeton (L) 46-38
El Paso
December 28
vs. Northern Iowa (L) 82-70
El Paso
January 5
vs. Oklahoma (L) 78-59
G. Rollie Wliite
January 8
vs. Baylor (L) 69-66
Waco
January II
vs. Nebraska (L) 74-72
Lincoln
Highly-touted freshman overcomes
pressures of living up to expectations
By Kristina Buffin
The Battalion
T here is a certain inexplicable
pressure that surrounds col
lege athletics. Oftentimes,
highly-touted freshman athletes
are expected to come in and live-
up to their high school accom
plishments.
However, freshman guard
Jerald Brown, who was named
1996 Texas Mr. Basketball, has
been able to avoid
the pressure make
a smooth transi
tion to the Texas
A&M Men’s Bas
ketball Team.
“It (the pres
sure) has affected
me in little ways,
but it is not an ex
cuse for my play,”
Brown said. “I
sometimes think
about it at nights
in my bed. I think
“He's (Brown)
learning every
game and he's
only going to get
better.''
Tony Barone
A&M Head Coach
about how I have to play well be
cause people are expecting it.”
Brown has played in all 13
games, starting 10. His best game
came against Nebraska Saturday
where he finished 8 for 10 from be
hind the three-point arc.
His three-point shooting this
season ranks him first among Big
12 freshmen in three-point field
goals per game.
Teammate Calvin Davis said it
is not only Brown’s three-point
shot that has helped the Aggies,
but his overall performance.
“He’s doing a lot for the team
right now,” Davis said. “You know,
he’s 6’8”, so he can post up most
guards, and then he can also shoot
the three.”
Brown comes from a family with
a background in athletics. His father,
Jerald Brown Sr., played major
league baseball with the San Fran
cisco Giants in 1975.
Brown said he has always
played a variety of sports, but de
cided to focus on basketball in
ninth grade, when he was hit pret
ty hard in football, and because he
kept growing taller.
“I knew I wanted to play bas
ketball,” Brown said. “I had always
loved the game and wanted to
play in the NBA.”
Brown’s father died of
leukemia when he was five, but
he said his mother has always
been supportive of him and has
helped him over
come the pres
sures of being
one of Texas’ top
basketball re
cruits.
“My mom said
if I play my game,
I’ll do well and to
have fun,” Brown
said. “Lately, I’ve
been having fun
and leaving all
that I have on the
court, there is re
ally no more pres
sure.”
Whatever his approach, it’s
working. Brown is shooting .384
from the floor, averaging 10
points and three rebounds a
game.
A&M Head Coach Tony Barone
said Brown has stepped up in each
game this season.
“Jerald’s progressing as we
thought he would as far as mak
ing the transition to major col
lege basketball,” Barone said.
“He’s learning every game and
he’s only going to get better.”
Brown has only one individual
goal, although it is a big one.
“I’ve set standards,” Brown
said. “I want to win Freshman of
the Year, but I’m not looking to
wards games to produce for the
award. I want to win games for the
team. I set goals, but I perform for
the team first.”
Brown is well on his way to
Tim Moog, The Battalion
Freshman guard Jerald Brown looks for the pass in a game at G.
Rollie White Coliseum.
achieving his goal with his abil
ity to produce not only offen
sively but also defensively.
“Jerald can shoot the ball, and
we knew that when he got here,”
Barone said. “What I’ve really
been impressed with is his de
fense. He’s worked hard at it and
taken that part of his game to a
new level.”
Although Brown is only a
freshman, he already has
thoughts of the NBA. He said that
if given the choice, he would like
to play for the Houston Rockets.
“I would like to stay close to
home,” Brown said. “In the Hous
ton system I would be able to stay
close to my mom and other
friendly faces. Its nice to look up in
the stands and see her nodding at
me.”
where we do everything wrong. We
need more consistent play
throughout the whole game.” —
Sophomore forward Shanne Jones
“The team is staying positive
during the losing drought. It’s
easy to get negative, but we’ve all
adjusted. There are no negative
attitudes. Everyone’s day will
come.” —Freshman guard Jerald
Brown