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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (March 6, 1997)
Page 7 Thursday • March 6, 1997 a field trip will be loo or more m sonata (hm) or 'here will be, ; ting at 8:J ' r more info isociation iff): There uise Hansei from 12 to Battalioi non-proft ty events Items ed no ys in afr sired ri deadlines events in What's my ques he newj ingthathas r instance,' the Brazos to conduci oartmentis zstigateam sheriff, said surround- undsofthe ito the ini- ath of Trey lecutingat- riminalof- ommitted, oompieted by lire d Sheriff's 11 theti / it’s ; to dele r i meet ai. r a crimi- :k said, i criminal immitted, [attorneys be classi- ir offense, lal that the ere isn’t a r of Greek of student lar hazin? •aternities, in issue of n the pah their own ght,” Han Aggies' season of learning make for an exciting 1998 O ne of Tony Barone’s fa vorite expres sions is how a team or player “stepped up to the table." The animat ed Head coach uses it to describe a gutsy performance from a player on his team or the team as a whole. And while Barone’s Bunch still has the small matter of the Big 12 Conference Tournament to play, it’s probably safe to assume theAggies’ season is just about over. But before the former Dukey and his charges slide ever so quietly into the off- season, let’s see exactly who stepped up to the table in this season which began with such promise, as well as who may be invited next year. We might as well start at the top. Though fans have often been more interested in Barone’s side line shenanigans than his coach ing expertise, the much-criticized attendance at G. Rollie White has risen 23 percent from last year and 62.5 percent overall since Barone’s arrival in 1991. Sure, it’s not any where near the constant sellout status of big boys Duke and Ken tucky, but for a place with as little roundball tradition as A&M, the constant improvement is an en couraging sign, especially with Reed Arena wait- Sportswriter Matt Mitchell Junior journalism major The Aggies will return three of their top four scorers, but the future is not quite so rosy for their Big 12 brethren. ingto be filled. Barone main tains that he is pleased with the talent level and direction of the program, and it’s hard to disagree with him. What most people don’t understand or appreciate is the damage left by Barone’s prede- cessorKermit Davis, whose tenure was marked by scandal and NCAA rules violations that pushed A&M hoops into the DarkAges. Barone has had to re build the program basically from the ground up, with a dilapidat ed stadium to play in for at least one more season and a program whose history is nowhere near as rich as others. As for the season winding down, the Aggies have by far the youngest squad in the Big 12, with an average age of 20. Only four of this season’s players were with the team last year, and only one is left from the ‘94 squad. Stack that up against a team like Kansas, who has three third-year seniors in its starting rotation, and you begin to see how much maturity and expe rience matter in the Big 12. Barone deserves credit for keeping his kids competitive and focused throughout a trying sea son. The Aggies lost five games in the final two seconds of regula tion, and two more in overtime. But the Aggies refused to quit, showing a mental fortitude that belies their young age. The usual pattern for the Ag gies was to get down early, then fight their way back to put them selves in a position to win. Ad mittedly, that’s not the best way to win games, but aside from one or two exceptions, theAggies were always in it near the end. Barone warns the problem with losing by such narrow mar gins so often is that players start to accept losing. But I have never spoken to a player who didn’t honestly believe the Aggies were capable of winning any night against any team. Amid the defections, injuries and continued misfortune that have been well-documented in these pages throughout the season, Barone prepared his team to be competitive every night against the best talent around. That’s the mark of a good coach. Oklahoma Head Coach Kelvin Sampson, himself a former Na tional Coach of the Year, cites the young Aggies’ never-say-die atti tude in touting Barone “as good a coach as there is in the Big 12.” Turning our attention to next season, we find the familiar adage “wait ’til next year” indeed rings true. Sophomore forward Calvin Davis got the shaft when it came time for postseason honors, as did senior guard Tracey Ander son. Davis, an honorable- men tion All-Big 12 selection, should be one of only five returning sophomores to have been placed on any all-conference team, as suming Colorado’s Chauncey Billups turns pro as expected. The Aggies will return three of their top four scorers, but the fu ture is not quite so rosy for their Big 12 brethren. With the Buffs likely losing the services of Billups, Kansas re turning only one starter, and Iowa State losing its starting five, the Aggies should be primed to make a run as the upper- echelon team in the conference. One thing is certain: Barone is one humdinger of a recruiter. The top-ranked Big 12 Aggies look to upset Sooners A&M will tip-off against Oklahoma tonight in the first round By Matt Mitchell The Battalion March is upon us. Let the Madness begin. The first step for the Texas A&M Men’s Bas ketball Team comes tonight against the Uni versity of Oklahoma at Kemper Arena in Kansas City in the first round of the Big 12 Men’s Basketball Tournament. The 1 Ith-seed- ed Aggies are scheduled to tip off at 8:20 Stew Milne, The Batfaijon Sophomore Calvin Davis works his way under the hoop against a Texas Tech defender. against the 6th-seeded Sooners in a game tele vised by Creative Sports. The members of the Big 12 will duke it out in a four-day slugfest for the right to an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The top four teams in the conference received byes to the second round, leaving eight teams to play in the first round of the tournament. Should the Aggies beat the Sooners, they will advance to the second round to play the Colorado Buffaloes Friday. A&M and OU have clashed twice already this season, with the Sooners emerging victorious each time. On Jan. 25, the Aggies played what is widely considered their worst game of the sea son, getting blown out 78-59 at G. Rollie White Coliseum. The rematch was a decidedly different story, with the Aggies losing in overtime, 62-59. While the focus for A&M (9-17, 3-13) is pro longing its season and giving its young team a taste of big-time tournament play, the Soon ers have more important things on their mind. OU (17-9, 9-7) is a candidate for an at-large bid to the Big Dance if they don’t win the con ference tournament, but its chances will drop markedly without at least one win against their Big 12 brethren. “Oklahoma’s a bubble team for the NCAA (Tournament),” A&M Head Coach Tony Barone said. “Their approach to this is this is an opportu nity to solidify their standing (with the NCAA Se lection Committee).” A Sooner win over the Aggies would do just that. Oklahoma is a scrappy team that hustles the entire 40 minutes, so maintaining focus will be a must for the Aggies. “They (OU) are a loose-ball team — they get every loose ball,” Barone said. “If you are not mentally consistent with your effort, the loose balls will kill you in this game.” One thing is certain. The Aggies have an op portunity to make a big splash at one of the most anticipated conference tournaments in the country. The Big 12 Conference is consid ered by most to be among the very best in the country in basketball. Ryan Rogers, The Battalion Freshman guard Brian Barone is rejected by a Missouri defender Jan. 28. “It’s the biggest athletic event that this Uni versity has been in in a long time simply because of the environment and the interest in the tour nament,” Barone said. “It’s the proverbial “one game at a time.” The excitement is going to be there. We’re just going to throw our hat in the ring and see what happens.” Anderson leaves mark on A&M recruiting class from a year ago that included Big 12 Freshman of the Year Jerald Brown will be joined by Barone’s second dyna mite crop. Having spurned 2nd-ranked Minnesota, six-foot, five-inch Canadian guard Michael Schmidt will bring his Player of the Year credentials to Aggieland, including his 30 points per game and 45-percent three-point per centage. Kansas high school re cruit T.J. Brown, named one of the top 10 point guards in the country, boasts 20 points, seven assists, seven rebounds, and five steals per game. TCU transfer Chris Richards rounds out a re cruiting class that should be con sidered among the nation’s tops. “I think Tony has got this thing absolutely on track,” Iowa State Head Coach Tim Floyd said. “They’ve got the basis with a very good young core of talent and also great crowd involvement to have a quality, big-time program. None of the Big 12 coaches has been dealt a tougher hand be cause none of us have inherited probations, and it takes time to work through those things.” Despite their poor record, the Aggies were true to their name sake and never gave up during the course of a trying, tu multuous season. Barone and his coaching staff should be com mended for putting the players in a position to win, even as the bench got shorter and shorter. The table should be set for next year. All that remains to be seen is who will step up. Senior Tracey Anderson may be leaving but his legacy will not be forgotten. T Rony Angkriwan, The Battalion Senior Tracey Anderson drives against Baylor at G. Rollie White Coliseum. By Chris Ferrell The Battalion Iracey Anderson cannot be replaced. As the Texas A&M Men’s Basketball Team’s season winds down, so too does the career of one of the school’s most productive players. Anderson entered a program just getting over the effects of NCAA pro bation, but is leaving one on the verge of exploding onto the national scene, a change that could not have happened without his contributions. “I don't think you can replace Tracey because he’s played through pain,” freshman guard Brian Barone said. “These two years have been so unfair to him, losing so many close games. [If] we turn those into wins, he’s playing on a top 25 team. “I think this team will be a top 25 team, but without him, it wouldn't have had a chance.” Two years after arriving at A&M via Blinn Junior College, the senior point guard will leave with his name etched in the school’s record books. This year, Anderson has estab lished a new single-season three- point percentage record, connecting on over 43 percent of his attempts from behind the three-point arc. Ca reer-wise, he ranks fifth on A&M’s three-point percentage list, and will finish as the school’s fifth all-time leading three-point shooter with 81 going into the Big 12 tournament. In addition to being an offensive threat, Anderson stands as one of A&M’s all-time premier defensive players. His two steals per game have him entrenched in the third spot in the A&M record books behind only Darryl McDonald and former All- Conference selection David Edwards. However, Tracey Anderson is not a player who can be measured by box score alone. This season, Anderson’s leader ship has been monumental for the Big 12’s youngest team. When guard Derrick Hart was ruled aca demically ineligible early in the season, Anderson was left as the team’s only senior. “It’s been pretty tough,” Anderson said. “I think there was a whole lot more-responsibility on myself, and I think them (the younger players) too.” Head Coach Tony Barone said Anderson’s leadership has been in valuable to the Aggies. “He’s the only senior on the bas ketball team and it would be very easy for him to become selfish,” Barone said. “It would be simple for him to become self-centered. It would be easy for him to look out for Tracey Anderson. Amazingly enough, he never did one of those things. “Seniors and freshmen very sel dom get along; that’s not a match that usually works, and Tracey, be ing the only senior, went out of his way to give those young kids an op portunity to enjoy the season.” His influence helped pave the way for A&M’s newcomers to flour ish. Freshman guard Jerald Brown and Barone both credit Anderson for much of their success. Brown was named the Big 12’s Freshman of the Year, and Barone, who spent most of the season backing up Anderson at the point, ranks third in the confer ence in assist-to-turnover ratio. See Anderson, Page 8 Aggie netters continue hot streak with 6-1 win over Spartans By Chris Ferrell The Battalion The Michigan State Spartans came marching into the Omar Smith Tennis Center Wednesday afternoon, but were turned away quickly by the Texas A&M Men’s Tennis Team who put together a convincing 6-1 victory to raise its record to 2-3 on the season. “It’s good for the guys,” Head Coach Tim Cass. “We’re getting a little bit better in the tighter matches. We’ve asked the guys to go out and work hard. We’ve been working hard on the practice court and I’m glad that it’s starting to pay off.” The Aggies jumped out to a quick start, sweeping all three doubles match es. The duo of sophomore Carlos Tori and senior Robbie Krause defeated the Spartans’ Chris Struck and Bob Kenkingonga, 8-4. A&M picked up a second win in doubles competition when freshmen Gonzalo Anderson and Tony Young put together an impressive victory over the team of Ivice Primoral and Fransis- co Trinidad, 8-5. “We’ve lost the doubles point the last three matches,” Young said. “That was def initely important for us. The Aggies continued their dominance in doubles play as freshmen Corey Hub bard and Gonzalo Anderson won their match, 8-4. Michigan State had no an swer for the Aggies in singles action either, as five of A&M’s six singles players brought home victories. The biggest victory of the day belonged to Anderson. The Lima, Peru native ran off six consecutive sets over Michigan State’s Mark Ja cobson at one point in the match, win ning the match 6-4, 6-1. “It was a tough match,” Anderson said. “This team is tough. I think we needed a vic tory. We’re working hard every match.” The Aggies continued to roll as Krause defeated MSU’s Aaron Murray 6- 3, 6-4 and Aramburo beat Luke Lender 6-3, 7-5. Young and sophomore Brent Horan each picked up hard-earned three-set victories, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 and 2-6, 6-4, 6-3, respectively. A&M’s only loss came when sopho more Carlos Tori lost a marathon three-set match 6-2, 2-6, 6-4, to Michigan State’s Trey Eubanks. Mother Nature may have been the Ag gies toughest opponent on the day, as both teams had to battle strong winds through out the matches. “It affected both teams, so it didn’t re ally matter,” Cass said. “We just need to get used to playing in it. I’ve only lived in Texas for four months and I’ve learned one thing. You better get used to playing in anything.” Cass also said the victory was impres sive because of distractions surrounding the team. The Aggies will travel to Corpus Christi for the H.E.B. Championships. “It was a tough match to play because we’ve kind of got spring break on the mind,” Cass said. “We’re leaving tomofy row, so we’re worried about that. It’s a good mental test for us. I’m glad that we were able to take some momentum down to Corpus Christi.”
