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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 25, 2000)
SPORTS Bdayjanuary25.200() THE BATTALION Page9 •pan an imp J * Junior forward Jaynetta Saunders f leads the Aggies in her first season BY REECE FLOOD The Battalion [ h her first season with the Texas A&M women’s basketball team, junior forward ^Jaynetta Saunders is already making a major im- •act s one of the most talented players on the team, ^■'he junior college transfer is putting up big lumbers early in her Aggie career. Saunders is ing the team with 103 field goals and 235 jitits tlm season, and she paces the team with 4b points per game. ^Baunders’ immediate impact on the team has mpressed fellow teammate senior A&M forward Cer.i Mexander. ^■‘Shc’s a \er> athletic player," Alexander said. ‘Obviously, she adds a good dimension to our ear offensively, because it’s really hard for peo ple to match up with her. She really helps out re bounding. I think that's something we really need.” ^Kaundcrs leads the team w ith 40 oflensi\ c rc- bou is this year and is second on the team with 116 total boards, av eraging over seven a game. ^IBjefensively. Saunders leads the team w ith 30 stea s and 30 blocked shots. ^■Alexander is not the only one to be impressed with her new teammate this season. Saunders has beei i recognized throughout the conference as an out-landing player, claiming the Big 12 Confer ence Rookie of the Week three times this year, ^■‘ft's an honor to be Rookie of the Week three times because we’ve got some real good people in the Big 12,” Saunders said. “I’m just try ing to pla\ for the team, just try ing to help the team out as much as I can.” Ij^Bl his is not the first time Saunders has experi enced success in athletics. Saunders was a duel athlete at Eastern High School in Louisville, Ky. where she competed in both basketball and track. ■Saunders won the state championship in the high jump in the ninth and 12th grade, and is currently the all-time leading scorer for the EHS women’s bas ketball team. The two-time All-District player fin ished high school w ith four varsity letters. Alter high school, Saunders had to choose the sport in which she wanted to excel. “In high school, 1 was more (interested) in track," Saunders said. “I could have gone any where for track, but 1 didn’t make my grades. So, if I would have made my grades, I think I prob ably would have been running track.” With a new dedication to her school work and strong basketball skills, Saunders decided to at tend Belleville Area College in Illinois, and stiek with basketball. Now able to focus more time on one sport, Saunders had an opportunity to show her taie tal ent on the court. As a sophomore, Saunders av eraged a nation’s-best 27.1 points per game while being selected as a first team All-American by the National Junior College Athletic Association and the Women’s Basketball Coaches Associa tion/Kodak then the recruiting began. A&M coach Peggy Gil lorn was amazed at what she saw while watching Saunders play at Belleville. “When 1 first saw her I said, ‘Oh my gosh, she's one of the best players I’ve ever recruited,”' Gillom said. Gillom was not the only coach after the young superstar. Saunders was being recruited by some of the best teams in the nation. 1999 NCAA Champion Purdue University, University of North Carolina,'University of Virginia and sev eral other top-notch programs all wanted Saun ders on their roster. But there was something about A&M she couldn’t resist. “The atmosphere, the coaches, the teachers, the staff it's like a big family here,” Saunders said. “It’s like a family away from home.” Being so far away from her Kentucky home is still a little hard for Saunders. Her father wanted her to stay close to home and play at the University of Kentucky, but her parents have supported her decision to play further south. “When I said I wanted to go play in Texas, they kind of had a problem with it because I’m the baby, and they don’t want their baby that far away from home,” Saunders said. “But once they met the coaches they felt I would be all right and they would take care of me the way that my par CODY WAGESAI hi Battalion A&M junior forward Jaynetta Saunders is leading the Aggies in points, steals and blocked shots in just her first year on the team. Saunders came to A&M from Belleville Area College in Illinois where she was named a first team All-American. ents would take care of me.” Another reason Saunders chose A&M was due to the negative recruiting by some of the oth er schools. Instead of utilizing negative tactics, Gillom and the rest of the coaching staff focused on what they could offer Saunders, and that is ex actly what she wanted to hear. “They let me hear about the academics, about (how) I'm going to get my education and make sure I graduate.” Gillom did not focus on merely academics. She thought Saunders was the type of player that could turn the program around and let her know what the coaching staff thought about her talent. “We said ‘Jaynetta, you're the one,”’ Gillom said. “I’m giving you the green light; just go and play.” Now that Saunders has carved a niche at A&M, she plans on accomplishing several goals. While she's here, she wants “to be the best that 1 can be and help us win the Big 12.” Off the court, Saunders is quickly falling in love with A&M and said one of her favorite tra ditions is saying, “Howdy!” “That's a real good tradition here,” she said. “Everybody speaks to everybody.” Gillom feels that Saunders is adjusting well to her new life at A&M and attributes it to her character traits. “Everybody loves her,” Gillom said. “She makes friends with all the other athletes. She’s a very friendly person. She doesn’t know a stranger; that's the type of person she is. She’s very' humble and very unselfish.” As far as classes go, Saunders is pursuing a degree in Agricultural Development and is pleased with the fact that the teachers treat her like every other student. “They know you play sports, so they think you're going to slack," Saunders said. “I let the teachers know right then and there I’m here to learn. On the court, 1 play basketball, but off the court, I'm a regular student —just like every body else.” After graduation, Saunders hopes to continue playing basketball in the Women’s National Bas ketball Association. But until then, she will con tinue her dedication to earn a degree and strive for success on the court. f*4 $ 1,000 EVERY HOUR BETWEEN 8AM-6PM (CENTRAL TIME) JANUARY 24-28 (MON-FRI) £ -Log On -Give us 60 seconds see website for official rules Todays Preparation Determines Tomorrow's Achievement As a graduating senior, you are preparing for your future. At Navigant Consulting, Inc., we too are preparing for your future.,. your future as a management consultant. Navigant Consulting, Inc. (formerly Peterson Worldwide) is a visionary consulting firm, creating economic/information management solutions for our clients in the corporate, insurance, healthcare, government and legal communities. Here, we see the big picture... and so will you. 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