SPORTS
Bdayjanuary25.200() THE BATTALION Page9
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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.
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