The Battalion
Page 6
Tuesday. November 18,2!
Aggie basketball sets sights on winning
Wright takes over as team
leader, ponders NBA future
By Troy Miller
THE BATTALION
Texas A&M basketball and the
National Basketball Association
aren’t known to have much in com
mon, but that is changing with the
emergence of sophomore swing-
man Antoine Wright.
Wright, projected as the ninth
pick in the 2(X)4 NBA Draft by
NBADraft.net, could be the first
Aggie selected by an NBA team
since Brooks Thompson was draft
ed No. 27 overall in 1994 by the
Orlando Magic.
That is, if Wright chooses to
leave A&M early, which is another
new concept to the Aggies.
“He’s a little more realistic
about it than most kids,” said A&M
coach Melvin Watkins. “He’s bal
anced it thus far and he’s trying to
be able to continue to balance it
without it becoming a distraction
to our team.”
A&M is entering what many
programs have been dealing with
for the past decade since athletes
began to skip college and go
directly from high school to the
NBA. A domino effect has hit the
college ranks as more underclass
men leave school early for their
NBA riches.
Only nine of 29 2003 NBA
first round draft picks had com
pleted all four years of their col
lege eligibility, up from seven in
2002. The number is certainly
going to go back down as more
players leave early.
“You recruit them and you may
think you’re job is done,” Watkins
said. “In some programs you have
so many players come out early
it’s hard to keep your program at a
level you want to keep it at
because you’re constantly having
so much turnover, but that’s the
reality of what we do today. What
you really hope is once they get
into the environment of the cam
pus, the camaraderie with his
teammates, may want him to stay
around a little longer.”
Having young players draw the
attention of NBA scouts is not a
completely negative thing. It has
given A&M some name recogni
tion, something the team would
like to capitalize on this season in
recruiting.
“I’ve been allowing NBA guys
come to our practices, which 1 used
to do at Charlotte,” Watkins said.
“We haven’t had very many NBA
guys that want to come down to
our practices, and then all of a sud
den now they want to come.”
Sure everyone knows they are
in College Station to see Wright,
but the rest of the team loves the
opportunity to practice in front of
professional stouts, possibly mak
ing a name for themselves.
That aspect just makes the team
work harder in practice, which
could pay dividends on the court
come game time.
“I think it helps everybody,”
Wright said. “A lot of guys on our
team might have a shot down the
road. 1 think it just pushes every
body to play harder.”
But for Wright, the draft is a
long way off and he still has a full
season ahead of him with the
Aggies. Who knows though,
Wright may stay for another sea
son after all is said and done.
But one thing is certain: If the
Sharon Aeschbach • THE BATTALION
Sophomore swingmon Antoine Wright goes up for a jumpshot during the
Aggies exhibition game win against Team ezybonds last Wednesday.
Aggies want to make it to the post
season for the first time since
1987, Wright is the horse who will
carry them there.
“1 haven’t really thought about
(the draft),’’ Wright said. “It seems
like more people are asking about
it than I am thinking about it. Right
now I'm just focused on getting us
to the (NCAA) tournament.”
Aggies set for run
post-season action
By Troy Miller
THE BATTALION
After its first non-losing season in eight seasons,
Texas A&M basketball team is setting its sights
something bigger: it’s first NCAA Tournamentk
since 1987.
Despite a talented ball club that began the2002m
8-3, chemistry seemed to be a problem late in theses
as the Aggies lost six of their last eight games to finish!
season at 14-14. Phis season, chemistry figures to lie
thing of the past after the team spent 10 days touringM
this summer.
“The chemistry started there, and when we came hi
we were a lot more competitive,” said sophoro
guard/forward Antoine Wright. “Our practices are a
more like games, and the chemistry is starting tom
along real well.”
Along with the new chemistry is a newf attitude
past. Aggie teams would die emotionally when
didn't go their way on the court.
As seen in preseason exhibitions this year, theAgp
have a newfound positive attitude throughout ballgare
and. surprisingly, actually look like they are having fat
“A lot of times last year we would get into stall
late in a game, like teams coming back, our alii I
would go down and guys would start blaming
guys," Wright said. “This year as a team I think we am
lot more close. We have a lot more focus and alone
ready to take the coaching.”
This is easily the deepest team the Aggies
ed since head coach Melvin Watkins came to
Station six seasons ago to take over a program in the ft
lar of the Big 12 Conference.
Even though the Aggies lost four starters to grade
tion from a year ago, including all-time A&M If
scorer Bernard King. Watkins believes this team
his best yet.
“Being able to compare what we did in the pa
what we did last year 1 feel this is going to be a
team,” Watkins said. “We’re excited, but you
go out and prove it.”
Everyone knows about Wright, an ESPN Prese;
All-Big 12 selection, coming into the season, butheto
Blair on mission to raise support for A&M women
By Eric Ambroso
THE BATTALION
Texas A&M women’s basketball
coach Gary Blair wants to raise fan sup
port and expectations for the Aggie
women’s basketball team as it begins its
regular season against LaSalle Nov. 22 in
Boston.
As he is beginning his first season as
head basketball coach for the Aggies,
Blair said gaining the support of the fans
is a major part of creating a winning
atmosphere for the team.
“I want to change attitudes,” Blair
said. “I want the fans to show up 30 or 40
minutes before the game and get into the
atmosphere. This isn’t the movie at the
Hollywood Theater where you show up
at game time. You get ready, you prepare
and you come early like basketball fans,
like football fans.”
In his first months in Aggieland, Blair
has done much more behind the scenes
than just coach.
He passed out sausages on a stick at
women’s soccer games and became the
first Aggie coach to activate his roster
spot in the 12th Man Team Rewards pro
gram, attending more than 15 Aggie
sporting events.
He also started the “Junior Aggie
Club” for children under 14 years old.
For $15 they get tickets to all home
games, a T-shirt, a newsletter and admis
sion to clinic sessions with the players
and coaches.
soccer are doing
1 think we can do
This isnt the movie at
the Hollywood Theater
where you show up at game
time. You get ready, you
prepare and you come early
like basketball fans, like
football fans.
— Gary Blair
A&M women's basketball coach
“On the women’s side you have to do
more than just coach the game,” Blair
told the 12th Man Magazine. “You’ve got
to be everywhere. I think we’re in the
grassroots stages of it. When I can see
what volleyball and
marketing-wise, then
the same thing.”
While the A&M women’s soccer team
ranks first in attendance in the Big 12
conference, the women’s basketball team
has not had much fan support. The team
needs the same kind of support the Aggie
fans show their football and baseball
teams, Blair said.
“They’re showing up for every other
sport, but we need them right now,” Blair
said. “We need that sixth man or that
12th man. We need people to help us
fight through while we learn the game the
correct way.”
Blair has proven successful in his
previous stops as well, creating excite
ment among teams he’s coached for the
possibilities.
He was the head coach of the
Arkansas women’s basketball team for
10 seasons before coming to A&M. He
has been to 11 NCAA Tournaments and
has a winning percentage of 71 percent in
his 18 years of coaching at Arkansas and
Stephen F. Austin. He led the Razorbacks
to the Final Four in 1998.
Senior Toccara Williams said she is
See Women's on page 7
JP Beato III • THE I
Senior point guard Toccarra Williams led the Big 12 in steals last year and I
repeat her defensive prowess from a year ago under new coach Gary Blair.
A&M BASKETBALL SCHEDULE CORNER
TEAMS AT A GLANCE
Men's basketball schedule Women's basketball schedule
Nov. 24
Arkansas-Fine Bluff
7 p.m.
Nov. 22
at LaSalle (Boston)
12 p.m.
Nov. 26
Alabama A&M
7 p.m.
Nov. 23
at Boston/Florida (Boston)
TBA
Nov. 29
Prairie View A&M
3 p.m.
Nov. 28
at Minnesota (Bahamas)
1 p.m.
Dec. 2
at Tennessee
6 p.m.
Nov. 29
at USC/Seton Hall (Bahamas) TBA
Dec. 6
at Oakland
5 p.m.
Dec. 3
Arkansas-Little Rock
7 p.m.
Dec. 13
A&M-Corpus Christi
7 p.m.
Dec. 6
North Texas
2 p.m.
Dec. 18
at UTSA
8 p.m.
Dec. 13
McNeese State
2 p.m.
Dec. 21
Grambling
7 p.m.
Dec. 17
Louisiana-Monroe
7 p.m.
Dec. 27
at Houston
7:30 p.m.
Dec. 21
Marshall
2:30 p.m.
Jan. 3
at Louisiana Monroe
7 p.m.
Dec. 30
Houston
7 p.m.
Jan. 6
Long Island
7 p.m.
Jan. 3
Texas State
2 p.m.
Jan. 10
*at Missouri
12:30 p.m.
Jan. 7
‘at Oklahoma State
7 p.m.
Jan. 17
‘Kansas
3 p.m.
Jan. 10
‘Baylor
2:30 p.m.
Jan. 21
*at Kansas State
7 p.m.
Jan. 14
‘Oklahoma
7 p.m.
Jan. 24
‘Texas Tech
5 p.m.
Jan. 17
‘at Nebraska
7:05 p.m.
Jan. 28
‘at Iowa State
6:30 p.m.
Jan.21
‘at Colorado
8 p.m.
Jan. 31
‘Texas
12:30 p.m.
Jan. 25
Texas
2:30 p.m.
Feb. 3
‘Oklahoma State
7 p.m.
Jan. 28
‘at Texas Tech
7 p.m.
Feb. 7
‘at Baylor
5 p.m.
Jan.31
‘Iowa State
7 p.m.
Feb. 11
‘Nebraska
7 p.m.
Feb. 4
‘Oklahoma State
7 p.m.
Feb. 14
‘Oklahoma
12:30 p.m.
Feb. 7
‘at Oklahoma
12 p.m.
Feb. 18
‘at Texas
8 p.m.
Feb. 11
‘at Texas
7 p.m.
Feb. 21
‘at Texas Tech
3 p.m.
Feb. 14
‘Texas Tech
7 p.m.
Feb. 25
‘Baylor
7 p.m.
Feb. 18
‘Kansas State
7 p.m.
Feb. 28
‘Colorado
12:30 p.m.
Feb. 21
‘at Kansas
7 p.m.
Mar. 3
‘at Oklahoma
8 p.m.
Feb. 28
‘at Baylor
7 p.m.
Mar. 6
‘at Oklahoma St.
12:30 p.m.
Mar. 3
‘Missouri
7 p.m.
*Big 12 Conference game
*Big 12 Conference game
Men's roster
Women's roster
No.
Name.
Pos.
Cl-Exp
No.
Name
Pos.
Cl-E*f
1
Acie Law
G
Fr-HS
1
Toccara Williams G
Sr-J
3
Jessie King
F/G
Sr-3L
2
Carol Price
P
Sr-S!
5
Nick Anderson
F
Sr-2L
3
Charlotte Castile G
Jr-li
10
Leandro Garcia-Morales
G
4
Janae Derrick
F
Sr-3i
Sr-1 L
12
Mindy Garrison
G
Jr-2I
11
Luis Clemente
F
So-RS
13
Amanda Blankenstein
G/F
12
Dylan Leal
G
Sr-3L
Fr-HS
21
Antoine Wright
F/G
So-1 L
15
Jamila Ganter
G
Fr-HS
22
Kevin Turner
G
Sr-1 L
20
Erica Roy
G
So-IF
23
LaKeith Blanks
F
Fr-HS
22
Jennifer Wilks
F
Fr-HS
30
Bobby Leach
G
Jr-TR
23
D’Nika Romero
G
Jr-1F
32
Marcus Watkins
G
So-1 L
30
Tamea Scales
G/F
So!
33
Justin Loewe
G
Fr-HS
31
Melissa Picone
G/F
So4
42
Marlon Pompey
F
Fr-HS
40
Oqadi Chinweze P
Fr-HS
50
Andy Slocum
C
Sr-3L
55
Lynn Classen
P
Sr-3l
Melvin Watkins
• Seventh year overall
• Fifth year at Texas A&M
• Overall record:
95-111
• Record at A&M:
53 - 91
• Two NCAA appearances