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The Battalion
Page 5 • Friday, January 23, 2004
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Aggies take on No. 18 Texas Tech
Wright looks to regain his form against Bobby Knight and Tech
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By Troy Miller
THE BATTALION
Sophomore guard/fonvard Antoine
Wright was highlighted before the sea
son by coaches and media as the first
true superstar to play basketball at Texas
A&M in recent memory. After claiming
Big 12 Freshman of the Year honors
after the 2002-03 season, it seemed as if
the accolades were
well-deserved.
With an NBA
future on the horizon
for Wright, he planned
to lead the Aggies (7-
7, Q-3 Big 12) to their
first postseason tour
nament appearance in a decade before
making the jump to the professional
ranks.
Wright, though, has had an up-and-
down season to say the least. After start
ing the season slow. Wright finally began
playing to his potential through
December and January culminating in
his 25-point25-point, 12-rebound per
formance in the Aggies’ narrow loss to
No. 10 Kansas.
Wright followed that game with his
worst performance of his two-year career
at A&M with just two points and two
rebounds in 30 minutes of playing time
in the Aggies' 70-61 loss to Kansas State.
“I just couldn't put one down,” Wright
said. ‘‘It was just one of those games. I
can’t really explain it.”
Now. the senior-laden Aggies have a
long way to climb if they still want to be
in the postseason picture after digging
themselves into a large hole by going w in
less in their first three conference games.
“We’ve just got to turn it around.”
Wright said. “We’ve got to steal some
games, that’s what it comes down to.
There’s a lot of basketball to play. We’ve
still got the rest of the conference and the
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Big 12 tournament to play. You
never know what can happen.”
The road doesn’t get any easi
er for the Aggies as they welcome
the Big 12's leading scorer senior
Andre Emmett and No. 18 Texas
Tech to Reed Arena Saturday at 5
p.m. Tech (15-2, 3-0) is currently
riding an 11-game winning streak
that has seen 20-plus point wins
over top-25
Saturday, 5 p.m.
Reed Arena
teams such as
Oklahoma and
() k 1 a h o m a
State.
Emmett is
leading the
charge for the
Red Raiders as they are playing
what many consider the best bas
ketball in the Big 12 Conference.
‘‘They’ve played 17 games
and nobody has figured out (how
to stop Emmett),” said A&M
head coach Melvin Watkins.
“You’ve just got to make sure that
when he gets something, he’s got
to work for it. He really operates.
I think, as well as any college
basketball player playing right
now on that baseline.”
Even with Tech playing its
best basketball of the season.
Red Raider head coach Bobby
Knight said that his team can
change at any time.
“We could be as different
tomorrow as black and white or
as apples and watermelons.” Knight said.
“You just have to continue to be focused
and play as well as you can.”
Even though these two teams seem to
be headed in opposite directions, A&M
proved it could beat Tech after knocking
off the Red Raiders 64-59 last season in
front the team’s first-ever sellout at
Reed Arena.
A&M sophomore guard/forward Antoine Wright chases
Emmett during A&M's 64-59 win at Reed Arena on Feb
That game was Knight's first try at
career win No. 800. He left College
Station stuck on No. 799.
“We did feed off that energy (from the
crowd) last year,” Watkins said. “They
are playing awfully well right now,
maybe the best in the Big 12, so we know
we have to really play."
If the Aggies are to send Tech home
JP Biato III • THE BATTALION
after a loose ball with Texas Tech forward Andre
1,2003.
with another upset loss in College
Station this season, A&M will need a
stellar game from Wright.
And Wright said he always has the
games against Tech circled on his calender.
“I look forward to playing against
Bobby Knight," Wright said. “I want to
beat him every time out. Right now I’m
1-1. Hopefully after this game I’ll be 2-1.”
SPORTS IN BRIEF
Elmendorf returns
to A&M as color
commentator for
Aggie football
Former Texas A&M football
and baseball player Dave
Elmendorf will be rejoining
the Aggie football radio
broadcast team, A&M Athletic
Director Bill Byrne said in his
Wednesday Weekly column
on aggieathletics.com.
Elmendorf, who served as
color commentator alongside
play-by-play man Dave South
from 1989-2001, will once
again provide color commen
tary with South.
Elmendorf was an outfielder
for the A&M baseball team
from 1968-1971 gaining All-
Southwest Conference from
69-71 and All-American hon
ors in 1971.
Elmendorf played for the
A&M football team as a free
safety from 1967-1970, earn
ing AII-SWC honors in 1969
and 1970 and All-American
honors as a senior.
Elmendorf was drafted in the
third round of 1971 NFL draft
by the Los Angeles Rams
where he played nine sea
sons, choosing football over a
professional baseball career
with the New York Yankees.
Elmendorf was All-Pro as a
Ram and finished his career
by playing in Super Bowl XIV
in 1980.
In his two seasons away
from Aggie football,
Elmendorf provided color
commentary for selected tele
vised college football games.
Elmendorf also serves as
managing director of
Miramont Development Corp.
in Bryan, Texas.
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