December 25, 1998
After a nine-day break for Christmas, the Texas A&M Aggies (7-2) will play the Southern Jaguars (5-2) on Monday at 7 p.m. (Central) at the F.G. Clark Activity Center in Baton Rouge, La. The Aggies are coming off a tough 96-91 triple-overtime loss to Arizona State at home on Dec. 19 while Southern has been idle since a 73-50 loss to Rice in Houston on Dec. 20. The game is A&M's final non-conference matchup. The Aggies open Big 12 play against Kansas on Saturday, Jan. 2 in Lawrence, Kan. (7 p.m.). A win against Southern would make A&M 8-2, its best start since 1978-79, when the Aggies started the season 9-1 and were ranked No. 10 nationally.
About the Jaguars
Southern returns four starters and nine lettermen from last year's team that finished 14-13 overall and tied for third in the Southwestern Athletic Conference at 10-6. Senior guard Dionte Harvey (6-4), the preseason SWAC Player of the Year, leads the Jaguars with a 19.7 scoring average, while senior forward Adarrial Smylie (6-7), a first-team All-SWAC pick with Harvey last year, is averaging 15.9 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. Senior forward Aaron Bates (6-5) is averaging 18.4 points and leads the nation is steals (4.4). Point guard Devan Clark (6-0) ranks fourth nationally in assists at 7.6 per game.
The Series
The Aggies lead the series against Southern, 1-0. The only previous meeting between the schools came last year in College Station, with A&M posting an 80-67 victory. A&M is 13-0 all-time against current members of the Southwestern Athletic Conference.
Injury Report
Junior forward Jason Boeker (bruised knee caps, probable); junior guard/forward Jerald Brown (sprained right ankle, probable); sophomore guard T.J. Brown (dislocated right index finger, probable); junior forward Paul Jacobs (left ankle sprain, doubtful); senior Shanne Jones (left ankle sprain, probable); freshman guard Shelton Wise (sprained left ankle, probable).
Coach Watkins
Melvin Watkins (North Carolina Charlotte `77) is in his first season as head coach at Texas A&M, where he is 7- 2. Watkins' 7-1 start was the best by an A&M rookie coach since Tubby Graves started the 1915-16 season 11-0 before finishing 11-2 in his only season as head coach. The 44-year-old Watkins was hired as A&M's 18th head coach on April 1, 1998, after a quarter of a century as a player, assistant coach and head coach at his alma mater, North Carolina Charlotte. In two years as the 49ers' head coach, Watkins built a 42-20 record, posted consecutive 20-win seasons and NCAA Tournament berths and won two first-round NCAA games. In the second round in 1998, the 49ers pushed top-seeded North Carolina to overtime before falling. Before being named UNCC's head coach in 1996, Watkins served as an assistant there for 18 years. He graduated from UNCC in 1977 with a degree in economics after leading the team to the NCAA Final Four along with teammate Cedric Maxwell. In 1976, the 49ers made the NIT finals. Watkins was a part of all 10 postseason appearances in UNCC history as either a player or coach. Watkins was a prep All-America center at Reidsville (N.C.) High School.
WATKINS' RECORD Year School W-L 1996-97 UNC Charlotte# 22- 9 1997-98 UNC Charlotte 20-11 1998-99 Texas A&M 7- 2 Career Totals (3rd year) 49-22 UNCC Totals (2 years) 42-20 Texas A&M Totals (1st year) 7- 2 NCAA Tournament Record 2- 2 #Conference USA Ray Meyer Coach of the Year
COACHING STAFF
Tom Billeter (Illinois `83), came from St. John's; Lew Hill (Wichita State `87), came from East Carolina; Bobby Kummer (UNCC `96), came from UNCC.
Watkins Says
(on Southern): "Southern is a very athletic team with some very good guards. They are among the best teams in their conference and we're going into their place after the break, so it will be a very strong challenge for us. We'd surely like to get another win and get a little momentum heading into conference play next week. We just want to continue to get better each week."
Last Year's Game
A&M went on a 17-0 scoring run in the final seven minutes to post a come-from-behind 80-67 victory against Southern on Dec. 1, 1997 in College Station. The win improved A&M to 4-0, its best start since 1981. Southern dropped to 1-1. The Jaguars led by as many as 13 points in the first half before settling for a 43-37 lead at halftime. The Aggies came back to take a 63-59 lead with 9:21 left in the game, but Southern responded with an 8-0 run for a 67-63 lead with 7:06 remaining. But that would be the Jaguars final points of the night as the Aggies posted a shutout the rest of the game to ice the victory. Shanne Jones led the Aggies with 25 points, while Calvin Davis added 18. Jerald Brown scored 13 points with a career-high 15 rebounds, his first career double-double. Larry Thompson was the only other Aggie in double figures, finishing with 10 points, while Brian Barone contributed a career-high nine assists with no turnovers. Dionte Harvey led Southern with 16 points while Ronnell Williams and Aaron Bates each scored 15 points. The Aggies struggled from the field, making just 37.7 percent, including an ice-cold 2-of-17 from three-point range. The Jaguars made 50.0 percent from the field in the first half but only 32.3 percent in the second half, finishing at 41.5 percent for the game. A&M posted a huge 58-37 rebounding advantage, its largest margin of the season.
Texas A&M 80, Southern 67 Dec. 1, 1997 * College Station, Texas Southern FG 3PT FT A REB PTS Harvey f 5-15 2-9 4-4 2 4 16 Williams f 7-14 0-0 1-3 3 5 15 Martin c 0-0 0-0 0-4 1 7 0 Davis g 3-8 1-5 0-0 6 2 7 Bates g 6-16 3-7 0-0 0 2 15 Barlow 0-0 0-0 0-0 1 4 0 Poe 3-6 2-3 0-0 2 4 8 Clark 3-5 0-1 0-0 5 1 6 Lamb 0-1 0-0 0-1 0 1 0 Grant 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 Totals 27-65 8-25 5-12 20 37 67 Texas A&M FG 3PT FT A REB PTS Davis f 5-10 0-0 8-9 0 9 18 Jones f 9-16 0-0 7-13 0 7 25 Thompson c 4-9 0-0 2-2 1 8 10 Houston g 3-10 0-1 1-2 3 10 7 J. Brown g 5-18 1-8 2-4 3 15 13 Clayton 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 Barone 0-0 0-0 0-0 9 0 0 Schmidt 2-12 1-8 0-0 3 4 5 Richards 1-2 0-0 0-0 0 1 2 Totals 29-77 2-17 20-30 19 58 80 Halftime: SU 43, A&M 37 FG Pct.: SU 41.5, A&M 37.7 3-Pt. Pct.: SU 32.0, A&M 11.8 FT Pct.: A&M 66.7, SU 41.7 Turnovers: SU 19 (Clark, Davis 4), A&M 14 (Thompson 6) Blocks: A&M 5 (Thompson 3), SU 3 (Martin 2) Steals: A&M 7 (Davis, Jones 2), SU 7 (Bates, Clark 2) Attendance: 2556 Officials: Boudreaux, Valentine, Hillary
Reed Arena
The Aggies had a successful debut in Reed Arena on Nov. 13, posting an 80-59 victory against North Texas. A&M is 5-1 at Reed this season after Arizona State handed the Aggies their first home loss of the season, 96-91 in triple overtime, on Dec. 19. The Aggies moved into the 12,500-seat, $36 million facility this year after 44 seasons at G. Rollie White, where they played 493 games and built a record of 345-148 (.700). The overall size of the building is 230,000 square feet with 177,821 square feet of assignable space. The arena floor measures 25,000 square feet. Major events already held at Reed include the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus, Aggie Muster, graduation ceremonies and concerts by Shania Twain, Garth Brooks, Clay Walker and the Dixie Chicks. The arena is named for Houston veterinarian Chester J. Reed, a 1947 graduate of A&M, and his wife, Billie Jean. In 1986, the Reeds contributed 265 acres of undeveloped land west of Houston to the university, forming the endowment used to operate the facility. Ground was broken in September 1995 and the project was completed in April 1998 in time for Aggie Muster.
Pain in the Back
Coach Melvin Watkins received plenty of bad news in the fall as senior forward Calvin Davis and senior center Dario Quesada failed to make in back from injuries suffered last year. Davis was an All-Big 12 pick as a sophomore and was off to a great start last year before suffering a herniated disk in the conference opener last year against Oklahoma State. Davis re-injured the back in the summer and had surgery for the second time in September. Davis will not play this season and the injury could threaten the rest of his career. Quesada suffered a bulging disk in his back in September 1997 and missed all of last season after starting in 45 games the previous two years.
Come Back Shanne
Senior forward Shanne Jones, the top returning scorer in the Big 12, is averaging 16.3 points (56.5 percent from field) and a team-best 6.6 rebounds per game despite a five-point outing against Stephen F. Austin that ended a 31-game double-figures scoring streak. Jones has scored in double figures in 53 of 63 career games at A&M, including 39 of his last 40. Against Sam Houston State, Jones posted his first double-double of the year and the seventh of his career with 15 points and a career-best 14 rebounds. Jones scored 24 against Centenary, moving him past the 1,000-point mark in his career (including his freshman year at Stetson). In 90 career games, Jones has scored with a total of 1,102 points. Jones has scored 939 points in 63 games at A&M, an average of 14.9 per game, tying for the 10th best average in school history. Jones needs 61 points to become the 24th 1,000-point scorer in A&M history.
Home Cookin'
Junior point guard Clifton Cook, nicknamed "Fats," is an early candidate for Big 12 Newcomer of the Year honors. Cook, a transfer from Howard Junior College, is second on the team lead in scoring (16.3), rebounding (5.6) and three-point percentage (33.3 percent, 15-45) and leads the team in assists (7.0) and steals (2.9). Cook ranks second in the Big 12 in assists and is ranked 11th nationally. He is tied for third in the Big 12 in steals. Cook scored 12 points with 10 assists against North Texas in the opener, the first-ever double- double by an A&M point guard in his first game. Against Lamar, Cook scored a career-high 27 points, tied his career-best with seven rebounds and made 3-of-5 three-pointers. As a result, Cook was named Big 12 Rookie of the Week by a panel of media covering Big 12 basketball. Against Oral Roberts, Cook scored 25 points and made 3-of-4 three-pointers, including one with five seconds remaining in regulation to send the game into overtime. Cook nailed another trey to tie the game with 19 seconds left in the overtime, but ORU came back to win with a trey of their own with two seconds left. Against Centenary, Cook scored 12 points with 14 assists and six steals. The 14 assists was just one shy of the school single-game record. In the second half of that game, he handed out 10 assists with no turnovers, just one assist short of the Big 12 record for one half. In the triple overtime loss to Arizona State, Cook scored 16 points with six rebounds, 13 assists and five steals.
Jacobs Impresses
Like Cook, junior forward Paul Jacobs has already made an impact on the Aggies. Jacobs is averaging 6.8 points and 5.1 rebounds while making 73.7 percent (14-of-19) from the line. However, Jacobs sprained his left ankle in the shoot-around the day of the Arizona State game and did not play. He is listed as doubtful for the Southern game. Against Stephen F. Austin, Jacobs scored 14 points with six boards and two blocks and made 8-of-10 free throws. In the opener against North Texas, he posted a double-double in his first Division I game with 10 points and 10 rebounds. He scored his second double-double against Oral Roberts with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
C.C. Rides It
Senior guard Chris Clayton, who missed much of last season with a broken foot, has started his senior season in excellent form. Clayton is averaging 11.4 points and a team-best 2.3 three-pointers per game (29.6 percent). Clayton is fighting a shooting slump, making just 2-of-20 from three-point range in the last two games. Clayton nailed the game-winning three-pointer against Sam Houston State (73-70) with eight seconds left and in the win against Alabama, he scored a career-high 24 points and made 6-of-13 three-pointers, including 5-of-7 in the second half. Clayton's six treys tied for the fifth most in school history while his 13 attempts tied the school record. Against Centenary, Clayton scored 18 points and made 3-of-8 treys. He has scored in double figures in five games this season. Clayton was the team's leading scoring on the Aggies' European Tour in August, averaging 20.6 points and making 58.1 percent of his three-pointers (5.0 per game) from the international distance.
Jack the Knife
Sophomore forward Aaron Jack started his only game of the year against Oral Roberts and scored six points with four boards before fouling out in the second half. Jack is averaging 6.2 points and 4.9 rebounds while making 58.3 percent (18-of-33) from the field and 73.7 percent (14-of-19). from the line. Jack ranks fifth in the Big 12 in field goal percentage. Jack's father, Bobby Jack, was an All-Big Eight forward at Oklahoma in 1972. Jack transferred to A&M in 1997 after two injury-plagued years at Penn State. He became eligible last December and averaged 8.3 points and 6.5 boards per game.
Better Boeker
Junior forward Jason Boeker, a 6-8 walk-on from Houston, came off the bench to help spark the Aggies' win against Lamar. Boeker played just 12 minutes but posted a career-high five rebounds and blocked a shot. In his 12 minutes, the Aggies out-scored the Cardinals by 15 points. Against Centenary, Boeker played just four minutes, but shutout the Gents' top scorer, Ed Dotson, who scored a game-high 25 points when Boeker was not in the game. Aaron Jack Says: "Jason is one of the hardest workers on the team. He gave us some quality minutes against Lamar and that's what he does every day in practice."
Strong Defense
The Aggies have held all nine opponents this season to 46.0 percent shooting from the field or less. Five opponents have made less than 37 percent from the field. Overall, A&M's opponents are making just 38.1 percent from the field (fourth best defense in the Big 12) and 30.5 percent from three-point range. In addition, the Aggies are forcing an average of 16.4 turnovers per contest and averaging 7.7 steals. A&M's opponents are averaging just 69.6 points per game.
Better Charity
The Aggies made 80.0 percent from the line against Alabama (24-30), their best free throw shooting performance since they made 94.7 percent (18-19) against Texas Tech in 1996. For the season, the Aggies have made 68.8 percent from the line (third in the Big 12), a remarkable improvement over last season's dismal 57.9 percent, the worst in school history. Head Coach Melvin Watkins' final two teams at UNC Charlotte each led Conference USA in free throw shooting.
Watkins Hot Start
Melvin Watkins' 7-1 start after eight games was the best by an A&M rookie coach since Tubby Graves started the 1915-16 season 11-0 before finishing 11-2 in his only season as head coach. In fact, only four times in school history has A&M started a season better than 7-1. The last time A&M had a better start was in 1959-60, when the Aggies started the year 10-0 and were ranked No. 13. The last time A&M was 7-2 was in 1978-79, when they were ranked No. 10 nationally.
Turnover Woes
The Aggies' main concern early this season was turnovers. In the first five games, A&M averaged 20.8 turnovers. But in the last four games, the Aggies have averaged just 15.0 turnovers. For the year, A&M is averaging 18.2 turnovers per game.
Strong Boards
The Aggies out-rebounded each of their first eight opponents this season by an average margin of +4.0 before Arizona State posted a 52-37 advantage on Dec. 19. Four Aggies are averaging better than 4.9 rebounds per game.
Triple OT
The Aggies' 96-91 loss to Arizona State on Dec. 19 marked only the second triple overtime game in school history. The other was a 71-66 loss to Princeton in the 1994 New Orleans Christmas Classic. ASU scored 19 points in the final overtime period, the most ever by an A&M opponent. Meanwhile, the Aggies' 14 points in the final period tied for their third most in an overtime.
Random Notes
*The Aggies have lost 27 straight games when their opponents score 80 or more points. *The Aggies' win against Stephen F. Austin ended a 19-game road losing streak. A&M is 2-1 on the road this season. *The Aggies have lost 23 straight conference road games since an 87-78 win at Baylor in the 1994-95 regular- season finale. *A&M has attempted 27 three-pointers in each of the last two games against Tulane and Arizona State, tying for the fourth most in school history.
Crunch Time
Last year, the Aggies were 1-11 in games decided by 10 points or fewer. This season, the Aggies are 5-2 in those games with both losses coming in overtime. A big reason for that is the Aggies' free throw percentage late in those games. A&M has made 29-of-39 (74.4 percent) from the line in the last two minutes of games that are within 10 points. Last season, A&M was 18-of-34 (52.9 percent) from the line in such situations.
Deep Bench
The Aggies bench has out-scored the opponents bench in eight of nine games this season. A&M is averaging 20.6 bench points to only 13.6 by its opponents.
Early Signees
The Aggies' November recruiting class was ranked No. 2 in the Big 12 and No. 27 nationally by recruiting analyst Bob Gibbons. Here are capsules on the Aggies' early signees:
Carlton Brown
F, 6-7, 210
San Antonio, Texas
(Temple JC/Jay HS)
Led Temple Junior College in scoring and rebounding as a freshman last season, averaging 17.5 points and 8.4 rebounds per game, and earned first-team all-conference and second-team all-region honors. Early this season, he was averaging 23.5 points and 8.1 rebounds. He is ranked as one of the top 30 junior college players in the country by Rick Ball's JUCO Report. Brown played high school basketball at San Antonio Jay High School, where he played for former A&M player Steve Sylestine.
Jamaal Gilchrist
G, 6-1, 175
Middleburg, Va.
(Notre Dame Academy)
Averaged 11.4 points, 9.9 assists, 2.6 steals and 4.3 rebounds per game as a prep junior, leading the team to the state championship and earning all-state honors. He started all 45 games last season and posted highs of 26 points and 16 assists. Gilchrist is an honorable mention All-America this season by Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook. Gilchrist also was recruited by Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech and George Mason.
Bernard King
G, 6-5, 180
Gibsland, La.
(Coleman HS)
Rated as the 39th best prep prospect in the country by Bob Gibbons' All-Star Sports and is rated as the 59th best prospect by Clark Francis' Hoop Scoop. King was also recruited by Purdue, Minnesota, Tulane, Seton Hall, LSU and Wyoming. As a junior last season, King averaged 30.2 points, 7.0 assists and 8.0 rebounds per game. He earned Amateur Athletic Union All-America honors last summer and was named to the all-tournament team at the AAU's Washington (D.C.) Pro-Am Tournament.