November 17, 2000
Game #1
Texas A&M Aggies
(0-0)
vs.
George Washington Colonials
(0-0)
Saturday, Nov. 18, 2000
7:30 p.m. (Eastern)/6:30 p.m. (Central)
Charles E. Smith Center (5,000)
Washington, D.C.
Radio: Texas A&M Radio Network
Dave South, Play-by-play
Al Pulliam, Commentary
Airtime: 6:10 p.m. (CST)
www.Aggieathletics.com
Television:
None
Next Game:
Texas A&M vs. North Texas
7 p.m., Monday, Nov. 20
Reed Arena, College Station, Texas
Projected Texas A&M Starters:
G-#4 Jamaal Gilchrist, 6-0, So.
G-#32 Bernard King, 6-5, So.
F-#24 Carlton Brown, 6-6, Sr.
F-#5 Nick Anderson, 6-6, Fr.
F-#2 Keith Bean, 6-8, So.
2000-01 Texas A&M Schedule
Record: 0-0 Overall, 0-0 Big 12
Current Streak 0
Longest Win Streak 0
Longest Loss Streak 0
All-Time Record 1,066-1,016
The Texas A&M Aggies (0-0) open their 2000-01 season against the
George Washington Colonials (0-0) on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. (6:30 p.m.
CST) at the Charles E. Smith Center (5,000 cap.) In Washington, D.C.
Both teams built perfect 2-0 records in the exhibition season. The
Aggies finished 8-20 last year and tied for eighth in the Big 12
Conference at 4-12. The Aggies were the country's youngest team,
starting four freshmen, including eventual Big 12 Freshman of the Year
Bernard King (6-5), who averaged 16.9 points per game. Sophomore guard
Jamaal Gilchrist (6-0) also started all 28 games as a freshman.
About the Colonials
George Washington returns all five starters, and 10 lettermen, from
last year's team which finished 15-15 overall and placed second in the
West Division of the Atlantic-10 Conference with a 9-7 mark. The
Colonials are led by sophomore guard Sirvaliant Brown (6-1), who ranked
second in the nation in scoring as a freshman with a 24.6 average.
Brown was named Atlantic-10 Rookie of the Year and was an honorable
mention All-America pick by The Associated Press. Senior guard Mike
King (6-4) added 12.1 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, while
sophomore guard Chris Monroe (6-3) averaged 16.3 points and a
team-best 6.8 rebounds per contest. Monroe suffered a concussion in
the Colonials' last exhibition game and is questionable for Saturday's
game. Senior guard Bernard Barrow (5-8) also returns after averaging
9.1 points and a team-best 5.2 assists, while senior forward Antxon
Iturbe (6-8) averaged 4.1 oints and 5.4 rebounds. Coach Melvin Watkins
Melvin Watkins (North Carolina Charlotte '77) is in his third year as
head coach at Texas A&M, where he is 20-35 (.364). Watkins has built a
9-23 (.281) record in Big 12 play. Watkins's first A&M team finished
12-15 in 1998-99 with a 5-11 mark in Big 12 play, tying for 10th
place. Last season, the Aggies were 8-20 overall and finished 4-12 in
league play, tying for eighth place. In three years as a college head
coach, Watkins has built a 62-55 record (.530). Prior to coming to
A&M, Watkins compiled a two-year record of 42-20 at his alma mater,
UNC Charlotte, leading the 49ers to consecutive 20-win seasons and
NCAA Tournament berths. Prior to that, Watkins served as an assistant
at UNCC from 1978-96. As a player, Watkins led UNCC to the NCAA Final
Four in 1977 as the starting point guard. Behind Watkins, UNCC also
advanced to the NIT finals in 1976. Watkins was a fourth-round draft
pick of the NBA's Buffalo Braves in 1977. Watkins celebrated his 46th
birthday on Wednesday.
Watkins Quoteboard
"G.W. is a good team and is probably a better team than people know
because they have players back and because of their style of play.
It?s hard to simulate what they do in practice. They?re so fast. Last
year, they didn?t pressure as much because they didn?t have the
personnel in place. This year, they feel like they have the depth.
They?ll full court trap you and we haven?t worked on that a lot.
It?ll be a challenge to play on the road against a team that plays
such a different style than what we?re used to. They have one of the
leading scorers in the country who?s back and he hasn't seen a shot he
doesn't like. They do a good job at attacking the offensive glass.
We?ve got to make sure we put bodies on their players and keep them
from doing that. If we can limit them to one shot attempt per
possession, then we like our chances."
Another Top 25 Class
In 1999, Texas A&M's Melvin Watkins' first full recruiting class was
ranked as high as No. 14 nationally by Bob Gibbons' All-Star Report,
which called the haul a "recruiting bonanza." The top rated player in
the class, Bernard King, was rated by Gibbons as the 33rd best
prospect in the country while Andy Slocum was rated No. 94. The
Sporting News rated Jamaal Gilchrist as one of the top 30 point guards
in the nation while Gibbons called him "a playmaker supreme." Watkins'
2000 class has drawn similar accolades, earning a No. 18 national
ranking by Basketball Times. The class was led by Nick Anderson, a
consensus national top 50 prospect who was rated as high as No. 18 by
The Sporting News. Meanwhile, Nolan Butterfras was ranked as high as
No. 86 by Recruiting Beat while Keith Bean, a transfer from North
Carolina State, was ranked as the nation's 33rd best prospect by
Gibbons in 1998. A total of five Aggies were rated as national top 100
players in high school. "One of the big stories of the fall has been
the success of Texas A&M in recruiting big-time, national top 100
caliber prospects. Coach Melvin Watkins?...has proved that he can
entice blue-chippers to A&M," said Brick Oettinger of The Sporting
News.
1999-00 Top 20 Early
Recruiting Classes
(Basketball Times)
1. St. John's
2. Seton Hall
3. Connecticut
4. Texas
5. Michigan State
6. North Carolina
7. Iowa State
8. Missouri
9. Indiana
10. Alabama
11. DePaul
12. Iowa
13. North Carolina State
14. Michigan
15. Oklahoma State
16. Marquette
17. Mississippi
18. Texas A&M
19. Cincinnati
20. Oklahoma
Tough Schedule
Last year, the youthful Aggies played one of the toughest schedule in
school history, with eight games against teams that were ranked in the
top 25 polls. The only year in which A&M played more ranked teams was
in 1978-79, when the Aggies played 10 foes which were ranked in the
top 20. This year, in addition to the tough Big 12 schedule (which
includes 10 games against teams that advanced to postseason play), the
Aggies meet 2000 Final Four participant North Carolina in Houston,
along with road games at Long Beach State, George Washington, Virginia
Commonwealth. The Aggies also play in the Rainbow Classic in Hawaii,
which includes Tennessee (2000 Sweet Sixteen), Iowa, George
Washington, St. Louis, Detroit, Manhattan and Hawaii.
Gritty Future Slates
As his program at A&M rapidly develops, coach Melvin Watkins has a
master plan to continually upgrade the schedule. In 2001-02, The
Aggies will have home games against Miami (Fla.), Long Beach State and
George Washington, with road games at North Carolina and Arkansas
(Little Rock), and will also play in a tournament in Puerto Rico. The
team will take a foreign tour of Italy in the summer of 2002 and have
signed contracts to play Tennessee at home in 2002-03, Miami (Fla.) on
the road and Arkansas in Houston.
The Graduates
In May, three former A&M players earned their degrees from Texas A&M ?"
Calvin Davis (see sidebar on page 34), Shanne Jones and Chris Clayton.
All three are now playing professional basketball overseas, Davis in
Iceland, Jones in Argentina and Clayton in Holland. The two seniors
from last year's team, Jerald Brown and Paul Jacobs, are scheduled to
graduate in May 2001, along with senior Aaron Jack.
Close Calls
A total of 12 Texas A&M basketball games last season were decided by
five points or less or in overtime, the most of any team in the Big
12. The Aggies were 7-5 in those games. Two other losses were decided
by seven points.
Youngest Aggies
With seven freshmen on the roster, last year's Aggies were the
youngest team in school history. The 1978-79 and 1991-92 teams each
had six freshmen. The 2000-01 Aggies will still be one of the youngest
teams in college basketball with just two seniors, one junior, seven
sophomores and three freshmen.
First Half Blues
The Aggies trailed at halftime in 22 of 28 games last season and were
3-19 in those games. But the Aggies were 5-1 when they led or were
tied at halftime. The Aggies trailed at halftime in 13 of 16 Big 12
games, but won all three games they led at intermission (Texas Tech in
Lubbock, Colorado and Nebraska).
Leftist Rebels
Last year, the Aggies started four left-handed players -- Bernard
King, Jamaal Gilchrist, Aaron Jack and Andy Slocum. Every other player
on the team was a right-hander. King and Gilchrist were the only
all-leftie backcourt in A&M history. The team added another
left-hander this season with freshman Nolan Butterfras.
Impressive Recruiter
When forward Larry Scott made his official recruiting visit to the
Texas A&M campus in April 1999, he expected to meet the usual people ?"
academic advisors, professors, coaches, etc. Instead, he met the
former leader of the free world, President George Bush. The A&M
coaches took Scott to lunch at a restaurant near campus and in walked
the former President and his wife, Barbara. "It was totally by
coincidence because he walked in and everyone was like 'What?'" Scott
said. "The president just walked in. I just thought, 'Wow." Then, Bush
came over to meet Scott. "He came over, shook my hand, patted me on
the back and told me I should be an Aggie," Scott said, adding that
Bush was not the reason he signed with A&M, but it sure didn't hurt.
The Bush Presidential Library and Museum is located at Texas A&M.
Fizer And The King
Former Iowa State All-America Marcus Fizer is from Arcadia, La., which
is located just eight miles from Bernard King's home in Gibsland.
"When I was home for spring break in March (1999), Bernard totally
amazed me at how complete a player he has become," Fizer told the Fort
Worth Star-Telegram in 1999. "I've told him he's going to have to get
a lot stronger physically, but I've seen him grow from someone who was
just happy to be out there playing into someone who can totally
dominate a game." After Iowa State's hard-fought 65-58 win in Ames
last season, Fizer hugged King after the game and said: "Keep your
head up. You guys are going to go a long way together."
Ress Assured
Freshman forward Tomas Ress, a native of Italy, speaks four languages
?" Italian, German, English and Spanish. He learned English and Spanish
in 1998-99 while attending high school in Florida. As a native of the
tiny village of Pochi in the Italian province of Bolanzo, located near
the border of Austria, Ress is fluent in German and Italian. Ress
showed as much improvement as any player on the team last season. He
reported to A&M weighing 207 pounds but has since bulked up to 230.
Although he officially measured in at 6-9 last August, he had grown
to 6-10 ?˝ by the end of the season. Ress scored a career-high 22
points last year against Missouri.
Sizing 'Em Up
The 2000-01 Aggies may be the largest in school history in terms of
both height and weight. Four players are at least 6-10 and six are at
least 6-8. Sophomores Andy Slocum and Tomas Ress each wear a size 18
shoe. The only other player in recent history to wear a size 18 was
Brad Stricker (1995-97). Sophomore Keith Bean reported to A&M at 273
pounds and was the heaviest player in school history, but Bean trimmed
down to 241 in the offseason. Slocum, meanwhile, had added 15 pounds,
tipping the scales at 270, before a shoulder injury curtailed his
weight training in the summer. He came into the fall weighing 244, but
is expected to re-gain the much of the lost weight.
Attendance Grows
Last year, A&M averaged almost 5,000 fans per home game, its best
average attendance in 18 years. For Big 12 games, A&M averaged 5,785,
its best since 1981. The Aggies saw an average increase of 20.2
percent overall and 27.9 percent in Big 12 games from the previous
year. Since Melvin Watkins became head coach in 1998, home attendance
has increased 42.5 percent overall, 46.1 percent in Big 12 games and
15.8 percent for non-conference games. "Attendance is always a
component of building a program," Watkins said. "Our fans see it
coming. They see a different talent level on the floor. If the fans
are patient, we expect the attendance to continue to increase."
Conference Leaders
Sophomore guard Bernard King is the top returning scorer in the Big 12
after averaging 16.9 points per game last season. Among returners,
King also ranks second in three-point field goals (2.82), third in
assists (4.1) and fifth in steals (1.6). Senior forward Aaron Jack is
the top returning shooter in the Big 12 after making 62.5 percent from
the field last season. Sophomore guard Jamaal Gilchrist ranks fourth
among returners in steals (2.0) and ranks fifth in assists (3.9) and
free throw percentage (.766).
Returning Firepower
A&M returns 91.2 percent of its scoring and 84.5 percent of its
rebounding from last year, the most of any Big 12 school. The Aggies
also welcome back 86.6 percent of their assists, 88.8% percent of
their steals, 87.1 percent of their blocked shots and 96.1 percent of
its three-point field goals.
Aggie Connections
Senior Carlton Brown played high school basketball at San Antonio Jay,
where he was coached by Steve Sylestine, a four-time A&M letterman who
helped the Aggies to the 1980 NCAA Sweet Sixteen. Freshman center
Nolan Butterfras's uncle, Jerry Mercer, lettered at A&M in 1973-75,
and was part of the 1975 team that won the Southwest Conference and
played Cincinnati in the NCAA Tournament.
Cajun Country
Coach Melvin Watkins has quickly established A&M as a dominant
recruiting force in Louisiana, signing 1999 Louisiana Mr. Basketball
Bernard King (Gibsland), 1999 all-stater Andy Slocum (West Monroe) and
2000 Parade All-America Nick Anderson (Baton Rouge).
Improved Charity
When Melvin Watkins arrived as A&M's head coach in 1998, one of the
Aggies greatest weaknesses was their free throw shooting. In 1997-98,
the Aggies set a school record for the worst free throw percentage in
school history, making just 57.9 percent to finish last in the Big 12.
In 1998-99, the Aggies improved to 68.9 percent, third in the
conference, and last year made 67.0 percent to rank seventh in the
league. Watkins' two teams at North Carolina Charlotte each led
Conference USA in FT percentage.
King of Europe
Sophomore guard Bernard King toured Europe last summer as part of the
Big 12 All-Star Team. King played in all six games, averaging 8.3
points per game and ranked third on the team in assists (12), helping
the team to a 5-1 record.
Preseason Mag Picks
Most of the preseason magazines expect dramatic improvement from the
Aggies this season. Athlon picks the Aggies to finish seventh in the
Big 12 and earn a bid to the NIT, with Bernard King as a first-team
All-Big 12 guard and Nick Anderson as the league's defensive player of
the year as a freshman. Preview Sports calls A&M the "Surprise Team"
of the Big 12, also picking the Aggies to finish seventh and naming
King a first-team all-conference player. Street & Smith's names King
to the Big 12 first team, while The Sporting News tabs King the "Most
Flamboyant" Big 12 player. ESPN"s Dick Vitale calls Nick Anderson the
Big 12's top "Diaper Dandy," and says King is the "Player to Watch" in
the Big 12 in 2000-01. Anderson was the preseason pick as Big 12
Freshman of the Year in a poll of the league's coaches.
Preseason Honors
Team (predicted Big 12 finish)
7th, Athlon
7th, Preview Sports
9th, Street & Smith's
10th, Dick Vitale/ESPN
11th, The Sporting News
"Surprise Team of the Big 12", Preview Sports
Bernard King
1st-team All-Big 12, Athlon
1st-team All-Big 12, Preview Sports
1st-team All-Big 12, Street & Smith's
2nd-team All-Big 12, Dick Vitale
2nd-team All-Big 12, Sporting News
"Most Flamboyant," Sporting News
"Who to Watch," Dick Vitale/ESPN
Nick Anderson
Preseason Big 12 Freshman of Year, Big 12 coaches' and media polls
Preseason Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, Athlon Top 50 Freshmen,
Athlon Top 25 Freshmen, Sporting News "Big 12 Diaper Dandy," Dick
Vitale
NBA Potential?
Sophomore Bernard King was ranked as one of the top 40 NBA prospects
in the country in the Class of 2003 Rankings produced last summer by
NBADraft.net.