November 19, 2000
Game #2
Texas A&M Aggies
(0-1)
vs.
North Texas Mean Green
(0-1)
Monday, Nov. 20, 2000
7 p.m. (CST)
Reed Arena (12,500)
College Station, Texas
Radio: Texas A&M Radio Network
Dave South, Play-by-play
Al Pulliam, Commentary
Airtime: 6:40 p.m. (CST)
www.Aggieathletics.com
Television: Internet Collegiate Athletic Network (webcast)
Next Game: Texas A&M vs. Birmingham-Southern
2 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 26
Reed Arena, College Station, Texas
2000-01 Texas A&M Schedule/Results
Record: 0-1 Overall, 0-0 Big 12
Current Streak L 1
Longest Win Streak 0
Longest Loss Streak 10
All-Time Record 1,066-1,017
11/18 at Geo. Washington L, 94-74
11/20 NORTH TEXAS 7 p.m.
11/26 BIRMINGHAM-SO. [CSSE]. 2 p.m.
11/29 MORRIS BROWN 7 p.m.
12/2 at Va. Commonwealth 6:30 p.m.
12/5 LAMAR [KFDM] 7 p.m.
12/9 *vs. North Carolina [Fox]. 8 p.m.
12/22 at Long Beach St. [Fox] 9:15 p.m.
12/27 %vs. St. Louis 9 p.m.
12/28 %Hawaii/Manhattan TBA
12/29 %Tenn./Detroit/Iowa/G.W. TBA
12/30 %TBA. TBA
1/4 CENTENARY 7 p.m.
1/6 KANSAS ST. 3 p.m.
1/9 at Oklahoma 7 p.m.
1/13 at Colorado 6 p.m.
1/17 TEXAS [ESPN+] 8 p.m.
1/20 at Kansas [ESPN+] 3 p.m.
1/24 at Okla. St. 7 p.m.
1/28 IOWA ST. [ESPN+] 3 p.m.
1/30 at Texas [ESPN+] 8 p.m.
2/3 OKLAHOMA [ESPN+] 12:45 p.m.
2/6 BAYLOR [Fox] 7:30 p.m.
2/10 at Texas Tech [ESPN+] 12:45 p.m.
2/14 TEXAS-PAN AMERICAN 7 p.m.
2/17 MISSOURI [ESPN+] 12:45 p.m.
2/21 OKLA. ST. [Fox] 8:30 p.m.
2/24 TEXAS TECH [Fox] 5 p.m.
2/28 at Nebraska 7:05 p.m.
3/3 at Baylor 7 p.m.
3/8-11 #Big 12 Tournament TBA
*Compaq Center (Houston, Texas)
%Rainbow Classic (Honolulu, Hawaii)
#Kemper Arena (Kansas City, Mo.)
Listed game times are Central
ggieAthletics.com
The Texas A&M Aggies (0-1) open their 2000-01 home schedule against
the North Texas Mean Green (0-1) on Monday at 7 p.m. (CST) at Reed
Arena (12,500 cap.) in College Station. Both teams lost their season
openers on the road as UNT fell at Tulsa, 89-71, on Friday and the
Aggies lost to George Washington, 94-74, on Saturday in Washington,
D.C. The Mean Green beat the Aggies last season in Denton, 91-88.
North Texas last appeared in College Station in the 1998-99 season
opener, the first game ever played at Reed Arena, with A&M coming away
with an 80-59 victory.
About the Mean Green
North Texas finished 7-20 last season and placed sixth in the East
Division of the Big West Conference with a 5-11 mark. Two starters
returnf rom that team u sophomore guard Chris Davis (6-6) and
sophomore forward Jason Miller (6-9). Davis averaged 21.7 points last
year to rank second among the nation's freshmen and scored 12 points
with seven boards in the opener against Tulsa. Miller averaged 5.7
points last season and added 13 points and nine boards against Tulsa.
Junior guard Kenneth Mangrum (6-4) scored 11 points in the opener and
averaged 4.0 points per game last season. Other tentative starters are
junior guard Terence White (6-1) and senior forward Bryan Lucas (6-7).
The Mean Green are in their fourth season under Vic Trilli, a former
longtime assistant at Texas, who has built a 16-64 record. UNT
allowed Tulsa to make 48.6 percent from the field (to 37.7 percent by
the Mean Green), while Tulsa also posted a 49-39 rebounding edge.
A&M vs. North Texas Series
North Texas leads the series, 8-6, including a 91-88 victory last
season in Denton. In games played in College Station, UNT leads, 3-2.
A&M won the last time the teams met in College Station by a score of
80-59 in the first game played at Reed Arena in 1998-99. Prior to that
game, North Texas had not played in College Station since posting a
72-69 victory in 1966-67. A&M coach Melvin Watkins is 1-1 against UNT
and North Texas coach Vic Trilli is 1-1 against A&M.
Watkins Quoteboard
"We got a little frustrated and lost our composure late in the first
half against George Washington and that was kind of the ball game. We
have to bounce back and do a better job against North Texas. We did
some good things in the opener, but we had too many turnovers allowed
them to get way too many offensive rebounds. We know the things we
need to work on. It'll be good to start our home schedule and play in
front of our own fans. The kids are excited about that."
TENTATIVE STARTERS
TEXAS A&M AGGIES (0-1)
No. Player Pos. Ht. Cl. PPG RPG
4 Jamaal Gilchrist G 6-0 So. 12.0 4.0a
32 Bernard King G 6-5 So. 14.0 6.0a
24 Carlton Brown F 6-6 Sr. 15.0 5.0
5 Nick Anderson F 6-6 Fr. 6.0 6.0
2 Keith Bean F 6-8 So. 4.0 1.0
NORTH TEXAS MEAN GREEN (0-1)
No. Player Pos. Ht. Cl. PPG RPG
5 Chris Davis G 6-6 So. 12.0 7.0
11 Terence White G 6-1 Jr. 4.0 2.0
41 Kenneth Mangrum G 6-4 Jr. 11.0 3.0
40 Jason Miller F 6-9 So. 13.0 9.0
0 Bryan Lucas F 6-7 Sr. 5.0 7.0
The Head Coaches
TEXAS A&M:
Melvin Watkins (UNC Charlotte ee77)
*20-36 in third year at A&M
*62-56 in fifth year as a head coach
NORTH TEXAS:
Vic Trilli (Midwestern State ee76)
*16-64 in fourth year as a head coach, all at UNT
GW Recap
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Saturday) u George Washington broke open a close
game with a late first-half flurry and never looked back, cruising to
a 94-74 victory Saturday against Texas A&M in the season-opener for
both teams at the Smith Center. The Aggies (0-1) were slowed early
when starters Keith Bean and Nick Anderson, each playing in their
first game at A&M, picked up two fouls apiece in the opening three
minutes didn't play the rest of the first half. The teams traded the
lead for the first 17 minutes and A&M trailed, 39-37, after a
three-point play by Carlton Brown with 3:55 left in the first half.
But the Colonials (1-0) closed the half with a 16-5 run to take a
55-42 halftime lead. "It all started the last few minutes of the first
half," A&M coach Melvin Watkins said. "We kind of lost our composure
and when we did, we lost our execution. I was especially disappointed
in our defense. We became very soft, didn't rebound the basketball and
just played very timid." The Aggies trimmed the lead to 58-48 just one
minute into the second half, but never came closer than 11 points the
rest of the game. The Colonials led, 72-54, with 11:28 left before a
three-pointer by Bernard King spurred a small run that pulled the
Aggies within 76-63 with 8:44 remaining. But five nanswered points by
George Washington's Mike King silenced A&M's attempt at a comeback as
the Colonials built a 23-point lead in the final two minutes. The
Aggies made a blazing 54.0 percent from the field and limited the
Colonials to just 42.9 percent shooting, but the Aggies committed a
whopping 31 fouls and had 20 turnovers. George Washington made
31-of-46 from the free throw line, while A&M made 15 free throws in
only 21 attempts. In addition, the Colonels, coached by former
University of Texas coach Tom Penders, hauled in 15 offensive rebounds
to only six by the Aggies. "We probably let the officials affect us
too much," Watkins added. "We've got to play through that and tonight
we let it get to us." Brown led the Aggies with 15 points, while
Bernard King scored 14 and Jamaal Gilchrist, playing in his hometown
of Washington, D.C., added 12 points. Mike King led George Washington
with 24 points, while Chris Monroe finished with 21, including 19 in
the first half, in front of a crowd of 4,289. The Colonials'
Sirvaliant Brown, who ranked second nationally in scoring last year as
a freshman with a 24.6 average, was held to just 11 points.
Last year vs. North Texas
DENTON, Texas -uu Kyle Crawford scored 20 points, leading the
University of North Texas to a 91-88 victory over Texas A&M Monday
night. The victory was sealed when Aggie guard Andy Leatherman missed
a 3-pointer with 5 seconds remaining. The Eagles' Brandon Gilbert
grabbed the rebound to end the game. Chris Davis added 19 points for
North Texas (1-2). Deginald Erskin had 13, while Dexter Tennell and
Gilbert each had 10. Carlton Brown led Texas A&M (0-2) with 24 points.
Bernard King had 23. North Texas led the game by 18 points with just
over 12 minutes left, but the Aggies began chipping away. They were
aided by deadly free-throw shooting, and they cut the margin to 84-81
with 1:21 remaining. But Crawford came through with some clutch
shooting for North Texas, including a 15-foot shot from the wing as
the shot clock expired to give the Eagles an 86-81 advantage with 50
seconds left. The Aggies weren't done, though. Brown's layup at the
14-second mark cut North Texas' lead to 90-88. Crawford was fouled and
hit one of two free throws, then Leatherman missed the 3-pointer.
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 u
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 u
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
u 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. 2000-2001 Texas A&M Basketball Radio Network