November 30, 2000
Game No. 5
Texas A&M Aggies
(2-2)
vs.
Virginia Commonwealth Rams
(3-2)
Saturday, Dec. 2, 2000
7:30 p.m. (EST)/6:30 p.m. (CST)
ALLTEL Pavilion (7,500 cap.)
Richmond, Va.
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
2000-01 Schedule/results
Record: 2-2 Overall, 0-0 Big 12
Current Streak W 1
Longest Win Streak 1
Longest Loss Streak 1
All-Time Record 1,068-1,018
11/18 at Geo. Washington L, 94-74
11/20 NORTH TEXAS W, 77-74
11/26 BIRMINGHAM-SO. [CSSE]. L, 74-54
11/29 MORRIS BROWN W, 79-46
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
For complete team and individual statistics, go to
www.AggieAthletics.com
The Texas A&M Aggies (1-2) go for their first road victory of the
season on Saturday against the Virginia Commonwealth Rams (3-2) at
7:30 p.m.(EST)/6:30 p.m. (CST) at the ALLTEL Pavilion (7,500 cap.) in
Richmond, Va.. The Aggies improved to 2-2 after thumping Morris Brown,
79-53, on Wednesday in College Station, while VCU downed North
Carolina A&T, 81-61, on Tuesday in Richmond. VCU is 2-1 at home this
season while A&M is 0-1 on the road. The Aggies defeated the Rams,
75-59, last season in College Station.
About the Rams
Virginia Commonwealth, members of The Colonial Athletic Association,
return four starters and six lettermen from last year's team that
finished 14-14 overall and placed fifth in the CAA with a 7-9 mark.
The Rams are 3-2 this season, with wins against Gardner-Webb (82-67)
and North Carolina A&T (81-61) at home and East Tennessee State
(63-53) on the road. The two losses were to Mississippi (88-84 in OT)
at home and Tulane (84-80) on the road. The Rams are led by senior
guard Bo Jones (5-11), a second-team All-CAA pick last year who is
averaging 17.4 points and is making 40.0 percent from three-point
range this season. Sophomore transfer guard Willie Taylor (6-5) adds
12.8 points while senior center L.F. Likcholitov (6-11) is averaging
7.8 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. As a team, the Rams are making
46.0 percent from the field while limiting their opponents to an
impressive 36.0 percent accuracy. VCU is connecting on 35.8 percent
from three-point range.
Injury Report
TOMAS RESS, Sophomore Forward: Staph infection (probable)
LARRY SCOTT, Sophomore Guard: Sprained ankle (will not play)
ANDY SLOCUM, Sophomore Center: Shoulder tendonitis (will not play)
A&M vs. VCU Series
A&M leads the series, 3-1, including a 75-59 win last year in College
Station. The series is tied, 1-1, in games played in Richmond. The
last time A&M played in Richmond was in 1974-75, with VCU posting an
84-70 victory in the championship game of the VCU Tournament.
Watkins' Quoteboard
"We played much better against Morris Brown than against Birmingham
Southern. That can be a turning point, but it's too early to really
say. We're heading in the right direction. We're a forward-looking
team and I think we've learned our lesson. We've seen the difference
in coming out and playing hard. Our guys did a good job defensively.
This is definitely a better feeling. I was concerned about how we
would come out. We've had better practices, and I did see a carry
over. Now, the question is: Can we go further?"
Head Coaches
TEXAS A&M:
Melvin Watkins (UNC Charlotte ee77)
*22-37 in third year at A&M
*64-57 in fifth year as a head coach
VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH:
Mack McCarthy (Virginia Tech ee74)
*32-32 in third year at Virginia Commonwealth
*275-154 in 15th year as a head coach
Morris Brown Recap
COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) u Andy Leatherman scored 15 points and
Texas A&M beat Morris Brown 79-46 on Wednesday night. Bernard King
added 14 points and a career-high nine assists for the Aggies (2-2),
who posted the largest margin of victory in head coach Melvin Watkins'
five-year career. Kavon Westberry led the Wolverines with 14 points.
Texas A&M opened up with a 12-2 run in the second half to take a
20-point lead, and Morris Brown (2-5) never recovered. A&M's defense
held Morris Brown to just 32.1 percent shooting from the floor. The
Aggies forced the Wolverines into 23 turnovers and recorded 11 steals.
The victory gave A&M some degree of redemption after losing to
Birmingham Southern, 74-54, at home on Sunday.
Last Year's VCU Game
COLLEGE STATION (Dec. 5, 1999) u Carlton Brown posted his first career
double-double as Texas A&M rallied past Virginia Commonwealth 75-59 on
Sun., Dec. 5, 1999 at Reed Arena. Brown scored 12 points and had a
career-high 14 rebounds as the Aggies overcame an eight-point halftime
deficit. Virginia Commonwealth led by as many as 17 in the first half.
The Aggies (2-2), who won their second consecutive game after opening
the season with two straight. losses, switched from a man-to-man to a
pressuring zone in the second half and outscored the Rams 46-22.
Freshman Bernard King led A&M with 17 points, followed by Jamaal
Gilchrist with 16. A&M also dominated at the free-throw line, scoring
31 points to VCU's 12, and out-rebounded the Rams 47-37. Bo Jones
scored 21 points to lead the Rams, playing their first road game of
the season. But Jones scored just six points in the second half
against A&M's retooled defense.
Bouncing Back Strong
After falling to Birmingham Southern, 74-54, on Sunday in what coach
Melvin Watkins said was the "most embarrassing" loss of his career,
the Aggies faced what Watkins called a "must-effort" game against
Morris Brown on Wednesday. As a result of the team's poor performance
on Sunday, coach Melvin Watkins called a 5:30 a.m. practice on Monday.
The entire team showed up, but rather than practice, spent two hours
watching and dissecting the game film. The Aggies responded with a
79-46 victory, the largest margin of victory in Watkins' five years as
a college head coach.
King Rises Again
Sophomore guard Bernard King, the 2000 Big 12 Freshman of the Year and
a preseason All-Big 12 selection, leads the team after two games with
a 12.5 scoring average, despite battling a shooting slump. For the
season, King has made just 2-of-20 from three-point range (.100),
missing 16 straight attempts. While King has struggled beyond the
arc, he is 13-of-20 (.650) inside three-point range and leads the team
in assists (4.5). Against Morris Brown, King scored 14 points and
dished out a career-high nine assists. Against North Texas, King
scored a season-high 17 points with six rebounds. King did not start
against North Texas, the first time in 30 career games at A&M that he
has missed a start. The decision by coach Melvin Watkins not to start
King was a disciplinary action after King received a technical foul in
the opener against George Washington. Against Birmingham Southern,
King scored just five points, equaling the lowest of his career, and
went 0-of-10 from three-point range.
Leatherman Gets Hot
Junior guard Andy Leatherman, a former walk-on who was put on
scholarship this season, scored a career-high 16 points against
Birmingham Southern, then followed with a team-high 15 points against
Morris Brown. In the last two games, he has averaged 15.5 points and
3.5 assists while making 8-of-18 from three-point range (44.4
percent). His eight treys this year already equals his season total in
23 games last year (8-43, .186). He also tied his career-high with
five assists against MBC. For the season. Leatherman is averaging 8.0
points and 3.0 assists per game.
Anderson Off to Strong Start
Freshman Nick Anderson, one of the most heralded Texas A&M basketball
recruits in many years, ranks second on the team in rebounding with a
6.3 average and leads in blocked shots with a 1.5 average. A 2000
Parade High School All-American, Anderson is averaging 6.8 points per
game and has started in all four games. Against North Texas, Anderson
scored 11 points with eight rebounds and three blocked shots in a
team-high 31 minutes of action. Against Morris Brown, Anderson scored
10 points with seven boards and made 5-of-6 shots from the field.
Anderson was the preseason choice for Big 12 Freshman of the Year by
the league's coaches and media.
Brown Asserts Himself
Forward Carlton Brown is off to a solid senior season, ranking second
on the team in scoring (12.0) and ranking third in rebounding (4.5).
He also ranks second in field goal percentage (.607) and leads in free
throw percentage (15-18, .833). As a junior college transfer last
season, Brown averaged just 6.9 points and 3.3 rebounds per game. He
scored a team-high 15 points in the opener against George Washington
and followed with 14 against North Texas and 13 against Birmingham
Southern. He scored just seven points against Morris Brown, the first
time this season he's failed to reach double figures.
Jack Comes Back
After receiving an additional year of eligibility from the NCAA last
spring, senior forward Aaron Jack, an honorable mention All-Big 12
pick last season, saw his extra year jeopardized when he sustained a
concussion in practice on Oct. 18. Jack suffered three concussions as
a freshman at Penn State in 1995-96, then transferred to A&M. Jack
returned to practice on a limited basis in early November, then
returned full time the day before the opener at George Washington. He
has played in all four games, averaging 6.8 points and a team-high 6.5
rebounds while making 62.5 percent from the field. He scored eight
points with six boards in the win against North Texas and had eight
points with a season-high nine boards against Morris Brown. Jack has
played in 76 games in an A&M jersey and in 80 games as a collegian,
including four as a freshman at Penn State in 1995-96.
Gilchrist Runs the Show
Sophomore point guard Jamaal Gilchrist, who started all 28 games last
season as a true freshman, is averaging 9.0 points and 3.0 assists
while making 77.8 percent from the free throw line (21-27). Gilchrist
scored 12 points in each of the first two games, but scored just six
in the loss to BSC.
Bean Shows Improvement
Sophomore Keith Bean, a transfer from North Carolina State who sat out
last season, has started all three games, but has averaged just 7.0
points and 4.0 rebounds. Bean averaged a team-high 18.5 points in the
two exhibition games. He had perhaps his best game against Morris
Brown, scoring 10 points with four rebounds in just 20 minutes of
play.
Statistical Turnaround
Through three games, A&M averaged 22.0 turnovers and 24.0 fouls per
game while forcing just 14.0 turnovers. But against Morris Brown, the
Aggies had just 13 turnoversand 11 fouls while forcing 23 turnovers.
After shooting an abysmal 28.9 percent from the field against
Birmingham Southern, the seventh worst shooting game in school
history, A&M connected on 49.1 percent against Morris Brown, including
56.0 percent in a 50-point second half. In the first three games, A&M
allowed its opponents to make 46.1 percent from the field, but against
MBC, A&M allowed the Wolverines to shoot just 32.1 percent.
Slocum Out
Sophomore center Andy Slocum, who started in 14 games as a freshman,
will likely miss the entire season after undergoing arthroscopic
surgery for tendonitis in his left shoulder last week. Slocum injured
the shoulder while lifting weights last summer and was limited in fall
practice as a result. Team trainer Mike Ricke says the prognosis is
good for Slocum's eventual return. Coach Melvin Watkins said Slocum
likely will redshirt this season. As a freshman, Slocum averaged 4.9
points and 3.1 rebounds per game.
Scott Injured
Sophomore guard Larry Scott suffered a severely sprained left ankle in
practice on Tuesday and will be out indefinitely. Scott is averaging
4.0 points and 2.3 rebounds per game.
Ress Returns
Sophomore forward Tomas Ress, who was hospitalized for more than a
week in late October with a staph infection, returned to practice on
Monday and played seven minutes against Morris Brown, quickly nailed
his first three-point attempt of the season after entering the game.
As his physical conditioning catches up, Ress will likely see
increased playing time. As a freshman, Ress started in 12 games and
averaged 4.6 points, including a career-high 22 points against
Missouri.