December 27, 2000
Game #10
Texas A&M Aggies (3-6)
vs.
Manhattan Jaspers (3-5)
at Outrigger Hotels Rainbow Classic
Friday, Dec. 29, 2000
Stan Sheriff Center (10,300 cap.)
Honolulu, Hawai'i
Radio
Texas A&M Radio Network (Regional)
Colin Killian, Play-by-Play
Al Pulliam, Commentary
Airtime: 10:45 a.m. (2:45 p.m. CST)
Television
KFVE-TV (Hawai'i only)
Tournament Schedule
Wed, Dec. 27 (Hawai'i Time)
St. Louis 72, Texas A&M 60
Hawai'i 81, Manhattan 66
Thu, Dec. 28 (Hawai'i Time)
Iowa vs. Detroit Mercy, 5 p.m. (9 p.m. CST)
Tennessee vs. G. Washington, 7:30 p.m. (11:30 p.m. CST)
Fri, Dec. 29 (Hawai'i Time)
Texas A&M (3-6) vs. Manhattan (3-5), 11 a.m. (3 p.m. CST)
Thursday Losers, 1:30 p.m. (5:30 p.m. CST)
Thursday Winners, 5 p.m. (9 p.m. CST)
Hawai'i (5-4) vs. Saint Louis (7-4), 7:30 p.m. (11:30 p.m. CST)
Sat, Dec. 30 (Hawai'i Time)
7th Place Game, 11 a.m. (3 p.m. CST)
5th place Game, 1:30 p.m. (5:30 p.m. CST)
3rd Place Game, 5 p.m. (9 p.m. CST)
Championship Game, 7:30 p.m. (11:30 p.m. CST)
The Texas A&M Aggies (3-6) try to end a three-game losing streak on Friday when they meet the Manhattan Jaspers (3-5) in the consolation semifinals of the prestigious Outrigger Hotels Rainbow Classic at the Stan Sheriff Center (10,300 cap.) in Honolulu, Hawai'i. The Aggies fell in Wednesday's first-round to Saint Louis, 72-60, while Manhattan fell to tournament host Hawai'i, 81-66. The Aggies have lost three straight games since an 83-60 win against Lamar at home on Dec. 5. The Jaspers have lost five of their last six games. Late Thursday night, No. 22-ranked Iowa played Detroit Mercy and No. 5-ranked Tennessee played George Washington. The winners and losers of those games will also play on Friday. The championship game and third, fifth and seventh-place games on Saturday.
About Manhattan
The Jaspers return three starters and six lettermen from last year's team that finished 12-15 overall and tied for sixth in the Metro Atlantic Conference with a 9-9 mark. Prior to traveling to Hawai'i, Manhattan lost at St. John's, 72-63. The Jaspers are led by senior forward Durelle Brown (6-7), who is averaging 21.6 points per game. Sophomore guard Justin Jackette (6-2) is adding 11.6 points and 5.6 rebounds while junior guard Von Damien Green (5-10) is scoring 9.9 points with 4.6 assists per contest. Manhattan is in its second year under head coach Bobby Gonzalez, who has built a 15-20 record. Gonzalez is a former assistant coach at Virginia, Providence and Xavier.
Aggies in Hawai'i
The Aggies are making their second appearance in the Rainbow Classic. A&M's only other appearance came in 1987, when it finished sixth. Shelby Metcalf's 1987 team fell to Arizona State, 79-73, in the first round, then edged Hawai'i, 80-78 in overtime in the consolation semifinals. Southwest Conference mate SMU whipped the Aggies, 89-66, in the fifth-place game (a week later, A&M opened SWC play with a 58-53 win against SMU in College Station). The Aggies last played in the state of Hawai'i in the 1994 Maui Invitational, where they finished seventh after losses to Arizona State (103-73) and Tulane (76-74) and a win against Chaminade (73-52).
Rainbow History
The 2000 Rainbow Classic is the 37th since the event began in 1964. Tournament host Hawai'i has won two of the last three titles, including last year's 66-63 championship victory against Oregon and a 76-65 upset of Kansas in 1997. Previous tournament champions include Houston (1967), North Carolina State (1972, 1977, 1987), Indiana (1974), North Carolina (1982), Duke (1989), Michigan (1992), Louisville (1993), Arkansas (1994) and Massachusetts (1995). Big 12 Conference mate Missouri won the crown in 1985.
Aggies at a Glance
A&M VS. THE FIELD
Team Series Last Met
Detroit Mercy 1st Meeting n/a
George Washington GW leads, 3-1 GW 94, A&M 74 (Nov. 18, 2000)
Hawai'i Series tied, 1-1 UH 75, A&M 71 (1989-90)
Iowa 1st Meeting n/a
Manhattan MC leads, 1-0 MC 44, A&M 42 (1951-52)
Saint Louis 1st Meeting n/a
Tennessee UT leads, 3-0 UT 88, A&M 70 (1985-86)
Watkins Quoteboard
"We have struggled with some injuries and illnesses, and our lack of depth has been a factor, but that's no excuse. We haven't played well and we need to find a way to get ourselves on track. We had some good things happen against Saint Louis, but we again didn't make the plays we needed to win the game. I was glad to see us play more physical because that's what we'll need to compete in the Big 12. We're frustrated with the losses, but at the same time I can still see us making strides and improving. Manhattan is a well-coached team that will offer us another strong challenge."
TEXAS A&M AGGIES (3-6)
# Player Pos. Ht. Cl. ppg rpg
4 Jamaal Gilchrist G 6-0 So. 9.0 3.3a
32 Bernard King G 6-5 So. 17.0 3.7a
24 Carlton Brown F 6-6 Sr. 15.9 7.7
5 Nick Anderson F 6-6 Fr. 7.6 5.7
2 Keith Bean F 6-8 So. 7.2 4.1
TEXAS A&M INJURIES: KEITH BEAN, soph forward: bruised right foot (probable); BRIAN BROOKHART, soph. forward: strained right hamstring (probable); JAMAAL GILCHRIST, soph. guard: hyperextended right thumb (probable); AARON JACK, senior forward: bruised right knee (probable); TOMAS RESS, soph. forward: undetermined illness (will not play); LARRY SCOTT, soph. guard: sprained right ankle (probable); ANDY SLOCUM, soph. center: right shoulder surgery (will not play).
Head Coach Melvin Watkins (UNC Charlotte ?˜77)
23-40, 3rd year at Texas A&M
65-60, 5th year overall
vs. the 2000 Rainbow Classic field:
0-0 vs. Detroit Mercy, 0-0 vs. Perry Watson
1-2 vs. George Washington, 0-1 vs. Tom Penders
0-0 vs. Hawai'i, 0-0 vs. Riley Wallace
0-0 vs. Iowa, 1-0 vs. Steve Alford
0-0 vs. Manhattan, 0-0 vs. Bobby Gonzalez
2-2 vs. St. Louis, 0-1 vs. Lorenzo Romar
1-0 vs. Tennessee, 0-0 vs. Jerry Green
Watkins owns 4-4 record against Rainbow Classic field
Saint Louis Recap
HONOLULU, Hawai'i ?" Saint Louis overcame a spirited Texas A&M rally in the final minutes and went on to a 72-60 victory on Wednesday in the opening game of the Outrigger Hotels Rainbow Classic at the Stan Sheriff Center. The loss was the third straight by the Aggies, who fall to 3-6. Saint Louis improves to 7-4. After trailing by as many as 12 points in the first half, the Aggies came back in the second half to trim the Billikens lead to 42-41 with 12:22 left in the game. The teams traded baskets for the next seven minutes but the Aggies could not take the lead. A&M trailed 57-55 after a Nick Anderson jumper with 5:17 left, but Saint Louis's Marque Perry answered with a three-pointer to spur a 9-2 run that handed the Billikens an insurmountable 66-57 lead with 117 remaining. A&M took an 11-10 lead seven minutes into the game, but Saint Lewis came back with a eight unanswered points and never trailed again. The Billikens led, 33-23, with 53 seconds left in the first half, but A&M's Jamaal Gilchirst scored five straight points, including a three-pointer at the buzzer, to trim the lead to 33-28 at halftime. The Billikens led by no more than seven points until the final minute of the game. Carlton Brown led A&M with 19 points while Gilchrist finished with 14. A&M's leading scorer, Bernard King, was limited to eight points on 3-of-16 shooting and misfired on all five of his three-point attempts. Saint Louis's Maurice Jeffers led all scorers with 24 points and also was the game's top rebounder with eight. The Billikens connected on a blazing 54.0 percent from the field to just 37.3 percent by the Aggies, but A&M posted a 34-30 rebounding edge.
Aggies' 100th Tournament
The Rainbow Classic marks the 100th in-season tournament in Texas A&M history. The Aggies have won 17 tournament titles, the last being the 1989 Golden Panthers Classic in Miami, Fla.
Random Notes
Saint Louis limited Bernard King to just eight points on 3-of-16 shooting, ending a streak of five straight games with at least 14 points?...King was 0-of-5 on three pointers?...in the four games prior to the Rainbow Classic, King averaged 23.4 points and made 17-of-26 from three-point range (.654)?...Carlton Brown scored 19 points against the Billikens, his fifth straight game in double figures?...the Aggies have made less than 60 percent from the free throw line in four straight games?...A&M has out-rebounded seven of nine opponents this season, including seven of the last eight?...Jamaal Gilchrist scored 14 points, his second-highest total of the year, against Saint Louis, ending a streak of three straight games in single digits?...Saint Louis made 54.0 percent from the field, best by an A&M opponent this season?...A&M made just 37.3 percent, its third game under 40 percent this season and its second in the last three games?...Manhattan's Bruce Seals, the 2000 MAAC Rookie of the Year, played prep basketball at Winchendon (Mass.) School, where A&M newcomer Jesse King also prepped, although a year later.