January 03, 2001
Game #12
Texas A&M Aggies (5-6)
vs.
Centenary Gents (3-9)
Thursday, Jan. 4, 2001
7 p.m. (CST)
Reed Arena (12,500 cap.)
College Station, Texas
Radio
Texas A&M Radio Network (Regional)
Dave South, Play-by-Play
Al Pulliam, Commentary
Airtime: 6:45 p.m.
Television
None
After one month on the road, the Texas A&M Aggies (5-6) return home to play the Centenary Gents (3-9) on Thursday at 7 p.m. (CST) at Reed Arena (12,500 cap.) in the Aggies' final tune-up for Big 12 Conference play. The Aggies open league action at home on Saturday against Kansas State (3 p.m.). A&M has won two straight games, capturing fifth place last week at the Rainbow Classic in Honolulu, Hawaii. The Gents are coming off a 78-56 win against Tennessee-Martin at home on Tuesday, which ended a nine-game losing streak. A&M is 3-1 at home this season, but has not played a home game since an 83-60 victory against Lamar on Dec. 5. Centenary is 0-8 in road games this season, but the Gents upset the Aggies, 63-60, last year at Reed Arena (Jan. 5, 2000).
Game Promotion
Thursday is "Take a Kid to the Game" day, a coordinated effort among NCAA Basketball, Host Communications, Inc., and the National Association of Basketball Coaches. Children ages 14 and under will receive a mezzanine or balcony ticket for only $2 when accompanied by an adult. Tickets must be purchased at the Reed Arena box office. In its third year, "Take a Kid to the Game Day" is being promoted at more than 500 men's and women's college basketball games around the country this season.
About the Gents
Centenary returns two starters and six lettermen from last year's 10-18 team that upset the Aggies in College Station. The Gents are led by senior guard Ronnie McCollum (6-4), who ranks second nationally in Division I with a 25.1 scoring average. McCollum made the winning three-point shot at the buzzer against the Aggies last season. Sophomore guard Shohn Williams (6-4) leads the Gents in rebounding with a 7.1 average and adds 6.5 points per game. The Gents have defeated East Texas Baptist (93-56), Southwest Texas State (70-63) and Tennessee-Martin (78-56). The nine defeats includes losses to Arkansas (88-57), Marquette (66-47), Kent State (61-47), Tulane (68-57), Iowa (72-52) and Minnesota (93-59).
The A&M-Centenary Series
The Aggies lead the series, 19-7, but Centenary won last year in College Station, 63-60, ending a two-game A&M winning streak in the series. The Gents have won four of the last seven meetings dating back to the 1967-68 season. The teams first met in 1925-26.
A&M VS. CENTENARY (last 10 games)
Year Winner Site
1999-00 Centenary, 63-60 College Station
1998-99 A&M, 76-67 College Station
1990-91 A&M, 103-82 College Station
1989-90 Centenary, 89-82 College Station
1988-89 Centenary, 80-77 Shreveport, La.
1968-69 A&M, 72-65 College Station
1967-68 Centenary, 99-93 Shreveport, La.
1962-63 A&M, 91-74 College Station
1961-62 A&M, 58-56 Shreveport, La.
1960-61 A&M, 77-54 College Station
Melvin Watkins Quoteboard
"We feel like we played some good basketball on our road trip but we still need to improve in a lot of areas as we get ready for Big 12 play. Centenary beat us last year so we know what they are capable of doing. Ronnie McCollum is one of the top scorers in the nation and hit the winning shot against us last year. We're looking forward to playing a couple of home games after being on the road for the last month. I think the trip was beneficial because we began to grow together as a team and that's something we hoped would happen."
Tentative Starters
TEXAS A&M AGGIES (5-6)
# Player Pos. Ht. Cl. ppg rpg
22 Andy Leatherman G 6-3 Jr. 6.5 2.3a
32 Bernard King G 6-5 So. 17.9 4.6a
24 Carlton Brown F 6-6 Sr. 15.7 8.0
5 Nick Anderson F 6-6 Fr. 9.1 7.1
2 Keith Bean F 6-8 So. 7.4 5.0
TEXAS A&M INJURIES: AARON JACK, senior forward: hyperextended right knee (probable); TOMAS RESS, soph. forward: undetermined illness (will not play); ANDY SLOCUM, soph. center: right shoulder surgery (will not play).
CENTENARY GENTS (3-9)
# Player Pos. Ht. Cl. ppg rpg
10 Kevin Atamah G 6-0 Jr. 6.0 2.1a
32 Ronnie McCollum G 6-4 Sr. 25.1 3.2
4 Michael Gale G 6-4 Fr. 6.8 4.2
42 Olufemi Odukoya F 6-4 Sr. 4.0 4.8
55 Kresimir Tomorad C 6-9 So. 2.3 2.8
Head Coaches
TEXAS A&M: Melvin Watkins (UNC Charlotte '77)
25-40, 3rd year at A&M
67-60, 5th year overall
0-1 vs. Kevin Johnson
1-1 vs. Centenary
CENTENARY: Kevin Johnson (Texas-Pan American '88)
13-27 in 2nd year at Centenary
13-27 in 2nd year overall
1-0 vs. Melvin Watkins
1-0 vs. Texas A&M
Detroit-Mercy Recap
HONOLULU-- Texas A&M rallied from a 15-point deficit to defeat Detroit Mercy, 81-72, in overtime on Saturday to capture fifth place in the Outrigger Hotels Rainbow Classic at the Stan Sheriff Center. With their second straight win, the Aggies improve to 5-6 while the Titans fall to 9-5. Behind the torrid three-point shooting of guards Rashad Phillips and Willie Green, Detroit bolted to a 35-20 lead with 2:46 left in the first half. But A&M buckled down on defense, shutting out the Titans the rest of the half and closing with six unanswered points to trim the lead to 35-26 at halftime. The run continued in the second half as the Aggies opened with 11 straight points to take a 37-35 lead on a long jumper by Nick Anderson. Detroit led, 59-54, with 4:45 left, but an 8-2 run handed the Aggies a 62-61 lead at the 2:49 mark. A pair of free throws by Bernard King gave the Aggies a 66-63 cushion with 18 seconds left, then Green calmly nailed a 21-foot three-pointer in the waning seconds to send the game into overtime. King stole the ball from Phillips on Detroit''s opening possession in overtime and went the length of the court for an easy layup, then followed with a three-pointer to hand the Aggies a 71- 66 lead with 3:26 left. From there, the Aggies made 10 straight free throws in the final 1:10 to ice the game. Coming Home Centenary's Kevin Johnson made a triumphant return to the Brazos Valley last year in his first year as head coach, upsetting the Aggies, 63-60. Johnson served as an assistant coach at Bryan High School for three seasons from 1994-97 before becoming an assistant at Centenary.
Looking Ahead
The Aggies open Big 12 play at home on Saturday against resurgent Kansas State, which has won four of its last five games, including an 86-78 upset of No. 19-ranked Iowa on Dec. 23. Then the Aggies go on a two-game road trip against No. 21 Oklahoma and 10-3 Colorado. The tough slate continues with a home game against No. 25 Texas on Jan. 17, then road games against No. 6 Kansas and 7-2 Oklahoma State. Then, its back home against 12-1 Iowa State, on the road at No. 25 Texas, then consecutive home games against No. 21 Oklahoma and 11-0 Baylor.
Home Sweet Home
The Aggies are 3-1 at home this season, with the only loss being to Birmingham Southern, 74-54, on Nov. 26. The Aggies have won four of their last five home games starting with last season's 83-76 win against Nebraska. The Aggies are in their third season at Reed Arena, where they are 17-13, including wins against Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Alabama, Tulane, Colorado and Nebraska.
Improving on the Boards
Despite starting no player taller than 6-8, the Aggies have developed into a solid rebounding team, out-rebounding its opponents by an average margin of +9.1. The Aggies have been out-rebounded just twice (36-33 in the opener vs. George Washington and 35-34 to North Carolina). In the last two games, A&M has posted an average margin of +21.5. The Aggies out-boarded Manhattan by 21 and Detroit by 22. Prior to the game, Detroit had been out-rebounded just once all season. The Aggies have been especially effective on the offensive boards, leading the Big 12 Conference with 15.0 offensive rebounds per game. In five games this season, the Aggies have posted a double-digit rebounding margin. Bouncing Back After falling to Birmingham Southern, 74-54, on Nov. 26 in what coach Melvin Watkins said was the "most embarrassing" loss of his career, Watkins called a 5:30 a.m. practice the next morning. 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 against Morris Brown, the largest margin of victory in Watkins' five years as a college head coach. Since the loss to Birmingham Southern, the Aggies are 4-4, including road losses to Virginia Commonwealth (107-106 in double overtime) and Long Beach State (83-76) and neutral site losses to No. 12-ranked North Carolina (82-60) and Saint Louis (72-60).
Jesse's Impact
Freshman guard/forward Jesse King gained his eligibility and began practicing with the team on Dec. 17. The 6-7, 216-pounder from Detroit, Mich. (Pershing HS) has 3 + years of eligibility remaining. King made his debut against Long Beach State on Dec. 22, pulling down three rebounds. He has played in the last five games, averaging 2.3 points and 3.8 rebounds. King played at Winchendon (Mass.) School last year, averaging 18.1 points and 13.0 rebounds per game. In high school, he earned all-state honors and was rated among the top 10 players in Michigan after averaging 19.3 points, 11.2 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game. Midwest Hoops compared King to former Pershing standout Steve Smith, now with the NBA's Atlanta Hawks.
Bernard 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 in scoring with a 17.9 average, ranking third in the Big 12. King has overcome a severe early-season shooting slump u through the first four games, King had made just 2-of-20 three-pointers (.100) and was averaging just 12.5 points per game. But in the seven games since, King has connected on 24-of-57 (.421), averaging 21.0 points in that stretch. Against Lamar, King scored a season-high 30 points in just 27 minutes (his fourth career 30+ game) and tied the school record with eight three-pointers (11 att.). His six treys in the second half tied the Big 12 record. King also leads the team in assists (4.6). Since the Aggies' wake-up call against Birmingham Southern on Nov. 26 (a 74-54 loss), King has averaged 20.1 points, 4.6 assists and 3.0 three-point field goals per game. Mr. Bean Sophomore Keith Bean, a transfer from North Carolina State who sat out last season, has averaged 8.0 points and 9.0 rebounds in the last two games. Bean has scored in double figures in four games, including an 11-point, five-rebound effort against No. 12-ranked North Carolina. Bean has started in 10 of 11 games, averaging 7.4 points and 5.0 rebounds while making 50.8 percent from the field. Bean emerged in the second half of the Virginia Commonwealth game, finishing with a career-high 17 points, making 5-of-9 from the field and 7-of-7 from the line.
Leatherman Warms Up
Junior guard Andy Leatherman, a former walk-on who was put on scholarship this season, has started the last four games at point guard. For the season, Leatherman is averaging 6.5 points . 2.9 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. He ranks third on the team in assists and second in three-point field goals (14), steals (9) and free throw percentage (.792). He scored a career-high 16 points against Birmingham Southern, then followed with a team-high 15 points against Morris Brown. He scored 11 points with six rebounds in the win against Manhattan. His 14 three-pointers this year already surpasses his season total in 23 games last year (8-43, .186).
St. Nick Gets Jolly
Freshman Nick Anderson, one of the most heralded Texas A&M basketball recruits in many years, has lived up to his billing in recent games. Anderson put together back-to-back double doubles in the Aggies two wins in Hawaii, scoring 22 points with 15 rebounds against Manhattan and scoring 10 points with 12 boards against Detroit, despite playing on a sprained ankle. For the season, Anderson ranks third on the team in scoring (9.1) and second in rebounding (7.1). He also leads the team in blocked shots (7). Overall, he has posted three double-doubles in the last seven games and has scored in double figures six times. A 2000 Parade High School All-American, Anderson has started in all 11 games. Against Virginia Commonwealth, Anderson posted his first career double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. He followed with a career-high 14 points and six boards against Lamar. Anderson was the preseason choice for Big 12 Freshman of the Year by the league's coaches and media.
Brown Emerges
Forward Carlton Brown is off to a spectacular senior season, leading the team in rebounding (8.0), field goal percentage (.577) and free throw percentage (.804) and ranking second in scoring (15.7). As a junior college transfer last season, Brown averaged just 6.9 points and 3.3 rebounds per game. Against Detroit Mercy, Brown tied his career-high with 24 points and added 13 rebounds, his fourth double-double in seven games. Earlier this season at Virginia Commonwealth, Brown scored 20 points with a career-high 18 rebounds, tying for the 13th most boards in school history (and the most by an Aggie in six years). He has started in all 11 games, scoring in double figures nine times. In the last seven games, Brown has averaged 17.7 points and 10.0 rebounds.