October 12, 2001
The Texas A&M men's basketball team will begin fall practice with a pair of workouts on Saturday at Reed Arena. Practices are closed to the public.
The team will have its first practice at 8 a.m., followed by another workout at 4 p.m. The Aggies also will practice twice on Sunday before starting single workouts on Monday evening.
"We're very excited about the start of practice, so excited that we're going to go twice a day for the first couple of days," Fourth-year coach Melvin Watkins said. "More important, our young men are excited about getting started as well."
Watkins welcomes back four starters and nine lettermen from last year's team that finished 10-20 overall and tied for 11th in the Big 12 Conference with a 3-13 mark. The Aggies finished the season with just eight scholarship players because of injuries.
Watkins also will get his first good look at his highly-regarded recruiting class, led by junior college point guards Michael Gardener and Bradley Jackson along with freshman Daryl Mason, who led Bryan High School to the class 5A state championship game last March.
"The area we most wanted to shore up was our guards and I think we most helped ourselves in that area in recruiting," Watkins said. "We'll be evaluating that very closely."
Junior guard Bernard King, a preseason first-team All-Big 12 pick by Basketball News, could emerge as one of the top players in the country this season. King averaged 18.0 points and 4.8 assists as a sophomore, one of just three players in the nation to average at least 18.0 points and 4.5 assists per game.
Sophomore forward Nick Anderson, a Big 12 All-Freshman Team pick last spring, also returns afetr averaging 10.4 points last season. A Parade All-American in high school, Anderson was the only Big 12 freshman to start in every game.
Former walk-on Andy Leatherman is the team's lone senior and started last year at point guard, but the addition of Gardener and Jackson should allow him to move back to his more natural off-guard position. Sophomore center Nolan Butterfras started the final 10 games last season, while junior forward/center Keith Bean returns after starting in 19 of the first 20 games as a sophomore.
Watkins also welcomes back sophomore center Andy Slocum and sophomore forward Tomas Ress, whh each missed last season with medical problems. Slocum had shoulder surgery and Ress battled a severe staph infection. Both players now measure 7-0, with Slocum bulking up to 280 pounds and Ress tipping in at 240. Slocum started in 14 games as a freshman in 1999-00 while Ress started in 12 games.
Other returning lettermen are sophomore forward Jesse King, junior guard Larry Scott, junior forward Brian Brookhart and sophomore guard Dylan Leal. Freshman forward Jared Hall is a 6-7 walk-on from Arlington.
"We have a few nagging injuries so we're not quite 100 percent but we're close," Watkins said. "Ress and Slocum are healthy again and ready to go. Slocum has had a bout with shin splints, but he"s ready to practice."
The Aggies play a pair of exhibition games Nov. 8 and Nov. 14 before opening the season against George Washington University on Nov. 19 at Reed Arena.
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INDIVIDUAL GAME TICKETS ON SALE MONDAY
COLLEGE STATION -- Individual game tickets for the 2001-02 season will go on sale on Monday at the Athletic Ticket Office. Prices are $15 for courtside seats, $12 for mezzanine, $10 for balcony and $6 for gallery seats. Season tickets also are available. The 16-game package can be purchased for $240 courtside, $192 mezzanine and $160 balcony. Women's season tickets are $153 courtside and $119 mezzanine. Fans who purchase men's season tickets can buy women's tickets for $135 courtside and $105 mezzanine. Women's season ticket buyers can purchse men's tickets for $210 courtside, $168 mezzanine and $140 balcony. For more information, call the Athletic Ticket Office at 979-845-2311 or 1-888-99-AGGIE.