January 01, 2003
Game #11: Texas A&M AGGIES (7-3) vs. Centenary GENTS (5-6)
Thursday, Jan. 2, 2003
7 p.m. (Central)
Reed Arena (12,500 cap.)
College Station, Texas
RADIO: Texas A&M Sports Network
Dave South, play-by-play
Al Pulliam, commentary
Airtime: 6:45 p.m. (Central)
ONLINE: www.AggieAthletics.com
TELEVISION: None
AGGIES TRY TO COMPLETE BEST START SINCE 1986-87
The Texas A&M Aggies (7-3) play host to the Centenary Gents (5-6) in their final non-conference game of the season on Thursday at 7 p.m. (Central) at Reed Arena (12,500 cap.) in College Station. Tickets are $15 (courtside), $12 (mezzanine), $10 (balcony) and $6 (gallery) and can be purchased at the door. A win would make the Aggies 8-3 for the first time since 1987-87. The Aggies, who open Big 12 play at home against Oklahoma State on Jan. 11, are coming off a 65-56 victory against Mississippi Valley State on Saturday in the consolation game of the Cable Car Classic in Santa Clara, Calif. The Gents are coming off a 75-51 loss at Arkansas on Saturday. The Gents have lost three of their last four games and are 2-6 in games played away from Shreveport, La., this season. A&M is 4-1 at home. Centenary beat the Aggies, 73-63, last season in Shreveport.
About Centenary
The Gents return three starters and six lettermen from last year's team that finished 14-13. Centenary is an independent with non conference affiliation. The Gents are in their fourth season under coach Kevin Johnson, who was an assistant coach at Bryan (Texas) High School from 1993-97 (Bryan HS is located four miles from the A&M campus). The Gents are led by junior guard Andrew Wisniewski (6-3), who is averaging 18.5 points per gae and is making 85.1 percent from the free throw line. Junior forward Shawn Davis (6-7) adds 9.4 points and a team-best 5.5 rebounds, while junior guard Michael Gale (6-4) adds 8.9 points. Centenary opened the season with three straight losses at the Top of the World Classic in Fairbanks, Alaska, including an opening 68-45 loss to Nebraska. The Gents twice have defeated Louisiana-Monroe (80-65 an the road and 92-71 at home). Prior to Saturday's 75-51 loss at Arkansas, the Gents dropped a tight 70-69 decision at Fresno State. The Gents are making just 41.6 percent from the field while allowing their opponents to make 44.1 percent and have connected on just 28.6 percent from three-point range. The Gents have made a blazing 74.0 percent from the free throw line.
A&M-Centenary Series
The Aggies lead the series, 20-8, but have lost two of the last three and five of the last nine since 1967-68. Centenary won last year in Shreveport, 73-63. A&M is 2-1 against the Gents at Reed Arena, with wins in 1998-99 (76-67) and 2000-01 (77-67) and a 63-60 loss in 1999-00 that came on a buzzer-beating three-pointer by Centenary.
Coaches
- TEXAS A&M: MELVIN WATKINS (UNC Charlotte '77)
- 46-80, 5th year at A&M
- 88-100, 7th year overall
- 1-2 vs. Kevin Johnson
- 2-2 vs. Centenary
CENTENARY: KEVIN JOHNSON (UT-Pan American '88)
- 37-56 in 4th year at Centenary/Overall
- 2-1 vs. Melvin Watkins
- 2-1 vs. Texas A&M
Tentative Starters
TEXAS A&M AGGIES (7-3) No. Player P Ht. Cl. PPG RPG 2 Keith Bean F 6-8 Sr. 6.5 5.4 14 Tomas Ress F 7-0 Jr. 2.3 2.3 21 Antoine Wright G 6-7 Fr. 16.8 7.9 32 Bernard King G 6-5 Sr. 15.8 5.1a 10 Leandro Garcia-Morales G 6-2 Jr. 4.6 3.7a
Watkins Quoteboard
"Centenary always seems to play with a lot of confidence against us. They are a very well-coached team and they will come to Reed Arena prepared to go to war with us. We are finishing up our non-conferenceschedule and need to get a win to give us some momentum going into conference play. We obviously still need to improve in a lot of areas, particularly our half-court game. We're 7-3, but we know we've got to get better with the Big 12 almost upon us."
Mississippi Valley State Recap
SANTA CLARA, Calif.- Texas A&M used an 11-2 run in the latter part of the second half to pull away for a 65-56 victory over Mississippi Valley State Saturday in the consolation championship of the Cable Car Classic. The Aggies (7-3), who never trailed on the night, opened the game with a 20-2 run and held a 9-point halftime advantage. The Devils (1-8) cut the A&M advantage to one with just over nine minutes to play before the Aggies put the game away with the decisive second-half run. Freshman Antoine Wright led Texas A&M with 14 points and 10 rebounds, his fourth double-double of the year. Junior Andy Slocum, seeing his first significant action of the season, scored 10 points and grabbed 11 boards in 24 minutes of play. Adrian Harper led MVSU with 17 points, while Attarrius Norton added 12 and D'Jamel Jackson scored 10.
Last Year vs. Centenary
SHREVEPORT, La. (AP, Jan. 3, 2002)- Andrew Wisniewski scored 22 points, Demario Hooper added 17 and Centenary held Texas A&M to 21 percent shooting in the second half in a 73-63 victory over the Aggies. Centenary (6-6) led 32-30 at halftime behind 50 percent shooting (12-of-24), then held Texas A&M (6-8) to 6-of-28 field goal accuracy in the second half to clinch the victory. The Aggies made 20-of-27 free throws in the final period to keep it close. Kevin Atama had 13 points and Michael Gale 12 points for Centenary. Bernard King's 17 points led Texas A&M, and Bradley Jackson and reserve Andy Leatherman added 11 points each for the Aggies.
Who's Hot?
- Kevin Turner has averaged 13.3 points in the last six games, making 18-of-37 from three-point range (.487). Turner made four straight three-pointers in 81 seconds to ice the win against Tennessee.
- Antoine Wright has had four duble-doubles in his last six games, averaging 15.3 points and 8.5 rebounds in that span. Wright has scored in double figures in nine straight games.
- Bernard King has averaged 15.4 points and 5.8 assists in his last five games.
- Andy Slocum scored 10 points with 11 rebounds against Mississippi Valley State in just his third game back after missing the first seven games. Slocum had back surgery in late October.
Quick Notes
- An early candidate for National Freshman of the Year, forward Antoine Wright has twice been named Big 12 Rookie of the Week. Wright leads the team in scoring, rebounding, steals, blocks, three-point field goals and minutes played. He's on pace to break Big 12 and A&M freshman records for each of those categories.
- A&M made 64.9 percent from the field against Louisiana-Monroe, the fourth best percentage in school history and the best since a record .727 performance against Stephen F. Austin in 1988-89. However, A&M followed that performance with a season-worst 39.0 percent in the loss to Princeton.
- After leading at halftime just four times last season (with a 2-2 record when they did), the Aggies have led at halftime in seven of 10 games this season. A&M is 7-0 when leading at halftime.
- Bernard King needs 106 points to become A&M?s career scoring leader and needs 158 to break the Big 12 mark.
- King leads the Aggies with six three-point plays this season (FG+FT).
- The Aggies out-rebounded five of their first six opponents this season, but have been out-boarded four times in their last six games.
- The Aggies are 7-0 when shooting at least 43.2 percent from the field.
- A&M is 7-1 when it controls the opening tip.
- A&M has had more assists than turnovers in seven of 10 games, something the Aggies accomplished just 12 times in 31 games last season.
Dynamic Duo
The scoring combination of senior Bernard King and freshman Antoine Wright is shaping up to be one of the most prolific in school history. Through eight games, King is averagng 15.8 points and Wright is adding 16.8. "King and Wright are great players," Tennessee coach Buzz Peterson said after the Aggies? 83-66 victory. The only time in school history that two players have each averaged more than 16.0 points for a season was in 1975-76, when Sonny Parker (20.7) and Barry Davis (16.2) turned the trick. That team won the Southwest Conference title.
A&M'S BEST 1-2 PUNCHES (Two players averaging 15.0 min.) Rk. (Combined PPG), Player (PPG), Year 1. (38.1), Joe Wilbert (22.9), Tony McGinnis (15.2), 1993-94 2. (36.9), Sonny Parker (20.7), Barry Davis (16.2), 1975-76 3. (33.1) Billy Bob Barnett (17.4), Ronnie Peret (15.7), 1968-69 4. (32.6), Antoine Wright (16.8), Bernard King (15.8), 2002-03
Hail The King
Senior guard Bernard King, a preseason candidate for Big 12 Player of the Year, has led the team in scoring four times this season, including a season-high 26 points against LSU and 19 points against Tennessee. King is on track to become the career scoring leader in Big 12 and Texas A&M history. King now has 1,673 points (17.2 average), ranking third in Big 12 annals and second on the A&M chart. King needs 106 points to pass Vernon Smith (1977-81) as A&M's leader and needs 158 to pass Iowa State's Marcus Fizer (1997-00) as the Big 12 leader. King also has compiled 451 assists and 424 rebounds and is attempting to become only the eighth Division I player to reach 2,000 points, 500 assists and 500 rebounds in a career. King's 451 assists rank sixth all-time in the Big 12 and fourth at A&M. Last season, he was the only player in the country to average at least 17.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game. King is rated as the 21st best NBA prospect in the Class of 2003 by NBADraft.net. Against Tennessee, he added a career-high 11 assists and six rebounds to his 19 points, his eighth career double-double.
Mr. Bean
Senior forward Keith Bean scored 11 points with a career-high 13 rebounds against Miami. Bean had a pair of doube doubles last year and had a trio of 12-rebound games. He just missed another double-double against Oakland, scoring eight points with 10 rebounds. Bean has connected on a team-best 64.9 percent from the field after making 62.1 percent last season. His career field goal percentage of 54.8 percent ranks sixth in school history.
Diaper Dandy
Freshman forward Antoine Wright, the consensus pick as the preseason Big 12 Freshman of the Year and an early candidate for National Freshman of the Year honors, is a member of Dick Vitale's prestigious "Diaper Dandies," a list of the nation's top 16 freshmen as selected by the ESPN analyst. Wright was rated as the top shooting guard and the No. 4 overall prospect in the country by ESPN.com last year. Wright, rated as the 10th best NBA prospect in the Class of 2006 by NBA Draft.net, also was a member of the USA Junior World Championship Team last summer. He is averaging a team-best 16.8 points and 7.9 rebounds per game and has made an impressive 27-of-63 (.429) from three-point range. Wright has posted four 20-point efforts, scoring a career high 25 against Miami, adding 22 in the win against LSU and finishing with 21 against Oakland and Prairie View A&M. Wright has twice been named Big 12 Rookie of the Week and is the only player in the Big 12 to rank in the top 12 in the league in six statistical categories. He ranks fifth in the Big 12 in three-point field goals (2.7) and is second in defensive rebounding (6.8).
DIAPER DANDY PRODUCTION INDEX (Index = combined scoring, rebounding and assists averages) '02 '03 Rk. Index Player, School PPG RPG APG W-L W-L 1. 37.9 Carmelo Anthony, Syracuse 24.9 10.0 3.0 23-13 8-1 2. 29.1 Craig Smith, Boston College 20.0 8.2 0.9 20-12 6-3 3. 27.2 Antoine Wright, Texas A&M 16.8 7.9 2.5 9-22 7-3 4. 26.8 Chris Bosh, Georgia Tech 14.9 9.9 2.0 15-16 5-4 5. 26.4 Bracey Wright, Indiana 18.2 5.6 2.6 25-12 8-2 Stats and records through games of Monday, Dec. 30
Game Turner
Junior guard Kevin Turner, rated as one of the top 10 JUCO guards in the country last year by Lindy's, has quickly become a mainstay in the rotation and was the hero of the Tennessee game. Turner scored 16 points against the Vols, making 4-of-6 from three-point range. UT had trimmed a big A&M lead to 63-62 with 3:06 left, but Turner buried four straight three-pointers in the next 81 seconds to pace an 83-66 victory. Turner ranks third on the team with 10.8 points per game and has made a team-best 46.9 percent (23-49) from three-point range while playing just 20.9 minutes per game. Turner is averaging 13.3 points in the last six games and has been the team's top scorer off the bench in seven of A&M's 10 games. He earned his first career start against Mississippi Valley State after pouting in a career-high 18 points against Princeton.
Helping Hand
While the Aggies have struggled at times with turnovers, they have made up for it with assists, ranking second in the Big 12 with an average of 18.6 per game. The A&M record is 18.1 set in 1993-94, when David Edwards ranked second nationally with a school-record 8.8 average. A&M ranks fifth in the league in assists-to-turnovers ratio at 1.16. Senior Bernard King ranks fourth in assists at 5,7 while Leandro Garcia-Morales ranks 12th at 3.7.
On the Line
The Aggies were making a cozy 72.0 percent from the line through the first five games, a marked improvement over last season's 65.2 percent. The last time A&M made better than 70.0 percent from the line for a season was in 1988-89, when the Aggies connected on 70.9 percent. The last time A&M made better than 72.0 percent was in 1975-76 (72.8). But in the last five games, the Aggies have made just 58.9 percent (76-129), dropping their season percentage to just .640, 10th in the Big 12.
Bombs Away
A&M ranks fourth in the Big 12 in three-point field goal percentage at 39.4 percent after rankinglast in the league last year at 32.5 percent. The Aggies rank third in the Big 12 with an average of 7.8 three-pointers made per game, well ahead of last year's norm of 5.8. A&M tied a school record with 179 treys last season. Antoine Wright (2.7), Bernard King (1.3) and Kevin Turner (2.3) are each averaging at least one trey per game.
About Slocum
Junior center Andy Slocum, who missed eight Big 12 games last year after suffering a broken left hand against Texas Tech, broke his right hand in a pickup basketball game in the summer. The hand healed, but Slocum then suffered a back injury prior to the start of fall practice and had surgery in late October. Slocum missed the first seven games, but returned to action against Louisiana-Monroe, scoring six points with three boards in just four minutes of work. Two game slater, he posted his fourth career double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds against Mississippi Valley State. He missed the entire 2000-01 season after having shoulder surgery. Slocum averaged 8.5 rebounds and 7.3 points in eight Big 12 games last year, including a 22-point, 14-rebound performance at Oklahoma.
Another Watkins
Freshman guard Marcus Watkins, son of A&M head coach Melvin Watkins, has quickly made an impact on the Aggies. He scored a career-high 12 points in just 16 minutes against Louisiana-Monroe and had nine points in wins against Texas Southern and Mississippi Valley State. For the season, he is averaging 4.2 points and has made 56.0 percent from the field (14-25) and 73.7 percent from the line (14-19). As a senior last season at A&M Consolidated High School in College Station, the younger Watkins earned first-team all-state honors after averaging 31.1 points per game, which included a pair of 50-point efforts. The 6-4 Watkins played post in high school but hopes to make a smooth transition to guard in college, just like his father did more than a quarter century ago at North Carolina Charlotte. Coach Watkins was a prep All-American as a center at Reidsville (N..) High School, but became a point guard at UNCC. he started his final two years, leading the 49ers to the NIT finals in 1976 and the NCAA Final Four in 1977, where they lost to eventual champion Marquette.
Pride of Uruguay
Junior guard Leandro Garcia-Morales, a member of the 2001 Uruguay National Team, has started in all 10 games at point guard, although he probably is more comfortable at the shooting guard spot. He is averaging 4.6 points and ranks second on the team in assists with 3.7 per game. He scored 10 points in the win against LSU, had a career-best seven assists in the opener against Texas Southern and added six assists against Tennessee. As a sophomore last season at Miami-Dade Community College, Garcia-Morales was the only JUCO player in the country to rank in the top 10 nationally in scoring, assists and steals. The Sporting News ranked him as the top under 6-5 passer in the JUCO ranks last season.
Gen. Bradley
Senior guard Bradley Jackson, who started in 19 games at point guard last season, has prospered off the bench this season. He scored 10 points with four assists and two steals against Oakland and his two free throws with 14 seconds left iced the game for the Aggies. He added a pair of free throws with nine seconds left in the second overtime against Prairie View A&M to ice that win, finishing with eight points and five assists and making 6-of-6 from the free throw line. Jackson is averaging 3.7 points and ranks third on the team with an average of 3.3 assists.
Board Stiff
After out-rebounding five of its first six opponents, A&M has been out-boarded in four of its last six games. The Aggies have posted an average rebounding margin of -0.2, thanks largely to being beaten on the boards by UTSA, 52-37. The Aggies out-rebounded their opponents in 20 of 31 games last season.
Turnover Woes
The Aggies are averaging 16.0 turnovers per game, 10th most in the Big 12, and rank 10th in turnover margin at +0.3. But the Aggies had just eight turnovers against Tennesse, their fewest since they had just five against Princeton on Dec. 27, 1996 in El Paso.
Efficient Offense
The Aggies handed out 24 assists with just eight turnovers against Tennessee, a 3-to-1 assists to turnovers ratio. That's the best ratio in Melvin Watkins' five years at A&M and the best by an A&M team since it had a school-record 34 assists with just 11 turnovers in a 102-61 win against Missouri-Kansas City in the second game of the 1997-98 season, a span of 145 games. A&M has had more assists than turnovers in seven of 10 games, something they accomplished just 12 times in 31 games last year. The Aggies had 28 assists (13 turnovers) against Louisiana-Monroe, their most assists since they had 28 against Missouri in 1998-99.
Another King
Junior forward Jesse King, perhaps the team's best athlete, had had an inconsistent start this season while coming back from off-season knee surgery. Against Oakland on Dec. 2, King scored 12 points and tied his career-high with nine rebounds, making 6-of-8 from the field. Four of King's six baskets came on spectacular slam dunks in the second half. King followed with 11 points against UTSA, but averaged just 1.0 points in two games at the Cable Car Classic. King is averaging 6.2 points and 3.8 rebounds and is making 58.3 percent from the field.
Watkins' Grads
Since becoming Texas A&M's head basketball coach in 1998, Melvin Watkins has posted an enviable graduation rate, with 11 of his 13 players who have completed their eligibility at A&M receiving their degrees (84.6 percent). The two non-graduates are playing professional basketball overseas. Of the seven players who did not remain at A&M, three have graduated and the other four are still in school. Among current players, Brian Brookhart graduated in August and is now in graduate school, while Keith Bean is on track for a May graduation and Bradley Jackson, Tomas Ress and Andy Slocum are expected to graduate next August.
A&M's Best
Texas A&M will honor its five basketball All-Americans a the Jan. 11 Big 12 Conference opener against Oklahoma State at Reed Arena. The four surviving players are expected to be in attendance: Walter Davis (1951), Carroll Broussard (1961, 1962), Bennie Lenox (1963) and John Beasley (1966). A&M?s first All-American, Jewell McDowell (1950) is deceased. A former Olympic gold medalist and world-record holder in the high jump, Davis was named the top two-sport track athlete in history by USA Track & Field several years ago. He played five seasons in the NBA. Broussard is A&M?s only two-time All-American , while Lenox scored a SWC record 53 points against Wyoming and led the Aggies to the 1964 NCAA Tournament. Beasley owns A&M records for season and career scoring and rebounding averages and played seven seasons in the ABA, earning MVP honors in the 1969 ABA All-Star Game.