December 11, 2003
GAME #6
Texas A&M Aggies
(3-2, 0-0 Big 12)
vs.
TAMU-Corpus Christi Islanders
(3-3)
7 p.m. (CST)
Saturday, Dec.13, 2003
Reed Arena (12,500 cap.)
College Station, Texas
RADIO:
Texas A&M Sports Network
Dave South, play-by-play
Al Pulliam, commentary
Airtime: 6:40 p.m. (CST)
ONLINE: www.AggieAthletics.com
Station Freq. Market
KIXL-AM 970 Austin
KAGG-FM 96.1 College Station
KWHI-AM 1280 Brenham
KGAS-AM 1590 Carthage
KCOM-AM 1550 Comanche
KBHT-FM 93.5 Crockett
KFXR-AM 1190 Dallas
KULP-AM 1390 El Campo
KCTI-AM 1450 Gonzales
KTHP-FM 103.9 Hemphill
KPRC-AM 950 Houston
KRBA-AM 1340 Lufkin
KMHT-AM 1450 Marshall
KMOO-FM 99.9 Mineola
KSST-AM 1230 Sulphur Springs
KKTK-AM 1400 Texarkana
TELEVISION:
No Television
Postgame Satellite Feed:
Galaxy 3C, Transponder 9C
Feed Time: 9:45-10 p.m. (CST)
Trying to end a two-game losing skid, the Texas A&M Aggies (3-2) return home to play the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders (3-3) on Saturday at 7 p.m. (CST) at Reed Arena (12,500 cap.) in College Station. The Aggies have been idle since losing a pair of road games last week. A&M fell to Tennessee (108-84) on Dec. 2 and lost at Oakland (90-58) last Saturday. TAMUCC, an independent without a conference affiliation, also has lost two straight and is coming off a 56-53 loss to Air Force on Tuesday in Corpus Christi. The Aggies and Islanders have never played. The Aggies are 3-0 at home this season while the Islanders are 0-2 in road games.
About TAMUCC
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi is in its fifth season of NCAA Division I basketball, all under coach Ronnie Arrow. Arrow previously coached at South Alabama (1987-95) after a 10-year stint at San Jacinto Junior College in Pasadena, Texas, where he led the team to three national JUCO titles. The Islanders return four starters from last year's team, which finished 14-15. The team started the season 3-1, including a 69-62 loss at Baylor on Nov. 29, but have since lost two straight. TAMUCC boasts a balanced lineup, with five players averaging in double figures scoring. Senior guard Brian Evans (6-0), leads the Islanders with a 14.8 average and adds 4.2 assists, while senior guard Travis Bailey averages 14.0 points and 3.5 assists. Hot-shooting sophomore guard Aaron White (6-0) contributes 13.3 points and is making 50.0 percent from three-point range (8-of-16), senior forward Thomas Bailey (6-9) comes off the bench to average 13.2 points and junior forward Corey Lamkin (6-6) adds 11.3 points and a team-best 9.0 rebounds. As a team, the Islanders are making 50.0 percent from the field and 71.1 percent from the free throw line, but have struggled from three-point range, making just 30.8 percent. TAMUCC averages 78.0 points while giving up 68.3 points per game. Defensively, the Islanders are allowing their opponents to make 44.2 percent from the field and 39.9 percent from three-point range.
2-for-1 Tickets
The Texas A&M Athletics Department is offering a special holiday gift to hoops fans in the form of two-for-one admission to all remaining non-conference men's and women's basketball games at Reed Arena. The holiday ticket offer is good for all seating sections including courtside and mezzanine. Tickets must be purchased at the Reed Arena Ticket Office (979-862-7333) and must be used in conjunction for the same game.
The Series
First Meeting
The Coaches
TEXAS A&M
Melvin Watkins (UNC Charlotte '77)
56-93 at A&M (6th year)
98-113 overall (8th year)
0-0 vs. TAMUCC
0-0 vs. Ronnie Arrow
TAMUCC
Ronnie Arrow (Southwest Texas State '69)
56-60 at TAMUCC (5th year)
170-153 overall (13th year)
1-2 vs. Texas A&M
0-0 vs. Melvin Watkins
TALE OF THE TAPE
A&M CC
Record 3-2 3-3
Conference 0-0 0-0
Ratings Pct. Index (RPI) -- --
Streak L2 L2
Field Goal Pct. .439 .500
Opponent FG Pct. .477 .442
3-Pt. Field Goal Pct. .404 .308
Opponent 3-Pt. Pct. .369 .399
3-Pt. Field Goal Avg. 7.2 4.7
3-Pt. FG Attempts Avg. 17.8 15.2
Free Throw Pct. .652 .711
Opponent FT Pct. .673 .717
Rebound Avg. 39.0 37.7
Offensive Reb. Avg. 17.0 14.5
Rebounding Margin +1.0 +10.5
Turnovers Avg. 14.2 16.8
Opp. Turnovers Avg. 17.6 13.8
Assists Avg. 20.2 18.6
Blocks Avg. 1.6 1.6
Steals Avg. 7.6 6.0
Scoring Avg. 82.4 78.0
Opponent Scoring 79.0 68.3
Scoring Margin +3.4 +9.7
Tentative A&M Starters
TEXAS A&M AGGIES (3-1)
No. Player P Ht. Cl. PPG RPG
50 Andy Slocum C 7-0 Sr. 8.8 6.8
3 Jesse King III F 6-7 Sr. 11.8 5.6
21 Antoine Wright F/G 6-7 So. 11.0 3.4
10 Leandro Garcia-Morales G 6-1 Sr. 6.0 3.8a
30 Bobby Leach G 6-0 Jr. 5.6 5.0a
Off the Bench
No. Player P Ht. Cl. PPG RPG
22 Kevin Turner G 6-2 Sr. 9.8 2.3
1 Acie Law IV G 6-3 Fr. 7.3 3.3a
11 Luis Clemente F 6-8 So. 6.6 3.0
32 Marcus Watkins G 6-4 So. 6.2 2.2
5 Nick Anderson F 6-6 Sr. 6.0 5.0
23 Keith Blanks F 6-5 Fr. 3.8 1.8
42 Marlon Pompey F 6-8 Fr. 3.7 1.3
12 Dylan Leal G 6-4 Sr. 1.2 0.2
33 Justin Loewe G 6-4 Fr. 0.7 0.3
Watkins Quoteboard
"Corpus Christi is a perimeter-oriented team. They will guard you pretty tough. They've got two or three players who can hit the three. They've got a player that I don't think has played yet because of eligibility issues who is supposedly a pretty good guard. We're going to have to play. What we have to do is make sure our players recognize that. Fans may not recognize it, but we know they are a team that is capable of beating us, particularly since we've hit a bump in the road and haven't played well in the last two games. I've been excited to get back to the practice floor and clear up a few things and make a few adjustments. We'll see how we respond to that. Corpus will probably give us all we want. It's good to be back home, get back in Reed Arena and get back to playing sharp."
Sidebars
Saturday's game will mark a reunion of TAMUCC Head Coach Ronnie Arrow and Texas A&M Associate Head Coach Lew Hill. Hill played a key role in Arrow's dominating run as head coach at San Jacinto Junior College, starting as a freshman point guard for Arrow's 1984 team that won the JUCO national championship. Hill later served as an assistant coach for Arrow at South Alabama from 1989-92, helping the team to the NCAA Tournament in 1991. "I made coach Arrow a winner," Hill jokes. "He was always a winner with me, but I hope he's not a winner against me."...A&M is the second of four Big 12 schools which play the Islanders this season...TAMUCC played Baylor on Nov. 29 (losing 69-62 in Waco) and after playing at A&M, go on the road to meet Kansas State on Dec. 20 and Oklahoma State on Jan. 6...the Islanders are 1-5 all-time against Big 12 teams, with the lone win coming against Texas Tech in 2000-01, when they posted an 86-80 win in Lubbock...Santa Claus makes his annual stop at Reed Arena on Saturday prior to the game...fans are encouraged to bring kids and cameras....Santa will be available starting 30 minutes before the game until 10 minutes before tip off.
Oakland Recap
ROCHESTER, Mich. (AP)- Rawle Marshall scored 21 points and Mike Helms added 19 as Oakland beat Texas A&M, 90-58 on Dec. 6. The win ended the Golden Grizzlies' five-game losing streak and was just the third against major-conference opposition in Oakland's six years in Division I. Oakland (3-5) also got 18 from Cortney Scott in its first win against a Big 12 school. The Aggies (3-2) entered the game with a 34-13 record against Mid-Continent teams, but Nick Anderson was the team's only player to reach double digits with 10 points. Texas A&M's leading scorers, Jesse King and Antoine Wright, combined for just five points on 2-for-14 shooting. Oakland led 41-32 at the half, but scored the first eight after intermission, including two 3-pointers from Helms. Oakland's leading scorer, Helms had lost his spot in the starting lineup because of a shooting slump and played just 20 minutes. Helms picked up his fourth foul with 16:17 to play and Oakland leading 49-35, but the Golden Grizzlies got back-to-back 3-pointers from Kelly Williams and Pierre Dukes and never looked back. Oakland led by as many as 36 points down the stretch.
Quickie Notes
*Texas A&M and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi have never met in basketball.
*Jesse King leads the team in scoring (11.8) and ranks third in the Big 12 in three-point percentage (.615). King also ranks second on the team in rebounding (5.6), but has been limited in the last two games because of a back injury.
*Antoine Wright is battling a slump. He is averaging 11.0 points, but is making just 36 percent from the field, 29 percent from three-point range and 35 percent from the free throw line.
*A&M point guards Bobby Leach and Acie Law have combined for 38 assists and just 14 turnovers. Leach ranks third in the Big 12 in assists (5.0).
*Leandro Gacria-Morales leads the Big 12 in assists-to-turnovers ratio (19-to-3).
*As a team, the Aggies lead the Big 12 in assists (20.2) and assists-to-turnovers ratio (1.42), despite making just 43.9 percent from the field.
*The Aggies also lead the Big 12 in three-point percentage, making 40.4 percent. A&M's 7.2 three-pointers per game are the league's second most.
*Kevin Turner's career three-point percentage of .427 ranks as the best in school history and is the sixth best in Big 12 annals.
*Ten Aggies are averaging between 5.6 and 11.8 points per game and 11 are averaging at least 12.8 minutes per game. Only two players (Antoine Wright and Bobby Leach) are averaging more than 20 minutes per game.
*A&M ranks last in the Big 12 in scoring defense (79.0), field goal percentage defense (.477), blocked shots (1.6) and defensive rebounds (22.0).
*A&M is averaging 17.0 offensive rebounds per game, third most in the Big 12, but are averaging just 17.2 second-chance points.
*The Aggies have forced an average of 17.6 turnovers per game, seventh most in the Big 12, but are averaging just 23.2 points off turnovers.
*A&M has made just 60.7 percent from the free throw line in the last three games.
The New King?
A&M's leading scorer the last four years was guard Bernard King, who finished his eligibility as the Big 12's career scoring leader. The surname remains at the top of the A&M scoring chart this season, but it belongs to senior forward Jesse King, who has compiled an 11.8 scoring average and scored in double figures in the first three games before suffering a back injury early in the Tennessee game. In the first three games (all wins), King averaged 17.0 points and 8.7 rebounds, but since the injury has averaged just 4.0 points and 1.0 rebound in limited action in two games (both losses). King ranks second on the team in rebounding with a 5.6 average. He opened the year with 13 points and a career-high 11 boards against Arkansas-Pine Bluff (his first career double-double), and followed with a career-high 23 points and eight boards against Alabama A&M. Then, against Prairie View A&M he got into quick foul trouble and was scoreless in the first half, but bounced back with 15 second-half points. King scored five points in the first five minutes against Tennessee before the injury. King ranks third in the Big 12 in three-point percentage, making 61.5 percent (8-of-13). King also is making 71.4 percent from the line (15-21) after entering the season as a career 51 percent foul shooter.
The Wright Way
The 2003 Big 12 freshman of the year and a candidate for All-America honors as just a sophomore, Antoine Wright is off to a tough start, averaging just 11.0 points while shooting 36 percent from the field, 29 percent from three-point range and 35 percent from the free throw line. Wright's best game was against Prairie View A&M, when he made 5-of-6 three-pointers and finished with 23 points, just two shy of matching his career high. In the other four games, he has averaged 8.0 points while making 29 percent from the field and connecting on only 11 percent of his treys. Against Oakland, Wright scored a career-low two points, making just 1-of-7 from the field, also a career low for field goal attempts. As a freshman, Wright averaged 14.5 points and 6.6 rebounds per game while making 38 percent of his three-pointers.
Big Andy
Senior center Andy Slocum was rapidly emerging as a dominating force in the paint before being slowed by a staph infection in his arm. Against Prairie View A&M, a team that featured a 6-11, 327-pound center, Slocum dropped in 21 points and posted a career-high 16 rebounds, the most by an Aggie in three years. He struggled against Tennessee (6 points and 5 rebounds), then played just seven minutes against Oakland because of the staph infection, scoring nine points with just two rebounds. Slocum is averaging 8.8 points and a team-best 6.8 rebounds. At 7-foot-0, 270 pounds, Slocum is the largest player in A&M history. If he can stay healthy, Aggie coaches think he can be one of the most dominant rebounders in the Big 12. He missed 14 games because of injuries and off-the-court problems last year, but averaged 14.0 points and 7.3 rebounds in the last three games. As a sophomore, Slocum scored 22 points with 14 rebounds at Oklahoma, then missed eight games with a broken hand. He missed the entire 2000-01 season with a shoulder injury after starting in 14 games as a true freshman. Slocum was the team's top rebounder on the Italy Tour, averaging 10.8 points and 12.2 rebounds per game. Slocum has bench pressed 400 lbs., amazing when you consider his long arms.
Making a Point
A&M's achilles' heel in recent years has been inconsistent play at point guard, but coach Melvin Watkins appears to have addressed that problem with the addition of junior Bobby Leach and freshman Acie Law, who have combined for 38 assists and just 14 turnovers. Leach is averaging 5.6 points and 5.0 assists, ranking third in the Big 12 in assists and fourth in assists-to-turnovers ratio. Law is adding 7.3 points and 3.3 assists. Law missed the Prairie View game with an ankle injury, but bounced back to score a team-high 19 points at Tennessee. The ultra-quick Law also ranks eighth in the Big 12 in steals with 2.3 per game.
Go Leandro
Last season as a junior, Leandro Garcia-Morales was forced to play primarily at point guard because of the team's depth problems. The addition of Bobby Leach and Acie Law has allowed Garcia-Morales to move back to his more natural shooting guard position and the senior has prospered. He is averaging just 6.0 points, but leads the team in steals (2.6) and is second on the team with 3.8 assists per game. Garcia-Morales leads the Big 12 in assists-to-turnovers ratio at 19-to-3 and ranks fourth in steals. Garcia-Morales had a busy summer, competing with the Uruguay National Team at the South American Championships and the Pan American Games. He capped his busy summer by traveling from the Pan Am Games in the Dominican Republic to join his A&M teammates in Italy. He started every game for Uruguay, which played the United States (which included Missouri's Rickey Paulding and Arthur Johnson and Texas' Brandon Mouton) tough in a 74-72 loss at the Pan American Games.
Efficient Aggies
The Aggies have been highly efficient on offense and lead the Big 12 in assists (20.2) and assists-to-turnovers ratio (1.42), ranking among the national leaders in both categories despite shooting just 43.9 percent from the field.
Filling it Up
The Aggies are averaging 82.4 points per game, second in the Big 12, which would be the third highest in school history if the season ended today. The last time A&M had a higher average for the season was in 1975-76, when Shelby Metcalf's team averaged a school-record 84.5 points per game. The 1972-73 team averaged 83.2.
Threes Please
While the Aggies are making just 43.9 percent from the field, they are connecting on 40.4 percent from three-point range, the best in the Big 12. A&M is making an average of 7.2 three-pointers per game, ahead of last year's school record of 7.0. Nine different Aggies have made at least one three-pointer with four averaging at least 1.0 per game.
Burner Turner
Junior guard Kevin Turner missed the Prairie View A&M game with a sprained ankle and was expected to miss the Tennessee game, but came off the bench to scored 10 points and make both of his three-pointers against the Volunteers. For the season, Turner is averaging 9.8 points and has made 9-of-15 from three-point range (.600), ranking him fourth in the Big 12 in percentage. His .427 career percentage at A&M (53-of-124) ranks as the best in school history and is sixth in Big 12 history. As a junior, Turner established himself as one of the top non-starters in the Big 12, ranking second in scoring among the league's reserves with a 7.9 average. Turner led the team in three-point percentage, making 40.4 percent (44-109) -- the best by an Aggie in six years. Against Tennessee, Turner reeled off four straight three-pointers in an 81 second stretch late in the game, turning a close game into an important 83-66 victory. Turner has good bloodlines -- his dad, Bill Turner, played in the NBA from 1967-73 (Warriors, Trailblazers, Lakers).
Accurate Watkins
Sophomore guard Marcus Watkins leads the Aggies in field goal percentage at .560, despite a 1-of-6 night at Oakland. Watkins scored a career-high 13 points in the win against Alabama A&M, making 6-of-8 shots. After wearing No. 23 last year, Watkins has switched to the No. 32 jersey vacated by Bernard King. No. 32 was Melvin Watkins' number at UNC Charlotte in the mid-1970s. UNCC retired the number in 1977, when they also retired the number of Watkins' teammate, Cedric Maxwell. Maxwell's NBA number was retired by the Boston Celtics earlier this week. Marcus Watkins played post in his record-setting prep career but is making a smooth transition to guard, just as his dad did a quarter century ago at UNCC. His father was a high school All-American as a center from Reidsville (N.C.) in 1973, but became a point guard at UNCC, leading the 49ers to the 1976 NIT finals and the 1977 NCAA Final Four.
Slumping Ags
After starting the season 3-0 (all at home) with an average winning margin of +24.3 points per game, the Aggies have lost their last two games (both on the road) by margins of 24 (Tennessee) and 32 (Oakland) points. In those two games, A&M has made just 41.7 percent from the field, 32.3 percent from three-point range and 60.4 percent from the line. In addition, the Aggies averaged just 14.0 assists with 20.0 turnovers while committing an average of 28.5 fouls.
Too Balanced?
Through five games, 10 Aggies are averaging between 5.6 and 11.8 points per game and 11 players are averaging at least 12.8 minutes per contest (with nine averaging between 12.8 and 19.8 per game). No A&M player ranks in the top 20 in the Big 12 in scoring (Jesse King ranks No. 23 and Antoine Wright ranks No. 26). Wright and Bobby Leach are the only players to average more than 20.0 minutes per game.
Defensive Woes
While the Aggies have had success offensively, much of their recent struggles can be traced to defensive problems. The Aggies rank last in the Big 12 in scoring defense (79.0), field goal percentage defense (.477), blocked shots (1.6) and defensive rebounds (22.0). A&M also ranks 10th in the league in three-point percentage defense (.369) and ninth in steals (7.6). A&M has forced an average of 17.6 turnovers per game, seventh most in the Big 12, but is averaging just 23.2 points off turnovers.
Offensive Glass
The Aggies have been effective on the offensive glass, averaging 17.0 offensive rebounds per game, third most in the Big 12. However, the Aggies are averaging just 17.2 second-chance points. A&M has beaten its opponents on the offensive glass in every game this season.
On the Line
After making 72.9 percent from the free throw line in the first two games, the Aggies have made just 60.7 percent in the last three games (51-of-84), dropping their season percentage to just .652, seventh in the Big 12. Last season, the Aggies led the Big 12 in free throw percentage in league play at 72.6 percent. The last time A&M was more accurate was in 1982, a span of 21 years. Overall, the Aggies made 69.0 percent last year, their best in eight seasons.
Injury Bug
Several key players have been slowed by injuries early this season. Senior guard Kevin Turner missed the Prairie View A&M game with a sprained ankle and averaged just 16.5 minutes in the next two games. Freshman guard Acie Law also missed the Prairie View game with an ankle sprain, while freshman forward Marlon Pompey missed two of the first three games with a lower leg injury. Senior center Andy Slocum played just seven minutes against Oakland after getting a staph infection in his arm.
Start It Up
Since the Aggies have just one starter returning from last year, they must be inexperienced, right? Not exactly. While it's technically true that only Antoine Wright returns from last year's starting five, that stat is deceiving. The eight returning lettermen had combined for 146 career starts entering the season.
Grey Aggies
Traditionally, college teams honor senior players in their final home games on "Senior Day." When Colorado visits Reed Arena for the Aggies' home finale on Feb. 28, get ready for a long ceremony - the Aggies have a whopping six seniors, tying for the most in school history (1958-59, 1974-75 and 1994-95).
Wright is Might
Antoine Wright was the consensus choice as the Big 12's Freshman of the Year last season and is a viable candidate for even greater honors as a sophomore. NBA draft forecasters project him as a first-round draft choice -- with some saying he could be a lottery pick -- and the top Big 12 player taken after only his sophomore year. Wright was named the league's "best dunker" last season by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and Athlon Magazine calls him the Big 12's "most versatile" player in its 2003-04 college basketball preview.
Sheepskins
Since Melvin Watkins became A&M's head coach in 1998, 14 of the 17 players who have completed their eligibility at A&M have graduated, an 82.4 percent graduation rate. The three non-graduates are playing pro basketball abroad.
Rowdie Reed
The Aggies are 3-0 at Reed Arena this season and have gone 13-4 in their last 17 home games. The Aggies finished 10-4 at home last season,their best home record in the five-year history of the facility. The last time A&M won more home games was in 1985-86 (11-1) at G. Rollie White Coliseum. The Aggies also went 10-4 at GRW in 1993-94. A&M has won more than 10 home games just six times in school history.
Please Luis
Sophomore Luis Clemente arrived at A&M prior to the 2002-03 season as a relative unknown. He sat out the season, but practiced with the team. While he toiled in obscurity, he got bigger and stronger. He finally got to play in an A&M uniform on the team's tour of Italy in August and if his performance is any indication, he could become a key component in the Aggies' arsenal. Clemente averaged 15.8 points and 9.4 rebounds with game highs of 26 points and 13 boards. Clemente is a native of Puerto Rico and if the names rings a bell, it should -- the late baseball great Roberto Clemente of the Pittsburg Pirates was his grandfather's cousin.
Random Notes
A&M's season-opening win against Arkansas-Little Rock was the 1,100th in school history...this season marks the 40th anniversary of the 1964 SWC championship team...other milestones are the 25th anniversary of the 1978-79 team that beat Indiana, Kentucky, UNLV, San Francisco and Arkansas and the 35th anniversary of the 1969 SWC championship squad....first-year assistant coach Lance Irvin is the younger brother of former Missouri standout Byron Irvin.
Southpaws
Four players on the 2003-04 roster are left-handed -- senior center Andy Slocum, sophomore forward Luis Clemente, freshman forward Keith Blanks and freshman guard Acie Law. Slocum once was a left-handed pitcher for the nationally-ranked West Monroe (La.) High School team and reportedly had a 90-miles-per-hour fast ball.