January 04, 2005
The Texas A&M Aggies (11-0, 0-0 in Big 12) open Big 12 Conference play against the No. 2-ranked (AP and ESPN/USA Today) Kansas Jayhawks (9-0, 0-0 in Big 12) on Wednesday at 8 p.m. (Central) at Allen Field House (16,300 cap.) in Lawrence, Kan. The game will be televised regionally by ESPN Regional, but will not be available on cable in the Bryan/College Station area. The Aggies are off to their best start since the 1919-20 team finished 19-0. The 1915-16 team also started 11-0. The 11-game winning streak ties for the third longest in school history and is the longest since the 1921-22 team won 11 straight. The Aggies are coming off a thrilling 62-60 road win against Penn State on Sunday, while the Jayhawks are coming off 70-68 overtime win against No. 9 Georgia Tech at home on Saturday. First-year coach Billy Gillispie is off to the best coaching start in A&M history, tying Tubby Graves, who also began his career with an 11-0 mark in 1915-16. Kansas has won 15 straight home games, including an 8-0 mark this season. A&M is 1-0 on the road. The Jayhawks lead the series, 9-0, and are the only Big 12 team A&M has not beaten. Kansas has won all four games played in Lawrence, including an 85-54 win two years ago. KU posted a 71-65 win last year in College Station.
GAME #12
Texas A&M AGGIES
(11-0, 0-0 Big 12)
vs.
#2 Kansas JAYHAWKS
(9-0, 0-0 Big 12)
8 p.m. (Central)
Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2005
Allen Field House (16,300 cap.)
Lawrence, Kan.
RADIO:
Texas A&M Sports Network
Dave South, play-by-play
Colin Killian, commentary
Airtime: 7:45 p.m. (Central)
ONLINE: www.AggieAthletics.com
TELEVISION:
ESPN Regional
Doug Bell, play-by-play
Chris Piper, commentary
Steve Kurtenbach, producer
About Kansas
The Jayhawks return 11 lettermen and four starters from last year's team that finished 24-9 overall and tied for second in the Big 12 with a 12-4 record. Kansas advanced to the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament. The Jayhawks are in their second year under head coach Bill Self. Kansas has opened the season with nine straight wins, their best start since the 1996-97 season. The Jayhawks are led by senior forward Wayne Simien (6'9"), who is averaging 17.4 points and leads the Big 12 in rebounding with 12.0 per game. Simien, the preseason Big 12 player of the year, has missed the last two games with an injury. Senior guard Aaron Miles (6'1") adds 9.1 points and leads the Big 12 in assists with a 7.8 average. Miles is KU's career leader in assists. Senior guard Keith Langford (6'4") is averaging 15.6 points, while sophomore forward J.R. Giddens (6'5") contributes 11.1 points. KU averages 80.1 points per game while making 48.6 percent from the field and 39.6 percent from three-point range.
The Series
Kansas leads the series, 9-0, including a 4-0 record in games played in Lawrence. The Jayhawks posted a 71-65 win last year in College Station and an 85-45 win two years ago in Lawrence. Kansas is the only Big 12 team A&M has not beaten since Big 12 play began in 1996-97. The Jayhawks have beaten the Aggies by an average of 34.3 points in Lawrence. The closest game in Lawrence was the first in 1997, when Kansas posted an 89-60 victory. TEXAS A&M vs. Kansas (KU leads, 9-0)
Year Winner Site
1967-68 Kansas, 78-52 Manhattan, Kan.
1996-97 Kansas, 89-60 Lawrence
1997-98 Kansas, 83-65 College Station
1998-99 Kansas, 95-57 Lawrence
1999-00 Kansas, 78-57 College Station
2000-01 Kansas, 100-70 Lawrence
2001-02 Kansas, 86-74 College Station
2002-03 Kansas, 85-45 Lawrence
2003-04 Kansas, 71-65 College Station
The Coaches
TEXAS A&M
Billy Gillispie (Texas State ?83)
11-0 at A&M (1st year)
41-32 overall (3rd year)
0-0 vs. Kansas
0-0 vs. Bill Self
Kansas
Bill Self (Oklahoma State ?85)
33-9 at KU (2nd year)
240-114 overall (12th year)
1-2 vs. Texas A&M
0-0 vs. Billy Gillispie
Sidebars
A&M coach Billy Gillispie served as an assistant for five seasons under Kansas coach Bill Self at Tulsa (1997-00) and Illinois (2000-02), helping Self's teams to four straight conference championships and NCAA Tournament appearances...A&M video coordinator Albert Johnson is a former head coach of Athletes First (2000-02), an Oklahoma AAU team, where his teams included Kansas players J.R. Giddens, Jeremy Case and Darnell Jackson...A&M junior Antoine Wright is the only Aggie who's played at Allen Fieldhouse, appearing as a freshman two years ago...Gillispie is 35-8 as a head coach over the last two seasons, the second best among Big 12 coaches, trailing only Oklahoma State's Eddie Sutton, who is 41-5 in the last two seasons....Texas' Rick Barnes is third with a 35-10 mark.
Tentative Starters
TEXAS A&M AGGIES (11-0, 0-0)
No. Player Ht. Cl. PPG RPG Other
30 Joseph Jones 6'9" Fr. 12.1 7.5 1.4 blk
10 Chris Walker 6'5" Jr. 4.4 2.9 65% FG
21 Antoine Wright 6'7" Jr. 18.0 6.5 52% FG
22 Dominique Kirk 6'3" Fr. 9.5 2.5 3.3 ast
1 Acie Law 6'3" So. 13.5 3.9 6.0 ast
Off the Bench
No. Player Ht. Cl. PPG RPG Other
4 Edjuan Green 6'7" Jr. 6.1 4.6 69% FG
15 Bobby Leach 6'0" Sr. 5.1 2.5 3.5 ast
42 Marlon Pompey 6'8" So. 4.8 4.4 56% FG
11 Luis Clemente 6'8" Jr. 2.6 2.0 --
2 Marcus McIntosh 6'0" So. 2.6 0.8 --
5 Kenneth White 6'1" Fr. 2.4 0.8 --
33 Justin Loewe 6'4" So. 2.0 0.5 --
24 Stephen Davenport 6'3" Fr. 0.4 0.4 --
3 Brian Blackburn 5'8" So. 0.0 0.0 --
25 Matt Koeneke 6'6" So. 0.0 0.0 --
Gillispie Quotes
"Anytime you go to Kansas you're in for a jolt. But we're going in there with a great deal of confidence. We're not confused about where we are. We know what lies ahead. We haven't sugar-coated anything with our players. They know the challenges and are a well-grounded group of guys. We know we'll have to have a million great things happen for us, but we'll go in there swinging hard and see what happens. Kansas is a legitimate national title contender. They have four great seniors and a national player of the year candidate is Wayne Simien, who I expect to play. They are an awfully talented team. "
Tale of the Tape
(2004-05 stat comparison)
A&M KU
Record 11-0 9-0
Conference 0-0 0-0
Ratings Pct. Index (RPI) 101 1
Sagarin Rating 43 5
Current Streak W11 W9
Field Goal Pct. .517 .486
Opponent FG Pct. .340 .362
3-Pt. Field Goal Pct. .394 .396
Opponent 3-Pt. Pct. .294 .309
3-Pt. Field Goal Avg. 5.9 7.2
3-Pt. FG Attempts Avg. 15.0 18.2
Free Throw Pct. .633 .617
Opponent FT Pct. .623 .603
Rebound Avg. 42.1 42.3
Offensive Reb. Avg. 14.1 13.3
Rebounding Margin +11.3 +5.9
Turnovers Avg. 16.7 15.1
Opp. Turnovers Avg. 20.1 16.9
Assists Avg. 21.0 17.7
Blocks Avg. 4.2 4.2
Steals Avg. 8.4 8.3
Scoring Avg. 82.5 80.1
Opponent Scoring 56.6 61.0
Scoring Margin +25.9 +19.1
Penn State Recap
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP)- Acie Law hit two free throws with 11.4 seconds left to lead Texas A&M to a 62-60 victory over Penn State on Sunday. Law and Antoine Wright each scored 19 points to pace the Aggies (11-0), who trailed by as many as 15 points in the second half. Wright hit one of his four 3-pointers with 18:09 left to spark a 15-2 run that pulled Texas A&M to within four, 47-43, with 13:39 left. Joseph Jones added four of his eight points, all scored in the second half, during the spurt and capped it with a putback of Law's missed shot. From there, the Aggies' defense took over, holding the Nittany Lions (6-7) to just three points over the final 5:37. Texas A&M also caused 16 turnovers, 10 in the second half, while Penn State missed eight of its last 11 free throws after making all seven of its first-half attempts. Johnson led the Lions with 16 points and added 12 rebounds for his seventh double-double of the season. Travis Parker scored 13 points and Smith added 12.
Last Year vs. Kansas
COLLEGE STATION (AP, Jan. 17, 2004) -- Keith Langford scored 21 points and No. 12 Kansas held off Texas A&M 71-65, extending its winning streak to a season-high five games. Aaron Miles had 11 points, 12 assists and seven rebounds for the Jayhawks, who had to scramble even after taking a 61-48 lead with 4:17 to play. Texas A&M's Antoine Wright led a 17-10 charge, scoring 11 of his 25 points over the final 1:51. Wright also grabbed 12 rebounds. Langford shot 7-of-8 from the field and made both of his 3-point attempts. The Aggies went cold early in the second half and Kansas moved to a 51-39 lead behind nine straight points from J.R. Giddens, who made four 3-pointers and finished with 14 points. The Aggies led most of the first half until the Jayhawks rallied behind Langford in the closing minutes for a 31-29 halftime lead. Kansas trailed 20-15, but Langford scored 10 points over the final 4:22 of the first half. Langford's 3-pointer with 3:46 left in the half tied it at 22, and his 3 with 2:06 to go gave Kansas its first lead since the opening basket of the game. Jesse King, A&M's second-leading scorer, sat out with a bruised toe.
Two Years Ago in Lawrence
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP, Feb. 26, 2003)- Kirk Hinrich scored 23 points and Nick Collison added 15 and 12 rebounds as seventh-ranked Kansas coasted to an 85-45 win. Hinrich hit a jumper and a layup before Jeff Hawkins nailed a 3-pointer with just under eight minutes remaining in the first half to open a commanding 31-9 lead for the Jayhawks. Collison had nine points and eight boards during the game-opening surge as Kansas bounced back from having a seven-game winning streak snapped against Oklahoma. Keith Langford contributed 18 points and fellow guard Aaron Miles chipped in 10 points and 10 assists. Leandro Garcia-Morales returned from an ankle injury and led the way with nine points for A&M. But the Aggies dropped their sixth straight conference road game.
Quick Notes
*The Aggies are 11-0 start for the first time since 1919-20, when the team went on to a perfect 19-0 mark. The last time A&M had an 11-game winning streak was in 1921-22.
*Billy Gillispie's 11-0 start ties Tubby Graves (1915-16) for the best by a first-year coach in A&M history.
*A&M's 10-game home winning streak is its longest since it won 10 straight at G. Rollie White Coliseum from 1984-86.
*Four different Aggies have had a double-double this season, the most of any Big 12 team.
*Junior Antoine Wright, a preseason All-Big 12 pick, has posted three double-doubles. He ranks second in the Big 12 in scoring (18.0) and ranks in the league's top 15 in six categories. Wright needs 17 points to reach 1,000 in his career.
*Freshman Joseph Jones has had three double-doubles and ranks sixth in the Big 12 in rebounding (7.5). He's the only Big 12 freshman to average at least 10.0 points and 6.0 rebounds.
*Sophomore Acie Law ranks second in the Big 12 in assists (6.0) and ranks among the league's top 15 in five categories.
*A&M leads the nation in scoring margin (+25.9) and ranks among the top 10 in scoring defense (56.6) and field goal percentage defense (.340).
*The Aggies rank second nationally in assists (21.0) and are 10th in field goal percentage (.517).
*The Aggies have out-rebounded 10 of 11 opponents and lead the Big 12 in rebounding margin (+11.3), ranking among the national leaders.
*A&M is forcing an average of 20.1 turnovers per game, most in the Big 12.
*A&M has been out-scored in just two of 22 halves they've played this season and have led at halftime all but once.
*A&M is averaging 18.0 fast break points after averaging 7.8 last season.
Who's Hot?
*Sophomore Acie Law has scored in double figures in six straight games, including a career-high 25 against Houston last Wednesday. Law has averaged 16.0 points and 5.8 assists in that span, making 57.1 percent from the field.
*Junior Antoine Wright has scored at least 19 points in five straight games, averaging 20.4 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists in that span. He needs 17 points to become the 26th A&M player to reach 1,000 in his career.
*Freshman Joseph Jones has scored in double figures in three of the last four games and had a career-high 23 points with 10 rebounds last week against Houston, his third double-double of the year. Jones has averaged 16.3 points and 7.3 rebounds in the last four games, making 70.3 percent from the field (28-of-37).
Historic Debut
Billy Gillispie's 11-0 start matches the best by a first-year coach in A&M history. Tubby Graves also started his career 11-0 in 1915-16.
A&M's Best
COACHING DEBUTS
Coach Start
1. Billy Gillispie (2004-05) 11-0
Tubby Graves (1915-16) 11-0
3. Dana X. Bible (1920-21) 6-0
Quick Start
The Aggies' 11-0 start is their best since 1919-20, when the team went on to finish with a perfect 19-0 record. The only other 11-0 start was in 1915-16. The 11-game winning streak is the third longest in school history and is the longest since A&M won a record 25 straight over two seasons from 1919-21.
A&M's Best Starts
Year Start
1. 1919-20 19-0
2. 2004-05 11-0
1915-16 11-0
4. 1918-19 10-0
1959-60 10-0
A&M WINNING STREAKS
Year (s) Wins
1. 1919-20/1920-21 25
2. 1914-15/1915-16 20
3. 2004-05 11
1921-22 11
5. 1918-19 10
1959-60 10
A&M HOME
WINNING STREAKS
Year (s) Wins
1. 1959-63 30
2. 1974-77 18
3. 1963-65 17
4. 1978-81 16
5. 1919-21 15
6. 1972-74 13
7. 2004-05 10
1984-86 10
1964-66 10
Thanks, Brian
Senior walk-on Brian Gahan, who joined the team prior to the season and has been a valuable spark off the bench, has graduated and left the team. He will be married on Jan. 15 and plans to honeymoon in Mexico. Gahan (McKinney, Texas) played in seven games, averaging 2.1 points and 1.9 rebounds with a pair of treys.
Basketball Jones
Freshman Joseph Jones has had an impressive start to his college career. Jones leads the Aggies in rebounding (7.5), ranking fifth in the Big 12, and is third in scoring (12.1). He had an impressive college debut against North Carolina A&T, scoring 10 points with 10 rebounds, only the second time in A&M history that a freshman posted a double-double in his first game. The other was Winston Crite, who had a 24-point, 15-rebound performance against Texas Lutheran in 1983-84. Jones has scored in double figures in eight games and added his third double-double against Houston, scoring a career-high 23 points with 10 rebounds. He also had a double-double against UT-Permian Basin, scoring 12 points with 13 rebounds. Jones is the only freshman in the Big 12 to average at least 10.0 points and 6.0 rebounds. He played a season-low 12 minutes against Louisiana-Monroe because an injury, scoring just two points with one rebound, but in the four games since has averaged 16.3 points and 7.3 rebounds, and made 70.3 percent from the field (28-of-37).
Law Breaker
Sophomore Acie Law ranks second in the Big 12 in assists with 6.0 per game (22nd nationally) and is second on the team in scoring (13.5), 16th in the Big 12. Law also ranks second in the Big 12 in field goal percentage at .554. He's one of only two Big 12 players to rank among the league's leaders in scoring, assists, field goal percentage, free throw percentage (15th,
.700) and assists-to-turnover ratio (9th, 2.20). Law scored a career-high 25 points in the win against Houston while adding nine assists and making 12-of-12 free throws, the best by an A&M player since 1987. He added 19 (with a career-high eight rebounds) against Penn State, making the winning free throws with 11 seconds left. Law scored 18 points with a career-high 11 assists against UTPB, his first career double-double. He has scored in double figures in nine games, including six straight. In the last six games, he's averaged 16.0 points and 5.8 assists while making 57.1 percent from the field. Law is related to former Chicago Cubs' great Ernie Banks, his mother's uncle.
The Wright Stuff
Junior Antoine Wright, a preseason All-Big 12 pick by the league's coaches and media, is off to a spectacular start. He leads the team in scoring with an 18.0 average, ranking second in the Big 12 and among the top 50 nationally. He's the team's second-leading rebounder at 6.5, 13th in the Big 12. He also ranks among the top 15 in the league in field goal percentage (8th, .522), free throw percentage (10th, .729) and 11th in three-point field goals (11th, 1.91). With one more three-pointer made, Wright would rank third in three-pointer percentage (.429). Wright is the only Big 12 player to rank in the top 15 in scoring, rebounding, field goal percentage, three-point percentage and three-pointers made per game. Wright has had three double-doubles, fourth most in the Big 12, and missed two more by just a single rebound. Wright scored 21 points with nine rebounds against Trinity and followed with a 17-point, 10-rebound effort against UT-Permian Basin. He then added another double-double with identical numbers against Oakland. After an eight-point outing against Alabama A&M, he has scored at least 19 points in five straight games, including a season-high 23 points against Grambling. In the last five games, he's averaged 20.4 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists. He has scored in double figures in all but one game this season. Wright also has come up big defensively. In last season's loss to Houston, Wright allowed the Cougars' Andre Owens to score 41 points -- the most against the Aggies since 1977. This year, Wright held Owens to just four points in an impressive 93-80 victory. After earning Big 12 Freshman of the Year honors and being named third-team All-Big 12 in 2002-03, Wright was named honorable mention All-Big 12 last season. If he were named All-Big 12 this year, he would become only the 10th player in school history to earn an all-conference designation three times. Wright is on pace to become only the third A&M player to earn all-conference honors four times, joining Bernard King (1999-03) and Vernon Smith (1977-81), who are the top two scorers in school history. Wright needs 17 points to become the 26th A&M player to reach 1,000 in his career. In addition to his obvious statistical improvements, Wright has been taking the ball to the basket more aggressively this season, reflected in part by his team-high 11 dunks. Wright had 11 career dunks in 56 games entering the season.
THE WRIGHT WAY
STAT 2003-04 2004-05
PPG 13.5 18.0
RPG 4.1 6.5
Steals 0.9 1.3
Assists 2.3 2.3
Blocks 0.3 0.7
FG Pct. .368 .522
3-Pt. FG Pct. .297 .429
FT Pct. .626 .729
Dunks 5 11
Pompey Pays
Sophomore Marlon Pompey played sparingly last year as a freshman because of a nagging leg injury, but he still managed to make 9-of-11 (.818) shots from the field. Against North Carolina A&T in the opener, he scored a career-high 12 points with five boards while making 6-of-6 from the field. He scored six points and posted a career-high eight rebounds in the win against Houston, then followed with five poinst and six boards against Penn State. Pompey has scored at least five points in all but three games this season and ranks fourth on the team in rebounds (4.4). He is second on the team in blocks (0.9), ranking 15th in the Big 12.
Record Crowds
The crowd of 11,200 that attended the Houston game on Dec. 29 was the sixth largest in school history and the largest for a non-conference opponent. It also was a school record for a game played during the Christmas break. The last time A&M had a bigger crowd was when a record 12,633 attended the Texas game in 2003. The North Carolina A&T game attracted an attendance of 6,929, the best for a home opener in school history. The previous best was 6,511 against North Texas in the first game played at Reed Arena in 1998-99. The crowd also was the third best for a non-conference home game in school annals behind the record of 7,192 against LSU in 1981-82 (G. Rollie White
Coliseum) and 7,075 against Long Beach State in 2001-02 (Reed Arena). A&M averaged 5,338 for the 10 non-conference home games, a school record for non-conference attendance. Last year under Billy Gillispie, UTEP enjoyed the largest attendance increase in college basketball, averaging 10,282 per game. The fans didn't wait until the team started winning big, either. Coming off a 6-24 season, the Miners attracted at least 7,000 for each of their first four home games, despite playing lesser-known opponents. After a 5-1 start, UTEP sold out (12,000) its Dec. 17 game against New Mexico State and went on to seven more sellouts, including four straight to end the season. "The fans felt like they were a part of our group," Gillispie said. "Everyone felt like they were a part of one family. The fans felt like they had more invested than just watching their team play. Winning has a lot to do with it, but the fans started coming before they really knew what was going to happen at the end. What we have to do here is get people to come to the games. The fans have to be here physically and can't just wait around. If people start showing up to the games, then the basketball program will be built. People have to get into Reed Arena and they have to come even if we get beat. That is a priority and if it happens, then I guarantee we'll be successful. They have to understand that when the season starts is when they need to get in there and fill the building up.If people dedicate themselves to showing up every time, they will be amazed of how fast positive results can be shown."
Stout Defense
A&M leads the nation in scoring margin (+25.9) and has led in field goal percentage defense (.340) for most of the season. The Aggies lead the Big 12 in both categories, while ranking second in scoring defense (56.6). A&M ranks third in the league in three-point field goal percentage defense
(.294) and has forced a conference-best 20.1 turnovers per game. UTPB scored just 36 points, the fewest by an opponent since the Aggies beat Texas, 73-29, in 1958-59. UTPB also made just 20.8 percent from the field, the lowest by an opponent in A&M history. Prairie View scored just 15 second-half points, making just 4-of-26 (.154) from the field as A&M broke away from a six-point halftime lead to a 42-point win, allowing just 40 points. The Aggies matched their season-best by allowing 36 points against Louisiana-Monroe, the third lowest total in that school's history. Penn State made a whopping 64 percent in the first halfd, but just 26 percent in the second as A&M overcame a 17-point deficit to win, 62-60. Last season, A&M held just six opponents to under 40 percent field goal accuracy in 28 games. This year, eight of 11 opponents have shot under 40 percent.
Taking the Lead
A&M has trailed by more than seven points just once this season, falling behind by 17 at Penn State before rallying to win, 62-60. The Aggies have faced just two second-half deficits, briefly trailing Alabama A&M, 47-46, at the 14:04 mark, and trailing Penn State, 45-28, at the 18:11 mark. A&M has led wire-to-wire in five games. The Aggies have led at halftime in 10 of 11 games. Of 22 halves played, the Aggies have been out-scored just twice. Alabama A&M out-scored A&M, 33-30, in the second half, and Penn State led at halftime, 39-28.
Getting Offensive
The Aggies lead the Big 12 and rank 10th nationally in field goal percentage (.517). A&M ranks third in the Big 12 (19th nationally) in scoring (82.5). Last year, A&M shot better than 50 percent from the field just three times. This season, A&M has shot better than 50 percent in eight of 11 games. A&M has scored 80 or more points in seven games, including four games with more than 90. Last season, Billy Gillispie's UTEP team scored at least 80 points in 15 of its 32 games. A&M scored 80 or more points in just eight games in each of the previous two years. The Miners ranked among the national leaders in scoring offense, scoring margin, field goal percentage, three-point percentage and free throw percentage. Meanwhile, A&M ranked last in the Big 12 in field goal percentage and three-point percentage and was near the bottom in scoring offense and scoring margin. "Our philosophy is to play as fast as possible," Gillispie said. "Not just for the sake of playing fast, but for playing the right way. We want to attack the other team offensively and defensively."
Unselfish Aggies
The Aggies lead the Big 12 and rank second nationally in assists with an average of 21.0 per game. In the last seven games, 179 of A&M's 237 field goals have been assisted (.755). For the season, 231 of the Aggies' 324 field goals (.713) have been assisted, easily the best rate in the Big 12.
Breaking Away
Despite having a relatively small team, the Aggies have dominated inside, averaging 41.5 points in the paint after averaging 25.6 last season. A&M also has done a good job converting turnovers, averaging 25.1 points off turnovers after averaging just 15.3 last year. And after averaging just 7.8 fast break points a year ago, the Aggies are averaging 18.0 this season.
Turnovers Down
Despite forcing a league-best 20.1 turnovers per game, the Aggies are committing an average of 16.7 turnovers of their own, second most in the Big 12. However, the Aggies had a season-low nine turnovers against Chicago State and Penn State and have averaged just 13.8 turnovers in the last four games. A&M ranks fourth in the league in turnover margin (+3.4) and is fourth in assist/turnover ratio (1.3).
A Foul Figure
The Aggies average 21.8 personal fouls per game, but had a season-low 16 against Penn State. The Aggies committed at least 19 personal fouls in each of the first 10 games. That number has been off-set by A&M's opponents averaging 21.9 fouls per contest. Consequently, the Aggies are averaging a whopping 28.0 free throw attempts per game, the most in the Big 12. A&M is averaging 5.6 more attempts per game than its opponents.
Captain Kirk
After scoring just three points in the opener, freshman Dominique Kirk has scored in double figures in six games. For the season, Kirk is fourth on the team in scoring with 9.5 per game and is second with 14 three-point field goals, making 42.4 percent. Against Alabama A&M, Kirk scored a career-high 18 points and also posted personal bests in rebounds (7) and steals (4). Kirk handed out a career-high 8 assists against Chicago State, and added 15 points in the win against Houston. Kirk and Joseph Jones -- both true freshmen -- are the only Aggies to start in every game.
Steady Leach
The Aggies' only scholarship senior, Bobby Leach ranks third in the Big 12 in assist/turnover ratio (2.71) and also ranks 15th in assists (3.5) and 13th in steals (1.64). Leach has made 7-of-16 (.438) from three-point range after making just 5-of-16 (.313) all of last season. Leach has handed out at least three assists in five straight games, including highs of five against Louisiana-Monroe and Penn State. He's scored in all but one game this season and had a career-high 10 points against Chicago State.
Board Stiff
The Aggies have out-rebounded 10 of 11 opponents this season and rank among the leaders nationally (first in the Big 12) in rebounding margin at a whopping +11.3 per game. The Aggies have had a double-figure rebounding margin in six games.
Green Machine
Junior Edjuan Green scored a career-high 17 points with nine rebounds against Prairie View A&M, and scored 14 points and added a career-high 11 rebounds against Grambling for his first career double-double. He ranks fifth on the team in scoring (6.1) and is third in rebounding (4.6) while making 68.6 percent (24-of-35) from the field. As a senior at Spring High School in 2002, Green ranked second in rebounding in the Greater Houston area, just behind Emeka Okafor (formerly of Connecticut) and just ahead of Lawrence Roberts (Mississippi State). Green ranked second nationally in rebounding in the JUCO ranks last season at Temple College, averaging 14.2 per game.
Walker, Texas Ranger
Junior Chris Walker, a walk-on from Dallas, has played in all 11 games and started in the last six. After going scoreless in the first two games, Walker has averaged 5.3 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists in the last nine games while making 65.2 percent (15-of-23) from the field and nailing a three-pointer. He scored 12 points against UTPB and added nine points and a team-high four assists against Alabama A&M. He posted a career-high nine rebounds against Houston. Prior to this season, Walker had not played organized basketball since 2001-02, when he earned freshman All-America honors at UT-Dallas, an NCAA Div. III school. Walker transferred to A&M for academic reasons. His high school coach, Darryn Shearmire, is an old friend of Billy Gillispie's and contacted the new coach about Walker during the summer.
On the Line
A&M made 76.0 percent from the free throw line in the first three games, but made just 56.0 percent (94-of-168) in the next six games. The Aggies made 72.3 percent against Houston, making 34-of-47, the fourth most makes and attempts in school history, but then made just 7-of-14 at Penn State. A&M ranks ninth in the Big 12 in free throw shooting (.633), which is off-set somewhat by the Aggies averaging a league-best 28.0 attempts per game.
Marginal, at Best
The Aggies' 62-point margin of victory against UTPB (98-36) was the largest in school history. The 42-point margin against Prairie View was the 10th largest in school annals. The 33-point margin of victory against North Carolina A&T was the best by the Aggies in a season opener since 1981-82, when A&M beat St. Edwards, 104-57.
On the Block
The Aggies had 10 blocked shots against Grambling, tying for the third most in school history. Earlier this season, A&M posted nine blocks against UTPB. The last time A&M had at least nine in a game was in 1997-98, when it had a school-record 11 against Maryland-Eastern Shore in 1997-98.
Lone Star Roster
When he began looking for a head basketball coach last March, Texas A&M Director of Athletics Bill Byrne said he wanted someone with Texas ties to help the Aggies attract some of the state's homegrown talent. Last year, only four players on the roster were from Texas, including a pair of non-scholarship players. This season, 13 of the 18 players on Billy Gillispie's roster are products of Texas High Schools, the most in school history. Only twice in the previous 26 seasons has A&M had as many as 11 Texas players ? in 1996-97 under Tony Barone, and in 1978-79 under Shelby Metcalf.
More Texas Ties
Billy Gillipsie is the first native Texan (Graford) to serve as A&M's head basketball coach since J.B. Reid (1929-35), not including John Thornton (San Antonio), who was interim head coach for just 12 games in 1989-90. Reid was from Woodville. In addition, Gillispie hired two Texas natives as assistant coaches ? Alvin Brooks (Houston) and Buzz Williams (Van Alystyne). The last Texan to be an assistant at A&M was Thornton (1981-90). The last time A&M has two full-time assistant coaches from Texas was in 1981-82, when Thornton joined Barry Davis (Galveston) on Shelby Metcalf's staff. Thornton is now the senior associate athletic director at A&M.
What Positions?
Billy Gillispie has chosen not to list player positions on the roster. "Our players play so many positions that it's really not accurate to designate someone as a guard or forward anymore, so we decided not to do it," Gillispie said.
Travel Light
The Aggies will play a school-record 18 home games this season, including a record 10 straight to open the season. The previous record was 15 home games at G. Rollie White Coliseum in 1991-92.