January 21, 2005
The Texas A&M Aggies (12-3, 1-3 in Big 12) hope to end a two-game losing streak when they play host to the Kansas State Wildcats (11-3, 1-2 in Big 12) on Saturday at 3 p.m. (Central) at Reed Arena (12,500 cap.) in College Station.
A&M will honor the 1975 Southwest Conference championship team as part of the annual players' reunion. The 1975 team will be introduced at half time.
The Aggies had won 11 straight home games before falling to No. 18-ranked Oklahoma, 70-54, on Tuesday. The Aggies lost to Texas Tech, 70-56, last Saturday in Lubbock. The Wildcats have been idle since an impressive 74-54 win against Missouri at home last Saturday, ending a two-game losing skid to open Big 12 play.
Kansas State leads the series, 10-3, but A&M has a 3-1 advantage in games played in College Station. A&M is 11-1 at home this season while the Wildcats are 0-1 in true road games. Kansas State won last year in Manhattan, Kan., 70-61, while A&M posted a 79-66 win two years ago in College Station.
GAME #16
Texas A&M AGGIES
(12-3 1-3 Big 12)
vs.
Kansas State WILDCATS
(11-3, 1-2 Big 12)
3 p.m. (Central)
Saturday, Jan. 22, 2005
Reed Arena (12,500 cap.)
College Station, Texas
RADIO:
Texas A&M Sports Network
Dave South, play-by-play
Al Pulliam, commentary
Airtime: 2:45 p.m. (Central)
ONLINE: www.AggieAthletics.com
SIRIUS SATELLITE: Ch. 136 (A&M feed)
TELEVISION:
ESPN Regional
(ESPN Full Court/Check Local Listings)
Bill Doleman, play-by-play
Reid Gettys, commentary
About Kansas State
The Wildcats return nine lettermen and two starters from last year's team
that finished 14-14 overall and finished ninth in the Big 12 with a 6-10
record. Kansas State is in its fifth year under head coach Jim Wooldridge.
The Wildcats opened the season with eight straight wins before falling at
home to Rutgers, 76-66, on Dec. 28. They bounced back to close their
non-conference schedule with two more wins before losing, 95-85, in double
overtime in their Big 12 opener at Nebraska, their only true road game of
the season. Kansas State followed with a 79-76 loss to Texas Tech at home
before bouncing back with a 74-54 home victory against Missouri. The
Wildcats have five players averaging at least 7.6 points per game, including
three in double figures. Senior forward Jeremiah Massey (6'7") is averaging
a team-high 16.2 points, ranking sixth in the Big 12, along with a team-best
6.2 rebounds per game. Sophomore guard Fred Peete (6'4") averages 14.0
points and 5.1 rebounds, while sophomore guard Cartier Martin (6'8") adds
11.9 points and 5.5 boards per game. Martin scored 18 points with 11
rebounds in the win against Missouri, his first career double-double. Junior
forward Marques Hayden (6'7") adds 7.8 points and ranks second on the team
in rebounding at 5.8. Freshman guard Clent Stewart (6'4") leads the team in
assists with 3.9 per game. Kansas State leads the Big 12 in three-point
accuracy, making 43.2 percent, and ranks third in free throw percentage
(.694). The Wildcats also rank third in assists (17.8) and are second in
assist/turnover ratio (1.32). Defensively, KSU is allowing 64.4 points per
game while its opponents are making 41.7 percent from the field and 30.1
percent from three-point range.
Who's Hot?
*Junior Antoine Wright had a season-high 24 points against Oklahoma, making 8-of-12 from the field. Wright has averaged 21.0 points and 7.5 rebounds in the last two games while making 15-of-30 from the field. Wright has had four double-doubles and missed two more by one rebound. His 1,048 career points rank 24th in A&M history.
*Freshman Joseph Jones has averaged 12.3 points and 7.5 rebounds while
making 69.6 percent from the field in the first four conference games and
has had two double-doubles in the last three games. His five double-doubles
for the season are the most by a Big 12 freshman.
*Senior Bobby Leach has averaged 9.3 points while making 3-of-5 (.600) from three-point range in the last three games.
Quick Notes
*Junior Antoine Wright, a preseason All-Big 12 pick, has posted four
double-doubles. He ranks fourth in the Big 12 in scoring (17.5) and is the
only Big 12 player to rank in the top 12 in the league in six categories.
*Freshman Joseph Jones has had five double-doubles, most by a league
freshman, and ranks fifth 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 (5.1), while
senior Bobby Leach ranks third in assist/turnover ratio (2.63).
*A&M ranks second in the Big 12 in scoring defense (59.4) and field goal
percentage defense (.363), ranking among the national leaders in both
categories.
*The Aggies are second in the Big 12 and fifth nationally in assists (18.5).
A&M is second in the league in field goal percentage (.496). A&M has the
best assist ratio in the Big 12 with 68.2 percent of its field goals being
assisted.
*The Aggies have out-rebounded 12 of 15 opponents and rank second in the Big 12 in rebounding margin (+8.4).
*A&M is averaging 26.3 free throw attempts per game, most in the Big 12.
*A&M is averaging just 14.1 turnovers in the last eight games.
*A&M is on pace to break its season attendance record for the season and in
conference play. The Aggies already have set marks for single game (12,811
vs. Texas), non-conference game (11,200 vs. Houston) and opening night
(6,929 vs. North Carolina A&T). The Aggies set a record for non-conference
average attendance with 5,338.
*A&M has posted 57 blocked shots this season, already surpassing last year's
season total of 35.
The Series
Kansas State leads the series, 10-3, but the Aggies have a 3-1 advantage in
games played in College Station, all in Big 12 play. The Wildcats have won
five of the last six meetings overall. A&M's only loss in College Station
came in 2001, when KSU escaped with a 53-48 win.
Texas A&M vs. Kansas State
(KSU leads, 10-3)
Year Winner Site
1960-61 Kansas State, 69-64 Manhattan
1967-68 Kansas State, 82-77 Lawrence
1990-91 Kansas State, 81-49 Kansas City
1993-94 Kansas State, 63-54 Manhattan
1996-97 Texas A&M, 76-67 College Station
1997-98 Kansas State, 95-80 Manhattan
1998-99 Texas A&M, 79-74 College Station
Kansas State, 87-76 Kansas City
1999-00 Kansas State, 81-76 Manhattan
2000-01 Kansas State, 53-48 College Station
2001-02 Kansas State, 69-38 Manhattan
2002-03 Texas A&M, 79-66 College Station
2003-04 Kansas State, 70-61 Manhattan
The Coaches
TEXAS A&M
Billy Gillispie (Texas State '83)
12-3 at A&M (1st year)
42-35 overall (3rd year)
0-0 vs. Kansas State
0-0 vs. Jim Wooldridge
KANSAS STATE
Jim Wooldridge (Louisiana Tech '77)
62-68 at KSU (5th year)
291-215 overall (18th year)
4-1 vs. Texas A&M
0-0 vs. Billy Gillispie
Sidebars
Texas A&M Director Basketball Operations Chris Salinas served as an
administrative assistant at Kansas State last season...A&M senior guard
Bobby Leach played two seasons at Neosho Community College in Kansas before transferring to A&M...only three Aggies who played last year in Manhattan are back this year -- Antoine Wright, Acie Law and Bobby Leach...Kansas State standout Cartier Martin is from Houston (Nimitz High School), where he earned first team Class 5A all-state honors along with A&M's Acie Law (Dallas Kimball High School)...A&M assistant coach Steve Forbes is a former head coach at Barton County Community College in Great Bend, Kan.
Tentative Starters
TEXAS A&M AGGIES (12-3, 1-3)
No. Player Ht. Cl. PPG RPG Other
30 Joseph Jones 6'9" Fr. 12.1 7.5 1.3 blk
10 Chris Walker 6'5" Jr. 4.5 2.8 61% FG
21 Antoine Wright 6'7" Jr. 17.5 6.1 50% FG
22 Dominique Kirk 6'3" Fr. 8.3 2.4 2.7 ast
1 Acie Law 6'3" So. 12.9 4.0 5.1 ast
Off the Bench
No. Player Ht. Cl. PPG RPG Other
15 Bobby Leach 6'0" Sr. 5.6 2.3 3.3 ast
4 Edjuan Green 6'7" Jr. 4.8 4.1 56% FG
42 Marlon Pompey 6'8" So. 4.2 3.7 0.7 blk
2 Marcus McIntosh 6'0" So. 2.6 0.8 --
11 Luis Clemente 6'8" Jr. 2.3 1.8 --
5 Kenneth White 6'1" Fr. 1.8 0.7 --
33 Justin Loewe 6'4" So. 1.6 0.4 --
3 Brian Blackburn 5'8" So. 0.0 0.0 --
25 Matt Koeneke 6'6" So. 0.0 0.0 --
Gillispie Quoteboard
"Kansas State could easily be 3-0 in the Big 12 right now, so we know we
have a tremendous challenge on Saturday. They are getting better every
single game. Oklahoma whipped us physically and mentally. We tried hard, but we made too many mental errors against a physically superior team and we can't do that. Hopefully, it was a good learning experience for us. I'm
proud of our guys, who kept trying. We just couldn't get over the hump. We
got it down to four with less than five minutes left and they made two big
three pointers. We never could get back after that."
Oklahoma Recap
COLLEGE STATION (AP) -- Drew Lavender scored a season-high 23 points and No. 18-ranked Oklahoma snapped Texas A&M's 11-game home winning streak with a 70-54 victory Tuesday night. Lawrence McKenzie sparked Oklahoma's game-closing 13-1 run with consecutive 3s and Lavender finished it by scoring seven straight points to help seal the victory. A game after scoring a then-season high 20 at Baylor, the generously listed 5-foot-7 Lavender again powered Oklahoma's bruising offensive attack with floaters in the lane and timely 3s from all around the arc. The Sooners' lightning-quick point guard was virtually unstoppable, forcing the Aggies to guard him with a
group of defenders ranging from point guard Acie Law to 6-foot-7 forward
Antoine Wright. McKenzie, Terrell Everett and Kevin Bookout each scored 12
points for the Sooners, who shot 53 percent against the nation's top-rated
defense for field-goal percentage -- A&M entered limiting opponents to just
35.2 percent shooting. Wright led the Aggies with 24 points on 8-of-12
shooting, and was the only A&M player to score in double figures. The Aggies
have lost two straight and three of their past four -- all in the Big 12 --
after starting the season 11-0.
Last Year in Manhattan
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP, Jan. 21, 2004) -- Tim Ellis scored 19 points, including a 3-pointer with 1:12 left, as Kansas State came from behind to beat Texas A&M 70-61. A&M had the ball with less than two minutes to go, but Ellis, who also had 7 rebounds, stole a pass, then hit an unguarded jumper to put the Wildcats up for good. Ellis added a layup on Kansas State's next possession for good measure. The Wildcats followed with 5-of-6 free throws in the final minute to win their first Big 12 game of the season. Jarrett Hart also had 19 points for Kansas State. Jesse King scored with 7:58 left to give the Aggies a 53-47 lead, but it wouldn't hold. Dramane Diarra scored five points, including a three point play, to ignite an 8-0 run that put the
Wildcats up 60-57 with 3:56 remaining. King hit two free throws with 3:32
left, before the Aggies offense went stagnant. They had just one field goal
in the final six minutes. Leandro Garcia-Morales had 17 points for the
Aggies, and Andy Slocum had 16 points and 16 rebounds.
Last Time in College Station
COLLEGE STATION (AP, Jan. 25, 2003) -- Bernard King scored 18 points and had 11 assists to lead Texas A&M to a 79-66 victory over Kansas State. Antoine Wright led A&M with 24 points and 11 rebounds. Wright was 6-of-15 from the field, including 4-of-6 from 3-point range, and made 8 of 11 free throws. Pervis Pasco led Kansas State with 13 points, and Matt Siebrandt added 12. Frank Richards had 11 assists against only one turnover for the Wildcats. A&M led 39-37 at the half, but a 20-5 run midway through the second half enabled the Aggies to pull away. A&M shot 48.1 percent for the game. The Wildcats pulled within seven points late in the second half after a layup by Jarrett Hart, but A&M answered with 10 straight points. Kansas State has lost three of its last four games, all away from home. The Aggies' record is their best after 15 games since 1993-94, the last season they advanced
beyond the conference postseason tournament.
Historic Start
Billy Gillispie's 12-1 start was the best by a first-year coach in A&M
history. The previous record was set by Tubby Graves, who started his career
11-2 in 1915-16. The Aggies' 11-0 start was the third best in A&M history
and was was the best since the 1919-20 team went undefeated (19-0). The
1915-16 team also started 11-0. A&M's 12-3 record is its best after 14 games since the 1978-79 team started 13-2. A&M started the season with an 11-game winning streak, the third longest in school history and the longest since A&M won a record 25 straight over two seasons from 1919-21. After beat No. 9-ranked Texas on Jan. 12, the Aggies received 37 votes in the next AP poll (28th), its most in more than 20 years.
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). Jones has had five double-doubles, including two
in Big 12 play, most by a Big 12 freshman this season. He's tied for the Big
12 rebounding lead among freshmen. Jones scored 13 points with 10 boards in the Aggies upset of No. 9-ranked Texas and followed with 13 points and 11 boards at Texas Tech. After Jones scored a game-high 16 points against
Kansas, Jayhawks coach Bill Self said, "Joseph Jones was the best player in
the game tonight." Jones also had seven rebounds against KU, including five
offensive boards, and had a trio of three-point plays. 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 11 games and added another 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 of an injury, scoring just two points with one
rebound, but in the eight games since has averaged 14.3 points, 7.4 rebounds and made 72.1 percent from the field (44-of-61).
Law and Order
Sophomore Acie Law ranks second in the Big 12 in assists with 5.1 per game
and is second on the team in scoring (12.9). Law also ranks sixth in the Big
12 in field goal percentage at .524, second best by a guard. Law scored 24
points with six assists in the upset of No. 9 Texas, making 10-of-13 from
the field and 3-of-5 three-pointers. He scored a career-high 25 points in
the win against Houston while adding nine assists and making 12-of-12 free
throws, the best free throw performance by an A&M player since 1987. He
added 19 points (with a career-high eight rebounds) against Penn State,
making the winning free throws with 11 seconds left. Law scored 14 points
with seven rebounds against Kansas. He scored 18 points with a career-high
11 assists against UTPB, his first career double-double. He has scored in
double figures in 11 games. 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 17.5 average, ranking fourth in the Big 12. Wright earned Midseason
First-Team All-Big 12 honors by the Rocky Mountain News in early January.
He's the only Big 12 player to rank among the league's top 15 in scoring,
rebounding (14th, 6.1), field goal percentage (8th, .500), free throw
percentage (14th, .697), three-point percentage (4th, .414) and three-point
field goals (9th, 1.93). Wright has had four double-doubles and missed two
more by just a single rebound. After being held to one point in the first
half at Kansas, Wright helped the Aggies pull off a near-upset with 13
second-half points, including a trio of three-pointers, one that tied the
game in the final minute. He scored 18 points and tied his career-high with
12 rebounds at Texas Tech. 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 of the lasty six games, including a
season-high 23 points against Grambling. In the last nine games, he's
averaged 18.6 points. He has scored in double figures in all but two games
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 has scored 1,048 career points, ranking him 24th on the A&M chart. 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 14 dunks. Wright had 11 dunks in 56
career games entering the season. Wright's 139 three-point field goals
already rank third on A&M's career list with his 393 attempts rank second.
THE WRIGHT WAY
STAT 2003-04 2004-05
PPG 13.5 17.5
RPG 4.1 6.1
Steals 0.9 1.1
Assists 2.3 2.1
Blocks 0.3 0.6
FG Pct. .368 .500
3-Pt. FG Pct. .297 .414
FT Pct. .626 .697
Dunks 5 14
A&M CAREER SCORING
Player Years Points
1. Bernard King 1999-03 1,990
2. Vernon Smith 1977-81 1,778
3. John Beasley 1963-66 1,594
4. Winston Crite 1983-87 1,576
5. Rynn Wright 1977-81 1,495
6. Claude Riley 1979-83 1,383
7. Carroll Broussard 1959-62 1,382
8. Bennie Lenox 1961-64 1,344
9. Todd Holloway 1983-87 1,331
10. Rudy Woods 1978-82 1,272
Closing in:
24. Antoine Wright 2002-05 1,048
Pompey Pays Off
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 points and six boards against Penn State. He scored eight points at Texas Tech. Pompey has scored at least five points in nine games this season and ranks fifth on the team in rebounds (3.7). He is
second on the team in blocks (0.7).
Record Crowds
A crowd of 12,811 attended the Texas game, the largest crowd in school
history, followed by the seventh largest crowd of 11,971 against Oklahoma.
A&M has drawn three of the eight largest crowds in A&M annals in the last
three games. The crowd of 11,200 that attended the Houston game on Dec. 29 was the eighth 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 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.
TEXAS A&M SEASON ATTENDANCE
Year (s) Avg.
1. 2002-03 6,466
2. 1980-81 6,141
3. 2003-04 6,100
Closing:
2004-05 6,514
TEXAS A&M CONFERENCE SEASON ATTENDANCE
Year (s) Avg.
1. 2002-03 8,157
3. 2003-04 7,333
3. 1974-75 7,145
Closing:
2004-05 12,391
Stout Defense
A&M ranks second in the Big 12, and sixth nationally, in field goal
percentage defense (.363) and also ranks second in the league in scoring
defense (59.4), ranking 17th nationally. The Aggies led the nation in field
goal percentage defense before Oklahoma made a 53.2 percent, the first time
this season and opponent has shot better than 48 percent against A&M. The
Aggies rank 10th nationally, and fourth in the Big 12, in scoring margin
(+17.4). 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 half, 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, nine opponents have shot under 40 percent. No. 9-ranked
Texas shot a season low 32.3 percent against the Aggies.
Taking the Lead
A&M has trailed by more than seven points in just three games this season,
falling behind by 17 at Penn State before rallying to win, 62-60, and
falling behind by 16 at Texas Tech (70-56 loss) and at home against No. 18
Oklahoma (a 70-54 loss). Through the first 10 games, the Aggies 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 11 of 15
games, but has trailed at intermission in four of the last five games. Of 30
halves played, the Aggies have been out-scored just eight times.
Getting Offensive
The Aggies rank second in the Big 12 and 18th nationally in field goal
percentage (.496). 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
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 rank second in the Big 12 and are fifth nationally in assists
with an average of 18.5 per game. For the season, 277 of the Aggies' 406
field goals (.682) have been assisted, the best rate in the Big 12.
Random Notes
No. 9-ranked Texas was only the third top 10 team A&M's ever beaten and the first since 1982 (No. 5 Texas in Austin, 71-69)...the only other top 10 team A&M's beaten was Bob Knight's No. 10 Indiana team, 54-49, at the 1978 Great Alaska Shootout...despite having a relatively small team, the Aggies have dominated inside, averaging 37.1 points in the paint after averaging 25.6 last season. A&M also has done a good job converting turnovers, averaging 21.0 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 14.9 this season.
Turnovers Down
The Aggies are committing an average of 16.1 turnovers per game, most in the Big 12. However, the Aggies have averaged just 14.1 turnovers in the last
eight games. A&M ranks fifth in the league in turnover margin (+1.80) and
is fourth in assist/turnover ratio (1.14).
A Foul Figure
The Aggies average 21.9 personal fouls per game. The Aggies have committed at least 19 personal fouls in 13 games. That number has been off-set somewhat by A&M's opponents averaging 21.4 fouls per contest. Consequently, the Aggies are averaging a whopping 26.3 free throw attempts per game, the most in the Big 12. A&M is averaging 3.7 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 8.3 per game and is second with 16 three-point field
goals, making 37.2 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 (2.63) and is second on the team in assists (3.3).
Leach has made 10-of-21 (.476) from three-point range after making just
5-of-16 (.313) all of last season. Leach has handed out at least three
assists in seven of the last nine games, including a season high of six
against No. 9-ranked Texas with only one turnover. He's scored in all but
two games this season and had a career-high 10 points against Chicago State
and Texas.He had nine points at Texas Tech and against Oklahoma and is
averaging 9.3 points in the last three games.
Board Stiff
The Aggies have out-rebounded 12 of 15 opponents this season and rank second in the Big 12 in rebounding margin at +8.4, ranking among the leaders nationally. The Aggies have had a double-figure rebounding margin in six games. A&M out-rebounded Kansas, 33-27. The only teams to out-board the Aggies have been Penn State (39-35), Texas (39-33) and Oklahoma (31-25).
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
sixth on the team in scoring (4.8) and is third in rebounding (4.1) while
making 56.3 percent (27-of-48) from the field. Green had six rebounds in
just eight minutes at Kansas, including four offensive boards. 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 15 games and
started in the last 10. After going scoreless in the first two games, Walker
has averaged 5.2 points and 3.2 rebounds in the last 13 games while making
60.6 percent (20-of-33) from the field and nailing 3-of-6 three-pointers,
including one to open the game at Kansas, where he finished with seven
points. He leads the team in free throw percentage at 73.5 percent
(25-of-34). Walker is averaging 5.0 points in Big 12 play and has made
8-of-8 free throws, including all six in the win against Texas. 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 and is an academic All-America candidate. 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 has been highly inconsistent from the free throw line. The Aggies 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 have made
68.7 percent in the last six games, including 69.8 percent in Big 12 play.
A&M ranks ninth in the Big 12 in free throw shooting (.647), off-set
somewhat by averaging a league-best 26.3 attempts per game.
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, 12 of the 17 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. 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. 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 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.
On the Block
The Aggies already have posted 57 blocked shots this season after having
just 35 all of last year. The Aggies had 10 blocks against Grambling, tying
for third most in school history. A&M added nine against UT-Permian Basin,
10th most in school annals.
Steady Lineup
The Aggies used five different starting lineups in the first eight games,
but have started the same group in the last eight games (Acie Law, Dominique Kirk, Antoine Wright, Chris Walker and Joseph Jones). Kirk and Jones, both true freshmen, are the only players to start in every game.
About the Bench
A&M has averaged 21.8 bench points this season, but only 11.0 in Big 12
play. Senior Bobby Leach, junior Edjuan Green and sophomore Marlon Pompey are normally the first players off the bench. Leach is emerging as one of the top reserves in the league, averaging 7.0 points in league play.
More Foul Play
Only four Aggies fouled out in A&M's first 12 games, but five have been
disqualified in the last three contests. Freshman Joseph Jones has fouled
out of three of the last six games. Meanwhile, 12 opposing players have
fouled out, including 11 in the last 10 games.