Takia Starks Named Big 12 Rookie of Week
Dec 05, 2005 | Women's Basketball
December 05, 2005
Texas A&M freshman guard Takia Starks was named the Big 12 Rookie of the Week following her 25-point effort in a win over Washington Sunday, the league office announced Monday.
Starks, from Houston Westfield High School, helped the Aggies rally from a 13-point first half deficit to a 79-65 win at Reed Arena. Making her first start at point guard, Starks scored 14 of her points in the first half.
?What?™s amazing is that not only is she the Rookie of the Week, but it was her first start at point guard and she had only logged a little bit of time at the position before the game,? A&M coach Gary Blair said. ?I think that shows the versatility of what a good combo guard can do.?
Starks, who stands 5-foot-8, shot 10-of-17 from the field including a 3-of-6 showing from three-point range. She hit both of her free throw attempts.
?She was able to dissect (Washington?™s) zone and their switching man-to-man defense,? Blair said. ?This while she continued to hit the big shot we had to have for our run in the first half. She carried that shooting touch to the second.?
Starks dished out four assists and had a rebound in 33 minutes. Her 25 points are the most scored by an Aggie this season.
Last season, Morenike Atunrase, A?™Quonesia Franklin, and Patrice Reado earned Big 12 Rookie of Week honors three times each. Atunrase was named the league?™s freshman of the year.
?(Starks) is like the other young people that earned rookie of the week awards last season,? Blair said. ?It just confirms the youth movement going on here at Texas A&M by showing that young players will get early playing time as soon as they are ready for that playing time.?
The Aggies (3-2) return to action by hosting Sam Houston on Saturday at 7 p.m.
