November 20, 2007
Hoops in the tropics is up next for the 10th-ranked Texas A&M women?â„¢s basketball team (2-0). The Aggies will spend the Thanksgiving holiday break as a participant in the 2007 Paradise Jam in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. A&M will compete in the St. John Division and face opponents hailing from two of the top women?â„¢s basketball conferences in the country in Wichita State (1-1), Wake Forest (2-1) and Indiana (3-0). The Aggies will take on the Shockers on Thanksgiving Day at 2:30 p.m. (CT) followed by tilts with WFU on Friday, Nov. 23 at 2:30 p.m. (CT) and IU on Saturday, Nov. 24 at 2:30 p.m. (CT). All games played at the state-of-the-art Sports & Fitness Center located on the campus of the University of the Virgin Islands.
2007 PARADISE JAM
Game #3, #4, #5
November 22, 2007 ?* #10/11 Texas A&M (2-0) vs. Wichita State (1-1) at 2:30 p.m. (CT)
November 23, 2007 ?* #10/11 Texas A&M vs. Wake Forest (2-1) at 2:30 p.m. (CT)
November 24, 2007 ?* #10/11 Texas A&M vs. Indiana (3-0) at 2:30 p.m. (CT)
UVI Sports & Fitness Center (3,000)
at St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
Television: None
Radio: Texas A&M Sports Network (KZNE 1150 AM)
Series History vs. Wichita State: Texas A&M Leads 1-0
Series History vs. Wake Forest: First Time Meeting
Series History vs. Indiana: First Time Meeting
Internet: Free Audio at www.AggieAthletics.com and www.kzne.com
PARADISE JAM OVERVIEW
Some of the nation?â„¢s top men?â„¢s and women?â„¢s basketball programs have converged in St. Thomas over the Thanksgiving holiday break since the tournament?â„¢s inception in 2000. A&M is the first Big 12 Conference women?â„¢s team in three years to compete in the Paradise Jam tournament field since Nebraska did so in the 2004 St. Thomas Division. Texas Tech won the inaugural tournament title in 2000, while league rivals Texas (2001), Kansas State (2001) and Iowa State (2003) represented the Big 12 in following years. This year?â„¢s St. Thomas Division includes No. 20 Purdue, No. 8 Duke, Temple, No. 4 Stanford, No. 2 Connecticut and Old Dominion.
WELCOME BACK TO THE ISLANDS
The U.S. Virgin Islands welcomes back yet another Gary Blair-led team. His former Arkansas Razorbacks competed in the 2002 Paradise Jam and lost in the St. John Division championship game to eventual NCAA Final Four participant and top-ranked Duke, 74-72. The game was decided in the last seconds of overtime as former Duke All-American Alana Beard sank two key free throws with 1.1 seconds remaining. Texas A&M associate head coaches Vic Schaefer and Kelly Bond were members of Blair?â„¢s 2002 Arkansas staff and are making their second all-time appearance on the Paradise Jam sidelines.
WICHITA STATE AT A GLANCE
Wichita State is looking to rebound from a 9-20 season a year ago with a strong inside game. Senior forward Kiki Stephens is averaging a near double-double with 24.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per game, while junior forward Marcy Sudbeck is averaging 11.5 ppg and 7.0 rpg. The Shockers are averaging 43.0 boards per contest and lost to Southland Conference preseason favorite UTSA, 68-60, in their last outing on Nov. 18 in San Antonio. Like A&M, WSU is making its first all-time appearance at the Paradise Jam and was picked to finish ninth in the Missouri Valley Conference.
A LOOK AT THE DEMON DEACONS
Wake Forest suffered its first setback of the season with a 64-53 loss at James Madison on Nov. 18. The Demon Deacons previously opened the year at home with victories over USC Upstate (58-51) and Charlotte (56-52). They return a veteran starting lineup including junior combination guard/forward Alex Tchangoue who is averaging a team-leading 9.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. Last season, the Deacs posted a 9-20 overall record and went 0-14 against tough ACC competition.
THE BOOK ON THE HOOSIERS
Indiana is an undefeated 3-0 on the season with wins over Albany (67-59), Arkansas-Pine Bluff (74-56) and Ball State (76-71). Led by second-year head coach Felisha Legette-Jack, the Hoosiers were picked to finish ninth in both the preseason Big Ten Conference media and coaches polls. IU is making its second all-time appearance in the Paradise Jam after participating in the St. Thomas Division in 2003. As a team, the Hoosiers are shooting 43.9 percent from the floor and averaging 72.3 points per game.
PROBABLE STARTING LINEUPS
TEXAS A&M
No. Name (2007-08 Stats)
#10 A?â„¢Quonesia Franklin, G, 5-3, Sr. (4.0 ppg, 4.5 apg)
#3 Takia Starks, G, 5-8, Jr. (15.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg)
#55 Danielle Gant, G/F, 5-11, Jr. (9.5 ppg, 6.0 rpg)
#33 Ashlaa Horton, F, 6-1, So. (6.0 ppg, 7.5 rpg)
#12 La Toya Micheaux, C, 6-3, Jr. (8.5 ppg, 6.5 rpg)
WICHITA STATE
No. Name (2007-08 Stats)
#3 Jacie Hoyt, G, 5-6, So. (4.0 ppg, 2.5 apg)
#13 Kyrie Kinder, G, 5-8, Sr. (5.5 ppg, 8.0 rpg)
#34 Daria Frazier, F, 5-10, Jr. (8.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg)
#15 Kiki Stephens, F, 5-11, Sr. (24.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg)
#20 Marcy Sudbeck, F, 6-2, Jr. (11.5 ppg, 7.0 rpg)
WAKE FOREST
No. Name (2007-08 Stats)
#10 Tiffany Roulhac, G, 5-6, So. (4.7 ppg, 6.7 apg)
#5 Courteney Morris, G, 5-11, So. (5.3 ppg, 5.7 rpg)
#2 Alex Tchangoue, G/F, 5-11, Jr. (9.3 ppg, 7.3 rpg)
#22 Christen Brown, F, 6-2, Sr. (10.0 ppg, 5.7 rpg)
#33 Courinne Groves, F, 6-3, Jr. (15.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg)
INDIANA
No. Name (2007-08 Stats)
#23 Jamie Braun, G, 5-8, So. (13.7 ppg, 4.0 apg)
#4 Nikki Smith, G, 5-9, Sr. (12.0 ppg, 1.3 rpg)
#35 Kim Roberson, G/F, 5-10, Jr. (9.5 ppg, 2.0 rpg)
#11 Whitney Thomas, F, 6-0, Jr. (13.3 ppg, 9.7 rpg)
#42 Amber Jackson, F, 6-2, Jr. (15.0 ppg, 8.7 rpg)
SERIES NOTES
Texas A&M leads 1-0 in the all-time series versus Wichita State. It has been close to 30 years since both teams last met during the 1977-78 season where the Aggies claimed a 72-45 victory over WSU on Jan. 6, 1978 in Wichita, Kan. Meanwhile, A&M will face Wake Forest and Indiana in first time meetings on the hardwood.
DID YOU KNOW?
?* First-year Texas A&M men?â„¢s basketball coach Mark Turgeon led Wichita State to a Missouri Valley Conference title and an NCAA Sweet 16 appearance in 2006 prior to his arrival in Aggieland.
?* All three of A&M?â„¢s Paradise Jam opponents played their last contest on the road prior to traveling to the U.S. Virgin Islands. Two of the teams (Wake Forest and Wichita State) carry a loss into their current road swing.
?* Indiana is one of five opponents on this year?â„¢s schedule which advanced to the Postseason WNIT last season including Auburn (Dec. 15), Stephen F. Austin (Jan. 3), Kansas State (Jan. 9) and Missouri (Jan. 29). The Hoosiers fell in the WNIT Third Round to South Dakota State (60-53). Overall, A&M?â„¢s loaded slate includes 15 matchups against teams who participated in postseason play a year ago.
COACHING LEGENDS
Texas A&M head coach Gary Blair and Wichita State head coach Jane Albright rank among the top 50 active Division I coaches nationally in career victories. Blair ranks 24th all-time with 483 career wins in 23 years as a head coach, while Albright ranks 41st all-time with 389 career wins in 24 years of coaching. Both led their former schools to Postseason WNIT Championships ?- Blair with Arkansas in 1999 and Albright with Wisconsin in 2000. One of only 40 active Division I coaches with 400+ career wins, Blair is an unblemished 3-0 all-time versus Wichita State and 1-0 all-time versus Indiana.
FREQUENT FLYERS
Over the last three years, the Aggies have been frequent flyers across the continental U.S. and abroad including a 10-day European Tour through France, Switzerland and Monaco last summer. A&M will make its first-ever trip to the U.S. Virgin Islands in the 34-year history of the program. The Aggies are no stranger to travel to exotic destinations having played in the 2003 Junkanoo Jam in Freeport, Grand Bahama Island, and the 2005 Hawaiian Airlines Rainbow Wahine Classic in Honolulu, Hawaii. A&M will also travel to our nation?â„¢s capital with a Dec. 20 matchup at George Washington in Washington, D.C., prior to Big 12 Conference play.
BARGAINS AND STEALS
Opponents never know what?â„¢s in store for them when playing against the A&M defense. In their last outing, the Aggies stole the ball 21 times against Prairie View A&M which was seven shy of the Reed Arena record (28). Last season, A&M made a season-high 20 steals versus Western Illinois on Dec. 2, 2007 and averaged 9.9 per game behind the efforts of Danielle Gant (64), A?â„¢Quonesia Franklin (51), Patrice Reado (48), Takia Starks (40) and La Toya Micheaux (39). Gant and Reado are currently credited with six steals each in just two games played. A&M made 10-or-more steals in 18-of-32 contests in 2006-07.
THE S STANDS FOR STARKS
With one of the best jump shots in the Big 12, junior all-conference standout Takia Starks has shown why she is referred to having, ?the ability to get her shot off in a telephone booth,? by Texas A&M head coach Gary Blair in a feature article written on Starks in the December issue of SLAM Magazine. Kryptonite couldn?â„¢t stop the versatile guard as she is currently shooting 40.6 percent from the floor and has reached double-digits in eight consecutive contests including 14 points versus Prairie View A&M on Nov. 15 and a game-high 17 points at SMU on Nov. 9. Her shooting streak dates back to the last six games of the 2006-07 season.
THE DISH ON AQUA
Senior point guard A?â„¢Quonesia Franklin currently ranks fourth all-time in career assists (463) and needs 19 more to move into the top 3 all-time in the school record books. Selected to the five-member preseason All-Big 12 Conference Team, Franklin is averaging 4.5 assists per game and led the league for three-straight years in assist-to-turnover ratio. She also ranks fourth all-time in career three-pointers made (109).
PRAIRIE VIEW A&M RECAP
Four players scored in double figures to lead No. 11 Texas A&M to a 19-point rout of preseason SWAC favorite Prairie View A&M, 73-54, on Nov. 15. Junior Danielle Gant paced the Aggies with a game-high 17 points in the team?â„¢s home season opener, while junior La Toya Micheaux turned in her third career double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Junior Takia Starks and freshman Sydney Colson chipped in 14 and 12 respectively. A&M went into the lockerroom with just a 32-27 advantage at halftime, but used a second-half rally to stretch the lead by as many as 24 points with 2:20 remaining in regulation. Prairie View committed 34 turnovers in the ballgame despite shooting 46.5 percent from the floor (20-of-43) and were led in scoring by SWAC Freshman of the Year Gaati Werema (14).
AGGIES ON THE RADIO
All three of A&M?â„¢s Paradise Jam games can be heard via a radio broadcast on the Texas A&M Sports Network. In his debut appearance with the Aggies, play-by-play announcer Gabe Bock will provide all commentary from the UVI Sports & Fitness Center via an audio feed on www.KZNE.com and www.AggieAthletics.com. The Wichita State and Wake Forest games on Thursday and Friday will be available on a tape-delay basis on KZNE 1150 AM, while Saturday?â„¢s game against Indiana will be available live on the radio and on the Internet.
ON THE NATIONAL SCENE
A&M climbed up a spot to No. 10 in the latest USA TODAY/ESPN Coaches Top 25 Poll released on Tuesday and remained at No. 11 in the latest Associated Press Top 25 Poll released on Monday. The Aggies have appeared a program-best 28-straight weeks in the AP Poll and 23-straight weeks in the Coaches Poll since the 2005-06 season. A&M?â„¢s current No. 10 national ranking ties a program-best next to a No. 10 national ranking on Nov. 27, 2006. The Aggies were ranked No. 11 in both preseason national polls which marked their second-highest ever ranking in school history.
ASSOCIATED PRESS TOP 25 POLL
1. Tennessee (3-0)
2. Connecticut (2-0)
3. Maryland (5-0)
4. Stanford (3-0)
5. North Carolina (6-0)
6. LSU (3-1)
7. Rutgers (2-1)
8. Georgia (4-0)
9. Duke (3-0)
10. Oklahoma (0-2)
11. Texas A&M (2-0)
12. California (3-0)
13. Baylor (4-0)
14. Arizona State (2-1)
15. Ohio State (4-0)
16. West Virginia (3-0)
17. George Washington (3-1)
18. DePaul (3-0)
19. Michigan State (2-1)
20. Florida State (3-1)
21. Texas (2-1)
22. Purdue (2-0)
23. Notre Dame (2-1)
24. Auburn (3-0)
25. Vanderbilt (2-1)
ESPN/USA TODAY COACHES TOP 25 POLL
1. Tennessee (3-0)
2. Connecticut (2-0)
3. Maryland (5-0)
4. Stanford (3-0)
5. LSU (3-1)
6. North Carolina (6-0)
7. Rutgers (2-1)
8. Duke (3-0)
9. Georgia (4-0)
10. Texas A&M (2-0)
11. Oklahoma (0-2)
12. Baylor (4-0)
13. Arizona State (2-1)
14. California (3-0)
15. George Washington (3-1)
16. Ohio State (4-0)
17. West Virginia (3-0)
18. Michigan State (2-1)
19. Vanderbilt (2-1)
20. Purdue (2-0)
21. Florida State (3-1)
22. Texas (2-1)
23. DePaul (3-0)
24. Notre Dame (2-1)
25. Auburn (3-0)