N at i o n a l C h a m p i o n s h i p E x p e r i ence This is Home Big 12 Championships Te x a s A & M U n i v e r s i t y Mee t t h e A g g i e s C o a c h i n g S ta f f
CREDITS: The 2011-12 Texas A&M women’s basketball online guide was written, edited and designed by assistant media relations director Deanna Werner with graphic design assistance from Jon Carpentar and Cyndi Mousner and editorial assistance from associate head coach Kelly Bond and video coordinator Charlee Miller. Chief photography by Glen Johnson with additional photography by Greg Fiume, NBAE/Getty Images and the AP.
Approximately 5,000 women’s basketball student-athletes from 333 NCAA Division I institutions compete for the opportunity to play in the Women’s Final Four each year. The Aggies achieved their goal in 2011 and traveled to Indianapolis for their first Women’s Final Four.
The Aggies walked the red carpet and the runway as the Women’s Final Four teams were introduced in a celebratory Salute hosted by ESPN Commentator, Sage Steele.
In the days leading up to their first Final Four game in Indianapolis, the Aggies also met with ESPN and members of the national media, and signed autographs for fans.
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Sydney Colson drove the length of the floor and found a cutting Tyra White for a layup with 3.3 seconds remaining to give the Aggies a stunning 63-62 victory over Stanford. The teams traded leads five times in the final minute and the layup capped A&M’s remarkable battle back from a 10-point deficit in the final six minutes.
Texas A&M rallied from a seven-point deficit in the second half for a thrilling 76-70 victory over Notre Dame. Danielle Adams finished with 30 points – the second-most ever scored in a championship game – while Tyra White’s dagger 3-pointer as the shot clock expired with just over a minute to go will be remembered for the ages. E D A N I E LL A D AMS TYRA W HIT E
Texas A&M had just won the national championship in women’s college basketball and the confetti, the hugs, the tears ‌ they were all theirs.
The Aggies were presented their national championship trophy in front of a live television audience of approximately 3.8 million people. The team also cut down the nets and received a shimmering NCAA/WBCA Coaches’ Trophy at a separate presentation that evening.
The A&M women captivated Aggieland with their stirring run to the national title and returned to a welcome home celebration at Reed Arena in front of 6,000-plus fans.
Texas A&M achieved a program-best No. 1 national ranking in the final ESPN/USA Today Coaches Top 25 Poll in 2011. The Aggies played before crowds of 10,000 or more seven times, including 17,473 in the national title game, and were nationally televised a school-record 17 times.
On April 26, 2011, the Aggies visited the state capitol in Austin where they were congratulated by Governor Rick Perry and recognized on both the Senate and House floors.
At a gala event in mid-town Manhattan, Texas A&M head coach Gary Blair was presented with the New York Athletic Club’s Winged Foot Award, presented to the winning coaches of the men’s and women’s NCAA Division I Basketball Tournaments.
Texas A&M women’s basketball was nominated for Best Team at the 2011 ESPYs. Head coach Gary Blair and studentathletes Maryann Baker, Sydney Carter and Adaora Elonu attended the event at the Nokia Theater in downtown Los Angeles and walked the red carpet with the top celebrities from sports and entertainment.
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On Oct. 6, 2011, President Obama welcomed Texas A&M to the White House and congratulated the team for its 2011 NCAA Championship. The President recognized the Aggies’ efforts to give back to their community and for being role models to young girls. A&M also held a basketball clinic at the White House for Washington-area children.
Before their trip to the White House, the Aggies visited the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial and toured the U.S. Capitol. The team met with several representatives, including Congressmen Bill Flores and Louis Gohmert and Senators Kay Bailey Hutchison and John Cornyn.
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Last season, Texas A&M made its second NCAA Elite Eight appearance in the 37-year existence of the program. The Aggies had lost three previous games against its Big 12 rival Baylor that season, but in the NCAA Dallas Regional Final, A&M never trailed the Lady Bears and beat them when it mattered most – for its first trip to the NCAA Women’s Final Four.
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Texas A&M is among an elite group of schools to have reached the NCAA Sweet 16 three out of the last four years. Last season, the Aggies built a 31-point halftime lead on the way to a 79-38 win over Georgia. The 41-point victory was the most lopsided NCAA tournament win in school history for A&M and Georgia’s 38 points were the second-fewest in regional history.
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Texas A&M made a school-record sixth straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament last season. The Aggies cruised to first- and second-round victories over McNeese State (87-47) and Rutgers (70-48) in Bossier City, La. A&M is one of only 16 Division I women’s basketball programs to make the NCAA Tournament field of 64 six years in-a-row.
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For the fourth straight year, the Aggies earned the respect of the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee with a No. 2 seed in their eighth all-time appearance in the big dance. Texas A&M is the only program in NCAA history to receive four straight No. 2 seeds. In addition, A&M is one of only three elite programs to receive a No. 2 seed or higher each of the last four years.
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Texas A&M captured its third Big 12 Championship in 2010, with a 74-67 victory over Oklahoma in the championship final. Danielle Adams was named the Big 12 Tournament Most Outstanding Player, while Tyra White was selected to the all-tournament team.
AGGIE Women’s Basketball Players 1. Have Character and Attitude 2. Have Ambition to Attain a Quality Education and Degree from Texas A&M University 3. Have Athleticism 4. Are Young Ladies from Good Programs that Know What Winning is All About 5. Have the Ability to Create Their Own Shot 6. Have Size, Toughness and Speed
A D AORA E LO N U
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We coach players to be the best they can be at Texas A&M. We teach them how to play on both ends of the floor. We believe in pressure on defense, on offense and in the classroom.
Texas A&M is about family. The coaching staff brings family values into a team concept and teammates become friends for a lifetime.
Reed Arena is one of the best basketball arenas in the southwest and serves as the home for the Aggie women’s basketball team. On Jan. 30, 2011, in a game against topranked Baylor, 13,162 fans packed into the arena and broke the previous Texas A&M women’s single game attendance record.
Reed Arena has become one of the toughest places in the country to play. With the help of the 12 th Man, the Aggies have posted an unprecedented five-year record of 68-6 (.919) at home.
The Cox-McFerrin Center for Aggie Basketball is a $23 million, 68,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art facility that has transformed A&M into a nationally elite program.
Texas A&M puts a personal touch into its facilities with a unique and expansive locker room that is second to none and provides a comfortable space for players to study and relax between classes and after practice.
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The players’ lounge is located right outside the team locker room with quick and easy access to the competition court in Reed Arena.
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The Aggie coaching staff is housed on the third floor of the Cox-McFerrin Center in close proximity to the main floor, practice gym and additional basketball facilities.
Texas A&M is committed to enhancing the quality of health care for student-athletes through prevention, evaluation, management and rehabilitation of injuries and illnesses.
Aggie basketball has its own topnotch weight room that provides ample space for studentathletes to reach their full athletic potential through speed, strength, power and agility training.
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Through the combination of one of the nation’s premier facilities and a highly-qualified staff, Texas A&M has strengthened its commitment to “Building Champions” off the court as well as on.
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Texas A&M strives to recruit quality student-athletes who excel academically and athletically. An Aggie degree carries a lot of weight with future employers and the Athletic Career Services Center was created to assist student-athletes with all aspects of their professional development and enhance their future employment opportunities.
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The Big 12 Conference is one of the premier women’s basketball leagues in the country and reached the one-million fan mark for the fifth consecutive season while leading the nation in attendance for 12 straight years.
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The Aggies have won 11 straight games and the last 13 out of 14 versus the Longhorns to dominate the State Farm Lone Star Showdown during Coach’s Blair’s tenure at Texas A&M.
Each varsity team is outfitted in the latest adidas gear and accessories. Texas A&M is among a select group of universities that have all school agreements with adidas.
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The Aggies travel in a first-class manner to all of their road games using a charter luxury jet that allows them a flexible schedule and minimizes lost class time.
The Aggies continue to trek the globe with playing opportunities throughout the U.S. and abroad. In the Gary Blair Era, Texas A&M has traveled to exotic and international locales including Cancun, the Bahamas, U.S. Virgin Islands, Hawaii and Europe.
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Callaway Villas is a home away from home for Texas A&M students looking for luxury in off-campus student living. The housing complex offers extensive resort-style amenities from an on-site gym to a 16,000 square foot clubhouse.
Throughout the school year, Texas A&M women’s basketball studentathletes embody the spirit and mind of true Aggies who are always willing to help others in need.
The Texas A&M women’s basketball team opens its first official day of practice with Maroon Madness, the largest preseason event of its kind in the nation. For the first time in 2011, ESPN was on hand to capture all the action live. The Aggies set a national attendance record with close to 30,000 fans at Kyle Field.
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Texas A&M University offers myriad opportunities for intellectual and personal development in an environment that fosters achievement at the highest level.
The $36.4 million Student Rec Center is a premier facility among university recreation and fitness complexes across the country.
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Texas A&M is renowned for its many traditions, none more than the distinguished Aggie Ring, recognized worldwide as the symbol of the Aggie Network.
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The Texas A&M Women’s Basketball Leadership Council consists of players who serve in an advisory role throughout the season. 2011-12 Council from L-R: Junior Kelsey Bone, junior Adrienne Pratcher, senior Skylar Collins, senior Adaora Elonu, senior Kelsey Assarian and senior Sydney Carter.
Success is at an alltime high in Aggieland as Texas A&M captured eight NCAA Division I Championships over the last three seasons. A&M also took home nine Big 12 Championships in 2010-11 alone – the most ever won in a single school year by the Aggies.
“Our goal is to become the very best athletic department in the nation and to fill our trophy cases with Big 12 and national championship trophies. At Texas A&M, we’re bill byrne Building Champions in Director of athletic competition, in Athletics the classroom and in life. ”
College Station is in the “heart� of Central Texas. Only 100 miles from Houston and Austin and 160 miles from Dallas and San Antonio, College Station is within four hours driving time of more than 14 million people.
Texas A&M women’s basketball camps provide the Aggie basketball experience to young players each and every summer. MOR E INFORM ATION
In 2011, Danielle Adams became Texas A&M’s first true All-American. She earned the prestigious honor from State Farm, the Associated Press and the United States Basketball Writers Association. Including Adams, six Aggie players have earned All-America honors.
Texas A&M prepares players for the next level of play. Eight all-time Aggies have been drafted into the WNBA, while others have gone on to star overseas.
LISA B RA N C H
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ta k i a s ta r k s ALL-TIM E L E A D I N G S C OR E R ( 1 , 9 7 7 )
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Back row from L-R: Tyra White (Kansas City, Mo.), Kelsey Assarian (Naples, Fla.) and Adaora Elonu (Houston, Texas). Front row from L-R: Skylar Collins (Cedar Hill, Texas) and Sydney Carter (DeSoto, Texas).
From L-R: Kristi Bellock (St. Rose, La.), Kelsey Bone (Houston, Texas), Adrienne Pratcher (Memphis, Tenn.) and Cierra Windham (Corona Calif.)
From L-R: Kristen Grant (Arlington, Texas) and Karla Gilbert (College Station, Texas)
From L-R: Tori Scott (Marrero, La.), Rachel Mitchell (Houston, Texas) and Alexia Standish (Colleyville, Texas).
From L-R: Associate Head Coach Vic Schaefer, Assistant Coach Johnnie Harris, Associate Head Coach Kelly Bond, Head Coach Gary Blair
From L-R: Lead Office Assistant for Academic Services Annette Garlick, Marketing Student Assistant Carrington Gilbert, Assistant Media Relations Director Deanna Werner, 12th Man Productions Audiovisual Specialist Charlene Kroeker. Not pictured: Director of Events Steve Miller
Standing from L-R: Biana Crawford, Head Manager Alyson Kastner and Christina Richardson. Seated from L-R: Brady Blair and Kyle Felan. Not pictured: Alex Jones and Ragan Jones