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Aggie women ready to defend

Eagle Staff Report

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Texas A&M was picked to win the Big 12 Conference by the league's coaches, which is fine by Aggie head coach Gary Blair.

"Hopefully, we can live up to it," Blair said Tuesday at the Big 12 basketball media days. "This is what we're in coaching for. I'm tired of being Cinderella. I'm the oldest Cinderella there is, and so we'll relish it at the top. Now what we have to do is try to live up to it. But you're living up to it in the hardest conference, top-to-bottom, in the country."

A&M was 13-3 in Big 12 play last season, sharing the championship with Oklahoma, though the Aggies beat the Sooners and All-American Courtney Paris twice in the regular season. A&M went 25-7 overall and swept third-place Baylor.

In the Big 12 preseason poll the Aggies edged the Sooners, 117 points to 115.

"When you have Courtney Paris, I think all roads lead to Norman," Blair said. "But you've got to come through College Station first. I think that's going to be fun."

The balanced Aggies return all five starters, its key reserves and three outstanding freshmen, adding to the optimism.

Senior guard A'Quonesia Franklin (9.9 points per game, 4.7 assists per game) said it's different wearing the bull's-eye.

"The target's on our back now," Franklin said. "We've just been working hard to make sure we stay at the top."

Blair's biggest concern is his team's health and attitude.

"We have a lot of kids that are banged up right now for the first time that I can remember in 10 or 15 years," Blair said. "We have to get healthy, and we have to stay hungry. We will not be the sleeper that's coming up. People would look at us last year and say, 'yes, they play good, hard-nosed defense, but who's going to get 20 [points] and 10 [rebounds] for them each night?' We didn't know who was going to get 20 and 10, because we pass that torch around. That's what our team is made up of."

Junior guard Takia Starks (14.2 ppg), senior guard/forward Morenike Atunrase (10 ppg), senior forward Patrice Reado (7.1 ppg) and junior center La Toya Micheaux (2.9 ppg, 5.1 rebounds per game) round out the starters. Junior forward Danielle Gant (10.8 ppg, 7.3 rpg) was second in scoring and rebounding.

The three freshmen expected to contribute immediately are Maryann Baker, Syndey Colson and Tyra Wright.

"Gary has done an unbelievable job," said Oklahoma State coach Kurt Budke. "He's very deserving to be picked No. 1 in the conference. With all that talent he has back, he should probably win the national championship."

If that happens, Blair will have to change rings.

"It's nice to come up here with a Big 12 Championship ring," he said. "I just put it on yesterday and it's great to have instead of my Arkansas Final Four ring that I have worn for years. I always told my kids that I would always wear that Final Four ring until we won our own ring at Texas A&M."