They were an underdog to Baylor in the Big 12 title game. A Cinderella in the NCAA Final Four. Even after making the 2011 Women’s NCAA Championship, few watched the Texas A&M women’s basketball team in a classic title game because Dancing With The Stars was on. The 2011 NCAA National Champion Texas A&M Aggies struggled against the underdog tag on a nightly basis throughout the season, but Agnes Green, an 11-year public address announcer for the 2011 NCAA Women’s Final Four, said the Aggies had an unseen advantage in their historic tournament run.
“The Aggies appeared to be the fan favorite and that could be for many reasons,” Green said. “The whole team, the staff and the [head] coach [Gary Blair], everybody was very congenial.”
Green said she was impressed by the authenticity of A&M Head Coach Gary Blair during an open practice on the Saturday before the championship game. Green said Blair made a connection with the fans in attendance by revealing some of his strategies with his usual warm and friendly demeanor.
“Coach [Blair] gave the fans tips and advice and he literally did a clinic for the fans,” Green said. “He would tell the fans what he was running and why he was running that particular play or routine. That really made a difference to the fans to hear the coach talk about why he ran certain plays.”
Blair’s southern hospitality was contagious as Green said the athletes and fans showed the same compassion and enthusiasm for the sport and its fans. Green said although it was the first trip to the Final Four for A&M, everyone from the coaches to the fans carried themselves with grace and confidence.
“They really did not take for granted that they were in the Final Four,” Green said. “They were very excited, they were curious and the Aggie fans were so gracious and nice. They were very spirited and had these big, head pictures of the players and that was a huge hit among the fans.”
The Reed Rowdies made their appearance on the big stage with huge cutouts of the women’s faces at games to show their support for each of the Aggie players. Green said the Aggie fans were very spirited throughout the tournament and only added to the growing popularity of the overlooked team by waving the gigantic heads during timeouts. She also said the Reed Rowdies made sure they were heard as the Aggie women played some of the fastest and most effective basketball during the tournament.
“[The Aggie fans] were louder,” Green said. “Many fans that come to see the Final Four just come to see good basketball because many of their teams never make it to the Final Four. They’re coming to see good and exciting basketball.”
Some analysts recognized A&M’s efficiency through the season and considered them a sleeper in the NCCA Tournament, and Green, also an anesthesiologist, quickly noticed the Aggies’ talent. She credited the Aggies’ success to their up tempo offense and pesky defensive play, as well as increasing fan support on their way to the title game.
“The Aggies gave fans that exciting basketball, excellent play and were an exciting and new team for fans to learn about,” Green said. “You had the excellent play out on the court and you had the fans showing their support for the team.”
In the end, the very label that stuck with the Aggie women throughout the season played a major role in the team’s first national title. Some have said the women came out champions because of effective strategy, efficient play and emotional senior leadership. Others said they won because the label left on a chip on their shoulders. One thing that is certain is that America loves an underdog, and Green said the same was true for the Aggies in their historic tournament run.
“People wanted to pull for the underdog,” Green said. “They were the underdogs and now they’re the champions.”