Trailing 16-6 after the first quarter was not enough to deter the Texas A&M basketball team in the league championship game.
The Aggies recovered in the final quarters to win 63-49, completing a perfect 17-0 season.
Celebrating their first league championship, the team was far from Oklahoma City and the Big 12 Championship tournament. This was the Texas A&M University at Qatar basketball team, celebrating its win against American School of Doha in the inaugural Qatar Basketball League Championship.
“I am extremely proud of the team,” interim Director of Student Affairs and basketball Head Coach Michael Collins told The Aggie Platform. “That’s what they have worked for.”
Collins, a former assistant basketball coach at Western Kentucky, helped get the league started, allowing seven teams, four from Education City and three from other local Doha schools, to join.
“It’s a chance for students in the region to compete,” he said. “It’s something special.”
Collins said he wanted to translate some of the Aggie traditions from the main campus in College Station to the Qatar campus. He said sports are a good part of the traditions, so starting the basketball league got the 12th Man in Qatar involved.
Before the league was formed, the team played sporadically in games against local teams.
“The league will continue as long as I am here,” Collins said. “It’s not about the school, it’s about the people. It’s a tradition now and everything is falling into place.”
After a historic season and new frontiers ahead of them, Collins said he is proud of his team and plans to keep the team winning.
“The key to our success is the consistent message that you play together, you win together, you lose together,” Collins said. “That’s why I intentionally didn’t put names on their jerseys. I told the team the only name that matters is the name on the front.”