The Texas A&M women’s basketball team is officially back on the court preparing for the 2015-16 season.
The team conducted its first official practice for about three hours in the Cox-McFerrin Center Sunday.
Head coach Gary Blair, who returns for his 13th season at the helm of the women’s basketball program, opened practice around 2 p.m. by gathering the players around midcourt and saying a few words before getting to work.
The Aggies offensive workout included different passing, shooting and low-post drills. After breaking to watch film, the players got started on a defensive session that stressed the importance of a help defense and team communication.
“I loved the energy and the passion,” Blair, who was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013, said after practice. “It’s been a great weekend, so we’re going to take it and love it.”
In addition to how the team played as a whole, Blair said he was also impressed with how the newest team members performed.
“They just blend in,” Blair said. “They’re not sitting there waiting for their time. They’re trying to make their opportunities now.”
One player who stood out throughout the practice was point guard Jordan Jones. The senior from DeSoto tore her ACL and lateral meniscus last year in the second-to-last game of the season.
Sunday, Jones took two charges that did not go unnoticed by the coaching staff and her teammates.
“Her leadership is infectious with everybody out there,” Blair said of Jones. “When she’s playing hard, you want to play hard behind her because she’s out there.”
Blair said he would like to increase the exposure of his program to the Texas A&M students and get more people to attend the games.
“I need to find out how I can relate to the student body more to come out like the 35,000 that went to football,” Blair said. “I stopped in earlier and watched the volleyball game. I see what they’re doing for soccer. I need for those kids to take ownership of men’s and women’s basketball and don’t wait until January when they get back [from winter break]. Start with us in November and December, we really need the student support because they don’t realize the difference they make.”
The Aggies return four of their five starters from last season, including two – Jones and Courtney Walker — who were named to an Associated Press All-American Team. It is the first time in school history that the Aggies have returned two All-Americans.
The Aggies will play in front of a public crowd for the first time in the Maroon and White Scrimmage on Oct. 23, and they open the regular season at home Nov. 13 against Texas State.
