They stood up, one by one, dressed in uptown coat and tie.

At Tony Barone’s annual "Bogey with Barone" preseason golf tournament and dinner, there was silk and smooth all over the ballroom at Pebble Creek Country Club. The players’ clothes weren’t bad, either.

From "veteran" Calvin Davis to Mr. Basketball, Jerald Brown, it became apparent on the outside just what Barone had assembled as he introduced the players to the Aggie basketball faithful.

Barone’s got him a basketball team.

At least on this night, the players looked like Division I scholarship players who could compete at the highest level in the Big 12 Conference.

But the guys were, after all, dressed in party attire. So to affirm my first impression of the 1996-97 Aggies, I began watching them practice.

Affirmation complete.

It was merely an October practice, yet it was obvious this team has more athletes and more true basketball players than any team Barone has put on the floor since coming to College Station five years ago.

First of all, the Aggies could run five scholarship players at five scholarship players in scrimmage situations, which is something Duke and Kansas haven’t had to worry about lately. But for Barone, who had to clean up an NCAA mess and suffer through the exodus of several players before their eligibility was up, the sight of 12 guys who actually signed letters-of-intent on the floor has to be as appealing as a bowl of Barone’s favorite linguini at Campisi’s in Dallas.

The Aggies (see preview on pages 24-29) have size with five players standing over 6-8, and a sixth — TCU transfer Chris Richards — checking in at 6-10.

The Aggies have playmakers in a versatile Brown, who is A&M’s biggest signee in almost 20 years, and shot blocker Larry Thompson from Paris Junior College.

The Aggies even have shooting, something that has been lacking in recent years, as Dario Quesada, Tracey Anderson and Derrick Hart all can fire from downtown.

What is lacking from this team is experience and cohesion. They just haven’t played under Barone or together for very long. In fact, Quesada is the only player who has been with the program for more than a year.

But for all the polls who pick the Aggies 10th in the Big 12 and for all the teams who plan on using their trips to College Station as a time to catch their breath in a breathtaking conference, it might be time to reassess the situation.

Granted A&M isn’t going to challenge the Kansas Jayhawks for the league title, but I doubt Texas coach Tom Penders is relishing his Jan. 15 trip to G. Rollie White with a team many are picking to rule the South in the Big 12.

And I can bet coach James Dickey isn’t rubbing his hands in anticipation of the Red Raiders’ road game with the Aggies.

For those two former Southwest Conference coaches understand what is beginning to stir in Aggieland. A sleeping giant, maybe not. But at A&M, the players and a new arena are about in place to resurrect Aggie basketball.

"This is one of the reasons we weren’t winning," said Barone, as he looked around antiquated G. Rollie White following a preseason practice. "We couldn’t recruit to this facility. First of all, we needed an arena. If we didn’t have that arena, you wouldn’t be talking to me about Jerald Brown. The Reed Arena is a major, major plus for us."

Even though the opening of the new facility could be delayed a year to the fall of 1998 because of the recent accident on site, the future of the A&M program pointed toward commitment. Brown, one of the most highly-recruited players in the nation, certainly bought into the direction the program was headed.

"We were thrilled because what (Brown’s signing) meant to us was the commitment we had to build a program a certain way was recognized by a superb basketball player as a good way to build a program," said Barone, who has won 60 and lost 72 games in five years as A&M head coach. "We were pleased, and we were also relieved we were able to attract that kind of young man to this kind of program."

But it wasn’t just Brown who jumped on board. Players like freshman Steve Houston of The Colony and sophomore Calvin Davis, who both were highly regarded around the state, chose to take a risk and sign with a basketball program that had struggled in obscurity since The Wall came crumbling down in 1981.

And in two or three years, this could be A&M’s most talented team since that trio of Rudy Woods, Rynn Wright and Vernon Smith took the Aggies to the NCAA’s Sweet Sixteen in 1980.

The Aggies were Final Four material that year, losing in the third round of the NCAA Tournament to eventual champion Louisville.

The late 1970s and early ’80s was a strange time in the annals of A&M athletics. Basketball, not football, was king. Seriously.

From 1979-81, the Aggies on the football field went 17-17. On the basketball court from 1978-80, A&M went 50-17 , beat UNLV and Kentucky on their home floors and came within a hair of knocking off the Doctors of Dunk from Louisville.

G. Rollie White became the pit of pits. Not only was it standing- room-only inside the coliseum, but fans filled Rudder Auditorium to watch the games on closed circuit television.

Obviously, the nature of life in the 1990s and the makeup of the student body has changed since then. Surfing the Net, not watching a ball go through it, seems a little more in vogue on this campus.

It may never be SRO in G. Rollie again as the Holler House on the Brazos will become home to strictly volleyball in two years. And as plush and comfortable as Reed Arena will be, fans won’t flock to the new facility after the novelty wears off just to take in the atmosphere of a big-time facility.

It’s going to take the Aggies winning again. Not just competing or scaring opponents, but beating them.

That winning time may not be far off by the looks of this group of basketball players Barone has assembled. At least on one night in October, the Aggies surely were dressed for success.

University of Texas coach Tom Penders has a bit of advice for his fellow Big 12 Conference basketball coaches: Beware of Texas A&M.

"I think Tony’s going to have a lot better team than many people are expecting him to have," Penders said. "I think they’re going to surprise some people this year."

The Aggies? A team that finished 11-16 overall last season and tied for seventh in the Southwest Conference with a 3-11 record? What does Penders see that others have missed?

"Tony’s finally getting that full complement of scholarships that he didn’t have; he’s finally getting the arena he needed to recruit; and he went out and signed some very good players," Penders said. "And you’ve seen what Tony can do when he has limited resources. Now that he’s getting good players, watch out."

Considering the limited number of scholarships Barone had to work with because of NCAA sanctions incurred during his predecessor’s tenure in College Station, it was a wonder the Aggies were able to win any games at all. But they did, largely because Barone took the state’s leftovers and molded them into a team.

The Aggies didn’t have the horses to dominate, but Barone always seemed to find the best way to use his limited resources to maximum advantage.

G. Rollie White was, and is, a tough place to win. Now it’s about to get even tougher.

The Aggies have three returning starters in Tracey Anderson, Dario Quesada and Brad Stricker, and two returning veterans in Calvin Davis and Derrick Hart. It’s a decent nucleus to go with the six newcomers — Barone’s biggest incoming class since he’s been in Aggieland — who are expected to step in and contribute right away.

Foremost among the incoming freshmen is Jerald Brown, a 6-8 leaper from Aldine High School. Brown is arguably the highest-rated recruit ever to sign with A&M.

A McDonald’s All-America and Texas’ "Mr. Basketball," Brown averaged 23.9 points and 11.5 rebounds last year.

Despite Barone’s preference for letting freshmen learn by watching instead of playing, Brown will see playing time for the Aggies this season.

You don’t want him to dive into the deep end of the pool," Barone said. "I would prefer him to be walking slowly and adjust to it. Obviously Jerald Brown is a great player for our basketball program, and I will enjoy coaching him. But I still think it’s not the best thing for us to rush him."

Although Brown can play forward, Barone has been working the freshman at big guard.

"We wanted to make the transition easier," Barone said. "Our two and three, as we call them, are basically interchangeable. One is a big guard, the other is a small forward. We want to give him a chance to have success, and we thought this was the best chance for him to do that."

The Aggies will have a new face at point guard, but Barone expects big production from the position.

Kyle Kessel, who started 53 of his 54 career games at point guard, quit the team to concentrate on baseball.

"I don’t view that as a loss at all," Barone said. "I think Tracey Anderson will be outstanding out there, and I have no qualms about Derrick Hart playing out there.

"We really added quickness and defense to our point guard position that we might not have had in the past, so I don’t see that as a problem at all."

Barone said Anderson is the only "lock" as a starter at this point. The other spots are up for grabs as Barone has thrown open the competition. One player who could blossom this year while cracking the starting lineup is 6-8 sophomore forward Calvin Davis. Davis made the All-SWC freshman team last year after averaging 8.9 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, then spent the offseason on the Nike All-Star team that played in Taiwan. Despite playing alongside some of the country’s top college talent like Florida State’s Randall Jackson and Duke’s Jeff Capel, Davis finished among the top three on the team statistically.

"It gave Calvin exposure to what college basketball is like in other conferences around the country, and that’s a major plus for him," Barone said.

If Davis doesn’t start at one forward, Stricker might. The 6-10, 250-pound sophomore got his feet wet last year and could be a major contributor this season.

"I think he learned what college basketball is all about last year, and he’s a tremendous example of why freshman shouldn’t play," Barone said. "He came in and had bone spurs, sat out for six weeks, never got in shape and never had a chance to really develop because of the injury.

"Surely that can happen as a sophomore, but it was devastating as a freshman because he never had the chance to develop. He’s very athletic, but he just needs to play more basketball."

Like Davis, Quesada gained international basketball experience during the summer. Quesada tried out for but did not make the Spanish Olympic team.

He played in Europe, and after averaging 11.0 points and 5.9 rebounds last year, Quesada’s offensive game should be even stronger this season.

Anderson agreed.

"I’ve been playing with some of these guys and watching them play, and I found myself saying ‘Man, we’re going to be better than people expect. Nobody knows just how good some of these guys are,’" Anderson said. "I think we’re going to surprise a lot of people, I really think so."

Larry Thompson, a junior transfer from Paris Junior College and a Houston North Shore product, has been impressive in early practices.

Another newcomer, Chris Richards, will sit out the season after transferring from Texas Christian. Steve Houston, a 6-1 freshman guard from The Colony with all-star credentials coming out of high school, could see playing time as well.

A Colony product by way of Stetson, 6-5, 225-pound sophomore forward Shanne (pronounced Shane) Jones, will give A&M even more athleticism in the paint.

"Shanne Jones is going to play, Calvin and Jerald have been outstanding. Both have stepped up to the table, and they’re going to get a lot of minutes," Barone said. "We’ve got six guys in the back line we’re going to have to make some decisions on. We’ve proposed to them that the decision is going to be up to them and how they do in practice."

The point being, for the first time since he’s been in College Station, Barone and his staff have some legitimate choices to make instead of merely trying to get a body on the floor.

This time, the Aggies have some Big 12 talent, players capable of playing Division I basketball in a premier league.

"We have bigger bodies; we have better quickness; and we’re pounding on each other more than we’ve ever pounded on each in practice, and I like that," Barone said.

Davis notices the difference every day in practice.

"Everybody is very excited about the season," he said. "Nobody is giving us much of a chance to do anything this year, but we know different. And we’re looking forward to getting on the floor and playing in the Big 12. This is a completely different team than last year."

Penders noticed. And starting next month, maybe the rest of the Big 12 will, too.

Editor’s Note: Jerry Cox of Houston is the current president of the 12th Man Foundation. Cox, who will hand over his duties to Larry Bloomquist of Austin in January, visited with 12th Man Magazine about the goals and direction of the 12th Man Foundation.

QUESTION: What role does the 12th Man Foundation play and how important is it to the future of Texas A&M athletics?

JERRY COX: The Foundation’s role is to supply the athletic department with supplemental funds to allow them the flexibility to improve on their facilities, their staff and provide all the scholarships for all the athletes. The critical part of A&M athletics is largely in the hands of the Foundation because entrance into the Big 12 and trying to compete on a national level is going to create significant burdens on the athletic department to compete in facilities, in staff and in visibility. And that can only be done when the funds are there.

The Big 12 not only competes on the field but in money-raising. And A&M competes very well right now. Take a look at the facilities we have under construction, the coaching staff we’ve been able to put together and the success we’re having. Both of those parts of the equation — facilities and staff — cost a lot of money.

Q: In your opinion, how important is success in athletics in relation to success for the entire university?

COX: I think they are definitely linked and one feeds off the other. The reality is athletic success plays a very key role because of the leverage it has in the national visibility. The visibility of success on the athletic field or floor projects itself into homes across America through national television. To a lot of people, Texas A&M is a university that is successful on the athletic field because they see it on a television. And that projects an image of success in the classroom. We are blessed with a university that is very successful and has a very good reputation academically. But that academic reputation is certainly enhanced because of the athletic success that we have.

Q: What were your goals when you took over as president of the 12th Man Foundation?

COX: My goals for this year were to help create the infrastructure for the Foundation to be able to grow to the next level. We have grown over the last five years from a little over 6,000 members to currently about 18,000 members. And that creates a real burden on the infrastructure. We have taken a great deal of time and effort to put in systems, staff and the necessary vehicles to allow growth to the 50,000 (donor) level. And to get the giving level to increase from the current $5 million or $6 million range per year up to the $10 million or $15 million per year range. And I think we’ve done that.

In addition, we wanted to make a major effort toward appealing to the younger and lower-end giver. We wanted to recognize the importance of that segment of our constituency and the role they play in the success of the Foundation. We’ve done that through the 12th Man Magazine and through various programs designed for entry-level givers to become a critical part of the Foundation. In the past, we’ve appealed to larger donors and donors linked to seats and parking places. Now, we’re trying to broaden that base.

Q: What were your reasons for starting up 12th Man Magazine?

COX: The primary purpose for starting the magazine was to publish a first-class, very high-quality magazine that projects the accurate and positive story of Texas A&M athletics and what’s happening on the campus. We have a following of members who want desperately to keep up with the inside details of what’s going on, and we did not have that publication available to us. So we decided to create one on our own. This magazine will serve our members for years to come with timely information, with first-class, very high-quality journalism and great pictures. It can be their eyes away from home so they can view all the things that are going on at A&M on a weekly and monthly basis year-round.

Q: What role will the Foundation play in the possible stadium expansion at Kyle Field?

COX: We have been cooperating and negotiating with the athletic department and university for many months now, trying to be as supportive as we can in whatever role we’re asked to play. At present, we will be called on to be a major part of the financing for the possible expansion of the north end of Kyle Field through the solicitation of club seats and general seating in the north end zone. Our objective is to put in place a club atmosphere in that north end zone that will be unprecedented in this part of the world.

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