HEATING IT UP When Bennie Lenox poured in 53 points in 1963-64, he set the bar to perhaps untouchable heights By Rusty Burson

For many of us who have braved the brutally hot Texas summers, calling on the "Lennox Man" means air conditioned relief from the furnace we call the Lone Star State. But mention the Lenox Man – that’s with one N – to Shelby Metcalf, and the former Texas A&M head coach can go on for hours about heating it up, firing it in, torching the nets and scorching opponents.

Metcalf recalls that Bennie Lenox had ice water in his veins. But most of Metcalf’s memories regarding the former All-Southwest Conference guard’s performances can be boiled down to one word: Smokin.’

"(Lenox) wasn’t scared of anything, and he believed he could score or get the job done in any situation," said Metcalf, who took over as A&M’s head coach in 1963-64, Lenox’s senior season. "He could shoot, he could score, he could knock down free throws and do it all. He was, for sure, the key to that (1963-64) season."

Bennie Lenox couldn't be stopped by Wyoming in his record-setting game.

That season was indeed a special one in A&M’s basketball history. Behind Lenox’s scoring and under Metcalf’s direction, the Aggies won their first outright Southwest Conference championship in 40 years.

And on one especially memorable night during that season, Lenox scored 53 points in a 99-87 win over Wyoming in the All-College Tournament in Oklahoma City. That’s still the all-time Texas A&M and Southwest Conference record for most points in a single game.

That’s also as many points as A&M scored – as an entire team – in four games last year. Perhaps that’s why so many people still remember that game and that team.

"Believe it or not, I run into people all the time that still know about all that," said Lenox, who is now retired and living in Bertram, a town of less than 1,000 residents some 40 miles north of Austin. "It’s hard to believe that over that long of a time that (record) hadn’t been broken.

"But I remember that game like it was yesterday. It was one of those games where things just kind of went right. (Wyoming) never did catch on to what we were doing. I was just driving and knocking my man off on (Jerry Paul) Windham or (Lewis) Qualls or Lee Walker, someone at the high post.

"Then I just jumped up and canned it or drove and banked it off the board. Of course, I got a lot of foul shots, too. They never did jump out and switch like they should have. It was a good game, and it’s unbelievable now. I’m almost 60, and I go into a drug store or café in this part of the world and people still talk about it."

It was a sensational performance, especially considering that it happened long before the 3-point shot or the shot clock. But it was also just one of many outstanding performances during Lenox’s career (1961-64) at A&M. Lenox averaged more than 20 points per game as both a junior and senior, and he is still the seventh-leading scorer in A&M history with 1,344 points.

Many of those points came from the free-throw line, as Lenox still holds A&M records for most free throws made in a season (190) and most free throws made in a career (404). And his 17-of-17 performance from the line in a 1963 game against Arkansas is still the best ever by an Aggie.

So, it’s a particular source of frustration to Lenox today when he watches games and sees that shooting the basketball is, for the most part, a lost art among today’s generation. Especially at the free-throw line.

"I get so irritated at people who think they are basketball players and can’t make a free throw with somebody not guarding them." Lenox said. "It’s totally uncalled for. It’s a lack of concentration for one thing, and the last time I checked the team that gets the most points still wins. The shooting aspect of it, especially at the high school and collegiate level, is just gone.

"There are slashers and dunkers, stuff like that, but no one can shoot the ball. Everyone thinks that a dunk is worth five points, and it still counts the same as it used to. That’s what frustrates me about watching guys today."

Lenox received a first-hand look at a particularly frustrating shooting performance on Jan. 6, when the Aggies shot a dismal 28.6 percent (14 of 49) from the field in a 53-48 loss to Kansas State.

Lenox was at Reed Arena that day as part of a tribute to four of A&M’s Southwest Conference championship teams (1951, 1964, 1975 and 1976). And while it was hard to stomach A&M’s shooting on that particular day, Lenox says he did see something that he liked.

"Man, I’m telling you (Reed Arena) is really impressive," said Lenox, who has three children ranging in age from 26 to 38. "I was really excited to see that because I think it symbolizes that A&M has made a commitment to basketball. If we get something going inside of it, we’ll be all right.

"And I think we can. Basketball is unlike some of the other team sports in that you can get one or two good basketball players and turn your program around overnight. You can’t so much do that in football or baseball. I’m hoping that (Melvin Watkins) can do it. I’m pulling for him. He seemed like an awfully nice guy. That was the first time I met him. Hopefully, he’s in the process of putting together a special team."

Lenox knows a thing or two about putting together a special team. After graduating from A&M, Lenox initially went to work with former A&M basketball coach Bob Rogers. Together, Lenox and Rogers in the national retirement account sales for South & Life, specializing in big corporations.

But too much travel and the lure of college basketball eventually brought him back to the game. Four years out of A&M, Lenox went to work as an assistant at Texas under Leon Black.

"Bennie was a good coach and an excellent recruiter because he was such a good salesman," said Metcalf. "He’s very positive and smart, he knows people, people like him. I was glad when he got out of basketball, because if he wasn’t going to working for me, I sure didn’t want him working against me."

Lenox got out of the game after seven years at Texas and went into business for himself. And that’s when he truly found his niche.

"I bought a lumberyard and a building material center in Austin, and I’ve been in the building material business ever since," he said. "Since then, I’ve gotten out of that facility and now I just do some consulting type work. I moved to Las Vegas for three years and just played golf and did a little consulting out there. And now I just live out in the country, where I’ve got some cows and goats and I play golf every day."

Of all his successes, though, Lenox remains especially proud of that memorable 1963-64 season in which he became just the fourth player in A&M history to earn All-America honors.

The 1964 team went 18-7 overall and 13-1 in conference play, and led by Lenox, the Aggies advanced to the 25-team NCAA Tournament, where they fell in the first round to Texas-El Paso (then Texas Western), 68-62. Nevertheless, the Aggies finished the season with a No. 18 national ranking in the final UPI poll.

"That year was a lot of fun, and we had a pretty good team," Lenox said. "That season really created some excitement among the A&M fans about basketball, and I think it probably helped to lay the foundation for some of the future success (Metcalf) had.

"One season like that can really help change things and improve the image of a program. Hopefully, A&M will have another one of those season in the very near future, and that new arena can rock the way we used to have G. Rollie White going in the early 1960s. That would be really nice to see."

That would be a dream come true. Of course, finding a shooter who can heat it up like Bennie Lenox these days is easier said than done.