Issue date: 11/13/09 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Sam Smith Sophomore point guard Dash Harris takes over as the starter this season. He'll lead the Aggies into their first game against Angelo State at 7 p.m. on Friday. [Click to enlarge]

The practices and exhibitions have come to a close and now both the Texas A&M men's and women's basketball teams will get the seasons started this weekend at Reed Arena. The Aggie men will play Angelo State Friday night, and the No. 16 Aggie women will welcome in No. 6 Duke on Sunday.

The men come into the season looking to build on what was a successful 2008-2009 campaign under Head Coach Mark Turgeon. The team made its fourth straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament and also became one of six teams to advance to the second round of the tournament in the last four years.

The team will be somewhat reliant on incoming freshmen after the departures of both Josh Carter and Chinemelu Elonu.

However, Turgeon thinks the freshmen and the team have come along faster than he thought they would.

"We're a little further along than I thought we'd be," Turgeon said. "I have a group that is meshing well together. They're fun to coach everyday. Across the board, everybody has gotten better and our freshmen are a lot further along than I thought they'd be."

Despite the departure of their leading scorer and leading rebounder, the Aggies return much of the core from last year's squad. Seniors Donald Sloan, Bryan Davis and Derek Roland all return and make up 60 percent of the starting lineup. Joining them will be sophomores Dash Harris and David Loubeau.

"I think we've had enough scrimmaging against each other," Sloan said. "We're anxious to see different faces. It'll be good for us. We're looking forward to getting better against other guys."

Against Angelo State, A&M will look to win their ninth straight season opener and is looking to win their 57th straight non-conference game at Reed Arena.

The Rams come into Friday's game several days after falling to Rice in Houston. They come from Division Two and more specifically, the Lone Star Conference. Last year, under Head Coach Fred Rike, they advanced to the Division 2 NCAA Tournament for the first time in seven years.

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