There is no off-season for Aggies since the Texas A&M spirit lives on year-round. Come basketball season, students and former students alike migrate from Kyle Field down the street to Reed Arena, where the Fightin’ Texas Aggies take on other top teams from around the nation, including some heated SEC rivals.
Recognized as a team since the 1912-13 season, Texas Aggie basketball has had plenty of game time to rack up the accolades. The Aggie basketball program has brought home to College Station 12 conference titles and has earned a spot in the NCAA tournament a cumulative 14 years throughout their history.
Basketball greats have also graced the court at Reed Arena. NBA pros like DeAndre Jordan, Tyler Davis, and Billy Caruso all once donned maroon & white. Members of Texas A&M’s coaching staff have also made waves; Coach Shelby Metcalf joined the Aggie’s in 1963, and after 26 years with the Aggies became the all-time winningest men's basketball coach in Southwest Conference history. The most recent coach to take the helm, Billy Kennedy, lead the Aggies to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen during the 2015-16 season, despite a rocky start to his tenure.
Just as the early Kennedy years gave way to victory, so too have other periods in Aggie basketball history. That’s why true Aggies know that, when it comes to maroon and white, anything can happen. And while you may not be able to assist on the court, you can sit back and support as the Aggie team--or one of their players--make history.
While it’s true that basketball does not have quite the cult following that football enjoys, Aggies are nothing if not spirited when it comes to their teams. Aggies pack Reed Arena on basketball gamedays, giving the team the best possible shot at a home court advantage. The bleachers are filled with maroon and white as the team passes up and down the court in rapid fashion, following along with Coach Billy Kennedy’s new fast-paced strategy.
As the players take center stage, the students assume spirited supporting roles, providing all the “Whoops” and “Gig ‘ems” the team may need to keep up the fight. In particularly passionate moments, the fans will even lock arms and sway to the Aggie War Hymn, just as they do over at Kyle Field, and wish good luck to the players, or, in the words of the hymn, “the boys that show the real old fight.” And as the boys “fight” the fans “yell and yell and yell,” making their way through another sports season in true Aggie fashion.
Whether football or basketball, a Midnight Yell or the game itself, you’ll be hard pressed to find a college town more spirited than College Station. Maybe it’s the small town locale, maybe it’s the illustrious history, or maybe its the simple traditions multiplied over generations that create quite the legacy for every student lucky enough to call themselves Aggies.
Basketball season is just another excuse to put that Aggie spirit to good use--along with the omnipresent maroon and white wardrobes of students and former students alike. Thanks to the support of the fans and the power of the teams, anything can happen for the Aggies. Do your part by showing up to support the team this season at Reed Arena. After all, this may be the year they break the Final Four! In Aggieland, it’s always a possibility.
