By ROBERT CESSNA
Eagle Staff Writer

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There were more standing ovations at Thursday night's Texas A&M women's basketball banquet than Big 12 victories the program had before the current group of seniors arrived on campus.

A packed crowd at The Zone Club stood often to recognize the accomplishments of the record-setting 2007-08 team that made the school's first Elite Eight appearance.

"I didn't have this large of a crowd at our first game," said fifth-year head coach Gary Blair.

There was a reason for that. A&M was 22-90 in league games before Blair took over, and things didn't get any better in his first year as the Aggies were 2-14, which matched the program's all-time worst record in league play.

In fact, the team used to hold its annual banquet in the upstairs room at a local restaurant, where few fans or supporters attended.

But they needed six serving lines Thursday night, and most of the 600 in attendance stayed to the end of the 3 1/2-hour celebration, which was highlighted by speeches from the five seniors, Morenike Atunrase, A'Quonesia Franklin, LaToya Gulley, Katy Pounds and Patrice Reado.

Atunrase and Franklin couldn't attend but appeared together on a video. The two were drafted into the WNBA last week and had to attend a mandatory league orientation function.

Together, the senior class leaves as the winningest in school history with a 93-39 record, including a 35-13 Big 12 record over their last three seasons, all of which ended in the NCAA Tournament.

Athletics director Bill Byrne praised the players for their accomplishments and marveled at the program's progress in the last five seasons.

A&M, which won the Big 12 tournament championship, lost to eventual national champion Tennessee in the Elite Eight 53-45. The Aggies had a five-point lead with 6 minutes left.

"It was right there," Blair said. "Think how close we were to winning a national championship."

Blair commended his players and staff for recovering from a 1-4 start in league play to win a school-record 29 games. A&M was ranked eighth in the final polls, the best in school history.

Point guard Franklin (7.9 points, 4.8 assists per game) and junior guard Takia Starks (16.3 ppg) earned honorable mention All-America honors by the Associated Press. They also shared the team's Most Valuable Player Award. Starks also earned the Miss Offense Award while Atunrase (10.3 ppg) won the Miss Aggie Award and 6th Man Award.

Other team award winners went to Reado (Most Improved), freshman Sydney Colson (Newcomer of the Year), junior forward Danielle Gant (Miss Hustle and Miss Defense), and sophomore forward Katrina Limbaha (Academic). Gant averaged 14.7 ppg and 7.1 rebounds per game, while Reado averaged 8.3 ppg and 4.8 rpg.

NOTES -- Atunrase's mother, Cheron Grayson, and Franklin's mother, Velesha McCalister, accepted their daughter's awards. ... Retiring radio broadcaster Tom Turbiville also was honored. He worked A&M women's basketball for 12 of the last 15 seasons. ... Jerry and Sandra Griffith were named Fans of the Year. ... A&M first-year president Elsa Murano, who became a big fan, praised the team.

• Robert Cessna's e-mail address is robert.cessna@theeagle.com.

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