By ROBERT CESSNAKansas City is famous for barbecue and basketball.
Gates, Arthur Bryant's and Jack Stack are just a few of the city's eateries that mix spicy sauces on dry-rubbed meats. Those restaurants will be packed during the Big 12 Championships in two months as locals will be bragging about the Kansas Jayhawks' chances of winning another national championship.
On the women's side, one of the emerging Final Four favorites, Texas A&M, has its own Kansas City flavor. The Aggies' three leading scorers are from the self-named BBQ Capital of the World. Senior guard Tanisha Smith is averaging 17.9 points per game. Junior post Danielle Adams is averaging 15.1 with sophomore guard Tyra White is averaging 10.5. Smith, Adams and White have helped the Aggies to a 13-1 start and a Big 12-best No. 8 ranking.
A&M is headed toward its fifth straight NCAA Tournament appearance, and one of the keys to A&M's current run has been the job head coach Gary Blair has done of finding out-of-state talent to build up the league's worst program he inherited seven seasons ago.
Blair's first gem was Morenike Atunrase from Shreveport, La. Then he landed Danielle Gant from Oklahoma City. His current roster has eight non-Texans on it, led by the K.C. connection.
There are eight players from Kansas City on Big 12 women's teams' rosters, but the three Aggies are the only ones averaging in double figures.
Mechelle Voepel of espn.com dubbed the Aggies "Kansas City South" in November at the Big 12 Media Days, which were held in Kansas City. Smith, Adams and White have lived up to the title since, combining to score at least 40 points in eight games this season.
Smith has scored in double figures in every game except the 56-54 loss at TCU.
Adams also has scored in double figures in every game but one; she also has missed a game. Adams suffered concussion-like symptoms after hitting her head on the floor after taking a charge against North Texas. She played just 2 minutes in that game and missed the TCU game.
White had been in double digits for seven straight games until scoring only four points in a 91-70 victory at Texas on Saturday. White shot a blistering 68 percent (39 of 57) during her streak. Her emergence and a healthy Adams have helped A&M average 83.9 points per game, which ranks fourth nationally.
Even with White's lower point total, the K.C. connection combined for 50 points and 22 rebounds against Texas.
A&M's scoring prowess will be tested by Iowa State at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the Aggies' first conference game at Reed Arena. Iowa State (12-2) was the only Big 12 North team to beat the Aggies last season. ISU, with a pair of players from Kansas City, has allowed only 51.1 points a game, eighth-best in the country.
A&M, meanwhile, is third in the nation in shooting percentage at 49 percent and tops from 3-point range at 43.7 percent. Five Aggies have made at least 11 treys this season, and that includes the Missouri Three, who each came south to Aggieland in a different year for a different reason.
"We had a great rapport with each kid in recruiting," Blair said. "Then each kid helped bring the next kid here."
White was first. She had signed early with LSU, but when head coach Pokey Chatman resigned because of an alleged sexual relationship with a former player, White was free to go elsewhere. The McDonald's High School All-American picked the Aggies over Texas Tech, Kansas, Cal and Middle Tennessee State.
"It was like a family away from home when I came down here," White said.
She was the overwhelming choice to be the Big 12's freshman of the year in 2007-08 but suffered a season-ending knee injury just 4 minutes into the season opener.
White's Aggie career was put on hold while she redshirted, which made her miss Kansas City "every day," she said. Her teammates and the coaching staff helped the longing gradually disappear through camaraderie.
"I knew I might not always be in Kansas City when I get older," White said.
White felt better when A&M was able to sign Smith out of Arkansas-Fort Smith for the 2008-09 season. Smith had initially signed with Arkansas but says she didn't feel comfortable there and transferred to Fort Smith. A&M assistant coach Johnnie Harris, who had recruited Smith while at Arkansas, didn't have a problem convincing the 6-footer to come to A&M.
It also helped that Harris had recruited White. Smith and White played against each other in middle school, and once Smith got to Aggieland, they discovered they were cousins.
"Oh, it helped a lot. It was tremendous that [White] was here," Smith said. "[Being cousins] was a real plus. But not just having Tyra, all the girls really have my back. It's one big family."
Smith and White had solid seasons in leading the Aggies to the Sweet 16 last year. Smith was the team's third scoring option behind All-Big 12 performers Takia Starks and Danielle Gant. White started only one game but was the team's fifth-leading scorer at 5.3 points per game.
Smith and White were expected to pick up some of the scoring slack left by the graduation of Starks and Gant. The Aggies also were hopeful they could sign Kelsey Bone, the state's No. 2 recruit behind Brittney Griner who signed with Baylor.
Bone signed with South Carolina. The Aggies rebounded by signing Adams, the WBCA national junior college player of the year.
"The consolation prize was pretty good," Blair said.
Adams was slowed by a hamstring injury in fall camp and later the head injury, but she is averaging almost a point a minute as she works herself into shape to play A&M's pressing style.
Many schools backed off recruiting the 6-1 Adams throughout her sophomore season while not knowing if she'd make her grades, Blair said. When Adams did become eligible to sign with a four-year school, all the Aggies had to do was outrecruit Louisville, the only other program still actively pursuing her.
"I had played with Tyra a couple of times in AAU," Adams said. "I just felt comfortable with her, the coaches and the other players."
Adams become an instant fan favorite with 24 points in a season-opening 95-77 victory over then-No. 6 Duke. Her night complemented Smith's 19 points as the two combined for 14-of-23 shooting from the field.
Smith is coming off her best all-around effort in Austin against Texas. The All-America candidate hit 11 of 15 shots, had nine rebounds, seven assists and three steals.
Adams, Smith and White are enjoying Aggieland, but they remain Missourians, not Texans.
"I mean, I've been away from home for four years, but I was born and raised in Kansas City, Mo., not College Station, Texas," said Smith as the other two nodded in agreement.
The players are looking forward to the Big 12 Tournament and a rare chance to return home other than at Christmas.
"It will be packed full of Missourians," Smith said with a laugh. "It's the last year my family gets to come out and see my play."
They're also looking forward to the barbecue. The players think Gates is best, but they also like Arthur Bryant's.
Blair, who prefers Gates, plans to keep eating barbecue there as he recruits KC.
"We've got good connections up there," Blair said. "We'll go up there for junior college players, we'll go up there for high school players. And the AAU program that two of them played for, the KC Select has been very good to us."
Saturday night at the postgame press conference Blair asked Smith if she had any little sisters. "I have all brothers," Smith said.
*
NOTES -- ISU is second in the country in 3-point shooting percentage (43.2). ... ISU is ranked 20th in by the USA Today/ESPN Coaches poll. The Cyclones lost their league opener at home to Nebraska, 57-49.
Here are the Big 12 players who are from Kansas City:
Tanisha Smith, A&M 17.9 ppg, 4.8 rpg
Danielle Adams, A&M 15.1 ppg, 4.8 rpg
Tyra White, A&M 10.5 ppg, 3.1 rpg
Denae Stuckey, Iowa State 5.2 ppg, 6.4 rpg
Marisha Brown, Kansas 2.4 ppg, 1.9 rpg
Anna Florzak, Iowa State 1.3 ppg, 0.7 rpg
Lauren Willis, Oklahoma 2.2 ppg, 1.4 rpg
Trenee Thornton, Missouri 0.8 ppg, 0.5 rpg
TEXAS A&M WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Wednesday's game: Iowa State (12-2) at No. 8 Texas A&M (13-1), 7 p.m.
Reed Arena
TV/radio: None/KZNE, 1150 AM
Tickets: $2.50-$5.50
A&M-ISU LINEUPS
TEXAS A&M (13-1)
NAMEPOS.HT.CL.PPGRPG
Sydney ColsonG5-8Jr.7.45.1*
Tanisha SmithF6-0Sr.17.9 4.8
Tyra WhiteG6-0So.10.53.1
Adaora ElonuF6-1So.9.6 3.6
Damitria Buchanan F6-2Sr.3.84.8
ISU (12-2)
NAMEPOS.HT.CL.PPGRPG
Alison LaceyG6-0Sr.17.67.0*
Denae StuckeyG5-8Sr.5.26.4
Kelsey BolteG6-1Jr.11.55.9
Chassidy ColeG5-8So.3.42.1
Chelsea Poppens F6-2Sr.9.66.0
*assists per game
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