I can't believe that April arrived and basketball was still a subject of discussion in the Brazos Valley, and it wasn't a hangover topic of whether or not Donald Sloan was fouled!

It was about Gary Blair and his Aggie women's basketball team! I live and work in a somewhat sheltered world and sometimes I have trouble figuring out if what we're covering in sports is really of interest to the Brazos Valley.

One trip to the Bryan compost facility off Pleasant Run road in Brazos County cleared it up for me. I was getting a load of compost for a flowerbed and after David McGee,

the operator of the front end loader, dumped a ton and a half on my trailer, David turned off his rig and ask me 4 or 5 questions about Tuesday's game between Texas A&M and

Tennessee.

It was more than "How do you think they're going to do?" He asked about Danielle Gant's health, Candace Parker's dominance on the court, how A&M would defend her. And the

most confident statement, would I be going to Tampa!

What the women's basketball team did this year was special, and needs to be repeated sooner than 14 years!

With Coach Blair and his staff's hard work, don't be surprised if playing hoops in April becomes a little more regular than once in forever!

The entire responsibility of the team's success is not Texas A&M's alone. We, the Brazos Valley, have a responsibility as well! I don't want to sound like a Gary Blair disciple, but the team needs to play in front of 6 to 8 thousand on a nightly basis instead of 1 to 3 grand.

Coach Blair said Monday night that he knew all about the Tennessee players because he recruited them, he joked and said they never answered his letters! 6 to 8 thousand in

the stands along with an Elite Eight appearance will have the Candace Parkers of the world more than thinking about corresponding with Coach Blair!

Can you imagine how a player of her ability would add to the agressive play of this year's senior class of A'Quonesia Franklin, Morenike Atunrase, Patrice Reado, Katy Pounds, and La Toya Gulley, not to mention the underclassmen of Danielle Gant, La Toya Micheaux, Damitria Buchanan and Syndey Colson?

Thanks for the magical run Ags!