COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The Texas A&M women’s basketball program continues to shine in the national spotlight as Sports Illustrated recently tabbed the Aggies among the top 10 teams in the country in its college basketball preview available this week on newsstands across the country.

“At Texas A&M the bench is strong and the bar is set high,” wrote Sports Illustrated reporter Andrew Lawrence. “Junior college transfer Tanisha Smith, who averaged 18.3 points and 2.9 steals last season, is a one-person depth chart. At six-feet, she can play every position but center. After coming from nowhere last March to reach the Elite Eight for the first time, ‘we know the formula to build champions,’ says coach Gary Blair. ‘We expect to be playing in a championship game.’”

Several Aggie players received some love from SI including redshirt freshman Tyra White who was listed among freshmen who aren’t getting all of the props they deserve. White, a six-foot guard and former McDonald’s High School All-American out of Kansas City, Mo., is a “silky guard who coach Gary Blair calls a ‘zone buster’ gets a chance to shine after tearing her ACL.”

Versatile senior combination guard/forward Danielle Gant of Oklahoma City, Okla., was also among the names mentioned in what SI calls the ‘listings of the most honorable, the up-and-comers and the next tournament upstarts.’ Gant, who stands at 5-foot-11 and is a definite next-level player, was selected as a preseason third team All-American by the magazine.

Making waves over on the Internet was preseason first team All-American Takia Starks, the Aggies’ leading scorer over the last two seasons. She was picked among the top five two-guards in the nation by ESPN.com.